Sign Up for an Audition Time Slot 

The Department of Theatre and Dance will be holding auditions for Alone/Together, a series of devised short text-based solo performances about the movement from isolation to being-with-others (and back again) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Auditions will be held Feb. 28 6-9 p.m. in Arena Theatre, Wright Hall. Participants must sign up for an audition time slot. 

Performances will be April 28-30.

Directed by Christine Hamel, texts will be drawn from the story of one’s life (including everyday narrative storytelling, dialogue, heard and read texts) as well as “found” text (such as “heightened text,” poetry, self-scripted spoken word, and song). We will utilize the interplay between found and constructed texts as a platform for innovation, to bridge relationships, and as an artistic response to one’s sense of self in relation to others at this complex moment in time. 

Auditions are open to all UC Davis graduate and undergraduate students. For the auditions, the director will be remote through Zoom, but will be in person for the rehearsals.

For the audition, please prepare the following:

1. Narrative storytelling: tell a short (1-2 minute) story from your own life describing something that took place between March 2020 and the present time. It can be something that perhaps would not or could not have happened in “normal times.” Tell the story of something that moved you, frustrated you, surprised you, or made you laugh, etc.
2. A poem (or song) that you speaks to you, or that you love: you may recite, read, or sing. 
3. A word or two about why you are interested in solo performance.

Looking to work with an ensemble of actors who are ready to dive into independent work, and who will also participate in constructive peer feedback and group collaboration to create an artistically cohesive experience.

Hamel (she/her/hers) is a professional actor, voice coach, director, and scholar, and is currently the Head of Acting at Boston University’s School of Theatre. She is a sought-after voice and text specialist, and her work has included productions on and off-Broadway, in regional theatre, in digital platforms, and in public/private sectors, including the Cort Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, PTP/NYC, Audible.com, and many more. She has specialized in the direction and coaching of solo work, including Ibrahim Miari’s award-winning In Between, storyteller Antonia Lassar’s God Box, and mostly recently a collaboration with Maurice Parent, Melinda Lopez, and Megan Sandberg-Zakian on the world premiere of Mr. Parent (Lyric Stage Company). Her research includes the ethical, political, and social meanings of voice as human-generated sound, and she is the co-author of Sounding Bodies: Identity, Injustice, and the Voice (Bloomsbury). Hamel has been invited to lecture/teach at international venues such as the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and MICHA (Michael Chekhov Association), from whom she holds teacher training certification. She also has a Graduate Performance Certificate in Voice Performance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher. BA, Williams College; MFA, Boston University.