BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB - EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS
Atlantic Theater Company
CONTRACT
Off Broadway
$500 weekly minimum (Level One - 2 Week Staged Reading)
SEEKING
Equity actors for BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (see breakdown).
All stage managerial positions have been filled.
Told in both 1956 and 1996, the BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB tells the story of the beginning of the titular album and the ending of a mainstay of Afro-Cuban music.
INSTRUCTIONS
SEE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS IN BREAKDOWN. To submit your tape, please fill out the following form:
https://tinyurl.com/BVSCEPA2022 . Deadline for submissions is 6:00pm ET, Wednesday, October 12th.
Deadline: Wed, Oct 12, 2022
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please start the tape by slating your name, role you’re auditioning for, and what (if any) instruments you play. Film your audition from your waist up in front of a clean background, with no backlighting with as much limit ambient noise as possible.
Non-Singing Roles: The roles of JUAN and RUBEN do not require singing, please prepare the scene at https://tinyurl.com/BVSCEPAMaterial . If a reader is not accessible to you, you may prepare a monologue in the style of the show or read only your character's lines.
The role of YOUNG RUBEN does not require singing but does play piano. In your tape please include the scene and a tape of you accompanying yourself on the piano. You may play “Dos Gardenias” (available at the link) or a piece in the style of the show.
Singing Roles: Please prepare “Dos Gardenias” at https://tinyurl.com/BVSCEPAMaterial or a song of your own in the style of the show. Here is a link to the official audio recording for reference: https://youtu.be/fugRvM6s5fc . It is highly recommended that you listen to the original album, “Buena Vista Social Club”, to get a feel for the style of music before submitting. It is available on all music streaming platforms.
Guitar Players: For the roles of COMPAY, YOUNG COMPAY & ELIADES, please accompany yourself on the guitar. Guitarists should play something on nylon strin from the BVSC canon or a similar folk style, please. You may also just play rhythm along with this Chan Chan recording and solo/noodle if you are able: https://youtu.be/o5cELP06Mik
SEEKING: (All roles require a very light Cuban accent)
JUAN. 20s/30s. Male-presenting. Non-singer. Drumming useful but not necessary. Black/Afro-Cuban. Driven and entrepreneurial. Smart and pragmatic but becomes spiritual over the course of the story.
OMARA. 60+. Female-presenting. Singer. Mixed/Afro-Cuban. A graceful diva with a sharp wit. Deeply wounded. Hides it well.
IBRAHIM. 60+. Male-presenting. Singer. Black/Afro-Cuban. A man with a sweet voice, but a deeply spiritual presence. Torn between his Yoruban faith and his love for European music. Cynical of the Western world. A man who takes nothing at face value.
RUBEN. 60+. Male-presenting. Non-singer. Some piano. Black/Afro-Cuban. Simultaneously an eloquent narrator and a man lost in his own mind.
COMPAY. 60+. Male-presenting. Singer/Guitarist. Black/Afro-Cuban. A troubadour. A charmer and a womanizer, but deep down, he's a soft, vulnerable artist.
ELIADES. 20s-40s. Male-presenting. Singer/Guitarist. Cuban of European descent. A next-generation troubadour with vintage flair. A good friend to Juan. A bit country and he knows it.
YOUNG OMARA. 20s. Female-presenting. Singer. Mixed/Afro-Cuban. A dreamer. A bohemian free spirit who - over the course of our story - becomes political.
YOUNG HAYDEE. 20s. Female-presenting. Singer. Mixed/Afro-Cuban. A realist. Not one for romanticism, daydreaming, or nostalgia. Born on the wrong island.
YOUNG IBRAHIM. 20s. Male-presenting. Singer. Black/Afro-Cuban. New to the big city, but you wouldn't call him bright-eyed - because he's not had an easy life. A survivor. Loves music, but could never imagine taking it seriously.
YOUNG RUBEN. 20s. Male-presenting. Non-singer/Piano. Black/Afro-Cuban. A sweet-natured student of music. A doctor on the piano. A regular at the club, where he's able to express himself fully.
YOUNG COMPAY. 20s. Male-presenting. Singer/Guitarist. Black/Afro-Cuban. A charmer. Opinionated about music. Protective of the club, because it's the only place he's ever felt at home.
PERSONNEL
Director: Saheem Ali
Book: Marco Ramirez
Music: Guillermina Aramburu, Eusebio Delfin, Victor Lay, Rafael Hernández Marin, Miguel Matamoros, Beny Moré, Faustino Oramas, Arsenio Rodriguez, Compay Segundo, Sergio Siaba, MaríaTeresa Vera, et al
Music Producer: David Yazbek
Music Supervisor: Dean Sharenow
Casting: Tara Rubin Casting/Tara Rubin. CSA & Xavier Rubiano, CSA (Viewing auditions)
OTHER DATES
December 2nd, 2022 – December 16th, 2022
OTHER
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.
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