1214 Foundation Announces Two Summer Shows

The 12.14 Foundation is proud to announce its summer season for 2015!

Click here to sign up for auditions: www.1214foundation.org/summer2015

We have selected two terrific shows - “Liberty Smith” and “The Lion King, Jr.” Once again, the entire creative team will be made up of working professionals with many years of combined experience working on Broadway, Off Broadway and in top Regional Theatres around the country.

“THE LION KING, JR.” - Disney’s The Lion King has captivated the imagination of audiences around the world and now The 12.14 Foundation will bring this one-of-a-kind musical to Newtown. The African savannah comes to life on our stage with Simba, Rafiki and an unforgettable cast of characters as they journey from Pride Rock to the jungle and back again in this inspiring coming-of-age tale.

A show you will NOT WANT TO MISS - either as a performer, musician, technician or audience member. This show will be available for performers who are entering 1st through 8th grades in September, 2015. Similar to the Dalmatian Chorus from last year’s production of “The 101 Dalmatians Musical,” a large portion of this cast will only be involved for the last two weeks of rehearsal.

“LIBERTY SMITH” - A REGIONAL PREMIERE! “Liberty Smith” is an original musical filled with comedy, romance, and adventure, recounting the possibly true and fantastical tale of America’s forgotten founding father. If you think that it was George Washington who chopped down the cherry tree, Ben Franklin who discovered electricity, or Paul Revere who rode that famous midnight ride… you don’t know the whole story!

It’s “Forrest Gump” meets “1776,” where everyone, no matter how seemingly unimportant, can change the course of history… whether they make it into the textbooks or not. Liberty Smith was somehow responsible for all the major events in the American Revolution, yet his astonishing story has never been told… until now.

Come experience the founding of America, with a musical twist like none you’ve ever seen!

If you visit www.1214foundation.org/summer2015 you can click on a link and hear some music from the show.

Music by Michael Weiner (First Date); lyrics by Adam Abraham; book by Marc Madnick, Eric. R. Cohen, Adam Abraham.

NOTE: We will be using creative casting on this show and many women will be playing men’s roles.

Performers in middle school years may audition for both of the musicals - although will most likely only be cast in one of them.

ALL AUDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO BE CONDUCTED AT NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL and will take place between 10AM and 6PM on April 25, 26 and May 2, with callbacks on May 3. We will notify you by email if the location changes.

IF YOU DO NOT SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION HERE WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOU.

PLEASE BRING A CLOSE-UP PHOTOGRAPH OF YOURSELF NO LARGER THAN 4x6 TO THE AUDITION (head and shoulders - class photo is fine).

Please use the form below to select an audition date and time. We will be seeing 7 or 8 people per half-hour. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your (or your child’s) audition time. If you do NOT hear from us, your audition IS CONFIRMED. So please show up for your appointed time - your audition is automatically confirmed. We encourage diversity of all kinds. Please spread the word to your colleagues and friends in the surrounding area.

CALLBACKS will be held on May 3rd. THOSE INVITED FOR CALLBACKS will get an email from the foundation a few days after the audition, with their callback materials. If you audition on May 2nd, we will get the materials to you as soon as possible after your audition. EVERYONE WILL HEAR FROM US either way by the end of May. Some performers may be cast without a callback. Again, EVERYONE will hear from us by email by the end of May as to whether or not they have been selected for a role in the shows. There is no fee to audition.

For the audition, please prepare a short piece of any song you enjoy singing (no more than one minute). Pop songs are probably not as appropriate this year - stick with a musical theatre song if you can. Please bring sheet music to the audition - we will provide an accompanist. If you are auditioning for LIBERTY SMITH, you should also prepare a short COMIC SPEECH from a play, book, or movie. Remember, no longer that ONE MINUTE on either song or monologue, please. If you are auditioning for THE LION KING, JR. you can read a short section from any book you like - no more than one minute in length in addition to the one minute song. The reading does not have to be memorized. If younger children do not feel comfortable reading, they can recite a poem, nursery rhyme or tell us a joke.

REHEARSALS WILL START AROUND JUNE 22. REHEARSALS WILL TAKE PLACE MONDAYS THROUGH SATURDAYS, PREDOMINANTLY DURING THE DAY (normal school hours). FOR MOST PERFORMERS, THEY WILL NOT BE FULL DAYS AND MOST PEOPLE WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL REHEARSALS - UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE PERFORMANCES (TECH WEEK). AS PER USUAL, WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO ACCOMMODATE SCHEDULE CONFLICTS BUT THERE ARE SOME WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO WORK AROUND - ESPECIALLY FOR THE LARGER ROLES.

SOME OF THE PERFORMERS INVOLVED IN “THE LION KING, JR.” WILL ONLY NEED TO BE AT REHEARSALS FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS, STARTING JULY 27th - PLUS ONE MUSIC REHEARSAL AND ONE-TO-THREE COSTUME FITTINGS BEFORE THAT. PREVIOUS MUSICAL EXPERIENCE IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE IN THE CHORUS.

PERFORMANCES FOR “LIBERTY SMITH” WILL BE JULY 31, AUGUST 1, 2. PERFORMANCES FOR “THE LION KING, JR.” WILL BE AUGUST 7, 8, 9 - DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. “LIBERTY SMITH” will most likely be double cast - each of the two casts will appear in two performances. “THE LION KING, JR.” will NOT be double cast - and will have four performances.

FEES FOR PARTICIPANTS:
IMPORTANT NOTE: AS YOU ALL MUST KNOW, THESE PRODUCTIONS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE. AS YOU ALSO KNOW, WE HAVE PRESENTED HIGH-QUALITY SHOWS (AS WELL AS CD’S, CONCERTS AT 54 BELOW, FEATURE FILMS AND MORE) FOR THE PAST TWO SUMMERS AT NO CHARGE TO PARTICIPANTS. We simply cannot sustain the mission and quality of the work with this financial model. As such, this season we will be charging for participation in these productions to help offset costs. Scholarships will be available, based on need - to be determined by an independent, third-party.

The current fees are set at $100 per week - with a maximum of $600. The minimum would be $200 for some of those in “THE LION KING, JR.” chorus.

Please note that these enrollment fees are ONLY ABOUT 1/10TH of what a program like this would cost at a full-time camp or training program led by mentors such as ours with experience on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regionally. Because these enrollment fees will only cover 1/4 of our production costs, the foundation still encourages and needs tax-deductible contributions, ad sales for the program, corporate sponsorship, etc. ALL PROCEEDS FROM TUITION, DONATIONS, TICKET AND AD SALES WILL SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE 12.14 FOUNDATION.

The vision of the 12.14 Foundation is to build a multidisciplinary, educational and performing arts center in Newtown, CT, as a living remembrance of the events of 12/14/12. The focus of the center will be on positive impact for the future of our community and creating dynamic, creative, strong leaders with the tools for success, no matter what they choose to pursue. More information can be found at www.1214foundation.org.

For more information about the Summer 2015 Season and to sign up as a technical apprentice, orchestra member or parent volunteer, visit www.1214foundation.org/summer2015

If you have any questions, or have to cancel your audition for any reason, email us at: casting@1214foundation.org