AUDITIONS for INTO THE WOODS at GARAGE THEATRE

(TEANECK, NJ—March 10, 2015) New Jersey teens will have a chance to sing, dance and bring fairy tales alive! Auditions will be held for a new production of the hit musical INTO THE WOODS—produced by the Garage Theatre Group Youth Conservatory. Youth throughout New Jersey are invited to audition on March 28 and 29 at the Becton Theater, 960 River Road, on the Fairleigh Dickinson campus in Teaneck.

Into the Woods is a musical that includes lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987. Bernadette Peters’s performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason’s portrayal of the Baker’s Wife brought acclaim to the production during its original Broadway run. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera.

The musical intertwines mainly the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them to explore the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel”, and “Cinderella”, as well as several others. The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

The auditions are open to youths between the ages of 12 and 18. Performances will be June 12 - 14 at the Becton Theater in Teaneck. All roles are open for the production, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack from the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella.
The acclaimed Garage Theatre Group Youth Conservatory for years has been training area students—primarily between the ages of 10 and 18. “The Youth Conservatory creates some of the finest performances in New Jersey, regardless of the age of the performers,” says Michael Bias, artistic director of the Garage. “More importantly, our shows are unique learning experiences for the actors. They develop leadership skills, and they learn teamwork and responsibility. Of course, it’s also lots of fun, and the friendships they forge here can last a lifetime!”

The Garage Theatre Group’s Youth Conservatory has also proved to be a training ground for professional actors. Former students David Pearlman, Diane Davis, Annika Boras and many others have been performing on Broadway, in films, on television and regional theatres around the country.

Auditions for INTO THE WOODS will be held from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday March 28th and 10:00am – 1:00pm on Sunday March 29th. Those auditioning should prepare a memorized one-minute monologue and a song (bring sheet music, there will be an accompanist, or instrumental tape or CD). Dress comfortably and be ready to dance during the audition. Callbacks will be held the following week.

CONSERVATORY CLASSES

The Youth Conservatory classes begin their spring sessions the week of April 13. Three classes are available: Acting 1 (for ages 6-9) emphasizes theater games and storytelling to teach children self-expression; Acting 2 (for ages 10-13) introduces basic acting techniques, and; Acting 3 (for ages 13-18) covers basic and advanced acting techniques, featuring character development and scene study.
Furthermore, a new acting and scene study class for teens and adults is being offered on Monday evenings.

For more information about the Youth Conservatory, and auditions visit the Garage Theatre website at www.garagetheatre.org or call (201) 569-7710