Near West Theatre Announces AUDITIONS - Ages 7 & up for SHOW BOAT Music by Jerome Kern Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Based on the novel Show Boat by Edna Ferber February 16, 17 & 18 Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday Ages 7-12 from 6:00-7:00pm Ages 13 & up from 7:30-10:00pm This is a group audition. Come ONE of these evenings. Plan to stay for the entire time specified. Location: Near West Theatre (6702 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102) Arrive 15 minutes early to register - anyone arriving after the starting time will not audition that day. About the Audition - Seeking an expansive, multicultural cast. - All roles are open. No experience necessary. No prepared material needed. - A relaxed, playful and friendly atmosphere. - Wear comfortable clothing & shoes for dancing so you can move easily. - Group audition process. Actors are led through multiple improvisational exercises including acting, movement and singing. Production Info Rehearsals begin March 13, 2016 The show runs May 6 - 22, 2016 For more information call Near West Theatre's Office, 216-961-9750 Get to know us and check out videos and photos at www.nearwesttheatre.org About the Show Join us for our INTERGENERATIONAL SPRING BLOCKBUSTER! Large, racially diverse cast, lavish sets and costumes, and a steam boat on stage! Based on Edna Ferber's best selling novel of the same name, the musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands, and dock workers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over forty years, from 1887 to 1927. With showgirls, gamblers, flappers, nuns and more, Show Boat is an old-fashioned, sweeping epic musical which explores themes of prejudice tragedy and enduring love across racial lines. Show Boat features such classic songs as "Ol' Man River" &"Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man". *** Note from the Director: As you may know, this is the first show on the American Musical stage to show black and white people living together and not treat them in a "color blind" way. This is 1887 on the banks of the Mississippi, a story moving in time to Chicago 1927, an amazing era of black music and dance being infused and celebrated into the white American experience. I'm not going to lie, this show is huge and demanding and requires actors/singers/dancers of the highest caliber to do it justice. The score is lush, difficult, emotionally and vocally wide in range for principals and company alike. The show's themes include turn of the century race relations, discrimination, gambling, changing fortunes, miscegenation (mixed marriage, which is illegal at the time) and much more! ALL ROLES ARE OPEN OF COURSE, and you'll be seeing more from us about the show, the roles, the auditions, etc. in the weeks to come. We intend to use this show as a catalyst to create safe and honest dialogues around race in America for the cast and the greater Cleveland community. With this production, Near West Theatre continues decades of passion for bringing shows of diversity to our stage, and bringing people together to create them through a life-changing rehearsal experience. So come and audition, and SPREAD THE WORD! Bob Navis Jr Artistic Director, Near West Theatre