HFC hosts open auditions for three plays on Sept. 8

The HFC Department of Theatre will hold in-person auditions for the upcoming plays, The Passage, 5AM Pancakes, and Tenderly.

Auditions will take place Thursday, Sept. 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Adray Auditorium (Rm F-100) in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F) on the main campus.

Auditions are open to current students of HFC and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. HFC dual-enrolled students and Henry Ford Early College students, HFC faculty, staff, and alumni are also welcome to audition.

No experience or preparation is required, though actors with past experience are welcome to bring a prepared 2-minute or less monologue, headshot, and résumé. If an actor cannot make the audition time, they should contact the new HFC Director of Theatre Dr. John Michael Sefel by noon on Sept. 8.

How to audition

Want to audition? Show up on September 8 at 6:00 prepared to read and act out part of a prepared script.

Suggestions for success:

• Dress comfortably, but not in a sloppy way. Performance is a professional undertaking.
• Read the play summaries in this news story, and learn more about them online if you want. Have a general sense of what you are auditioning for.
• Stay relaxed. Be energetic and ready to go when your turn comes.
• Be flexible, and have fun with the audition. Show some personality and style.
• Listen to the director, and follow their cues.
• Optional: if you have acted previously, you may bring a 2-minute or less monologue, a headshot, and a résumé.

You are welcome to audition for one, two, or all three of these plays. Participation for HFC students (and UM-D students), faculty, and staff is free. HFC alumni may participate for a small fee, according to Sefel.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals for The Passage will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:15 to 9:30 p.m. with occasional additional rehearsals based on cast availability. Cast members will be called only when needed and will follow HFC’s COVID-19 protocols. Additionally, all cast members are required to attend Tech Rehearsals Nov. 19-22 and Nov. 28-30. Performances for The Passage will be Dec. 1-4.

For 5AM Pancakes and Tenderly, rehearsals for both plays will be held throughout the fall semester based on actor availability – usually once per week. Additionally, all cast members are required to attend Tech Rehearsals Jan. 14-19, 2023. Performances for both plays will be Jan. 20-21, 2023 and Jan. 27-29, 2023.

About the plays

Robert Lawson’s The Passage is a retelling of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick. It is an exciting, fast-paced play about the cursed voyage of the ship Pequod. Obsession and revenge are at the center of this ensemble-based production, mixing humor, tragedy, music, and a classic American story presented as you've never seen it before.

Casting roles:

• Every role is open to all races, gender identities, disabilities, body types, and ages.

Ida Esmaeili’s Tenderly is a captivating play about falling in love as two college students, Alina and Will, meet and begin a whirlwind romance. What at first feels like a standard romantic comedy runs into complications as Alina's status as an Iranian on a Student Visa runs afoul of U.S. politics. As a result, this puts their future as a couple in doubt.

Casting roles:

• Alina is a 20-something female who should identify as Persian or MENA (Middle Eastern and/or North African) ancestry.
• Will is a 20-something male who can be of any race/ethnicity.
• Both characters are open regarding body type, disability.

Alexa Juanita Jordan‘s 5AM Pancakes is a short 10-minute play about two young women, Lia and Claire, arguing about how to write the obituary of their friend, who died from COVID-19. It is a play about grief, enduring friendship, and forgiving ourselves and each other.

Casting roles:

• Lia and Claire are two 20-something women of color.
• Both characters are open regarding body type, disability.

For questions or more information, contact Sefel at jsefel@hfcc.edu.