In preparation for the world premiere of "Tuning In," a nostalgic new musical, The University of Akron is hosting a workshop, auditions and public reading in July with acclaimed directors George Pinney and Terry LaBolt.
Open to actors, singers and dancers from the campus and community, auditions for the free musical-theatre workshop are Monday, July 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. The workshop runs July 10-13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the public reading is July 14 at 2 p.m. All of the events will be in Guzzetta Hall 194, 139 Buchtel Ave., on the UA campus.
The free workshop is a pre-audition for roles to be cast this fall for the September 2013 world premiere of "Tuning In" at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall at UA. Set at a nostalgia radio station in a retirement village in southern Ohio, "Tuning In" will feature 25 new songs, 26 performers, singing and dancing, and a pit orchestra reminiscent of Broadway musicals of the past.
"Tuning In" roles are available for men and women, ages 18 and up, including older adults.
To register for the July auditions and free musical-theatre workshop, contact 330-972-7590, 330-972-7948, or concerts@uakron.edu. For the workshop audition on July 9, bring a photo and resume and prepare 16 to 32 measures, preferably from the Great American Songbook of tunes from the 1930s and 1940s.
Pinney was nominated for a 2001 Tony Award and National Broadway Theatre Award in choreography, and received an Emmy Award for outstanding choreography for the PBS broadcast of "Blast!" He has directed and/or choreographed more than 150 musical theatre productions for national and international tours and regional and university theatres. He is a professor of stage movement and head of the Musical Theatre Program at Indiana University-Bloomington.
LaBolt's career as a Broadway conductor includes "42nd Street," "Hello, Dolly!" (with Carol Channing), "George M." (with Joel Grey), and "Sugar Babies" (with Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney). He co-authored "The Wonder Years — the Musical," which enjoyed success Off-Broadway and in Los Angeles in the 1980s. He was the music director of musical theatre for the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music for more than 10 years, conducting and supervising 30-plus productions there. He is now the musical director for the Musical Theatre Program at Indiana University-Bloomington.
The team for "Tuning In" includes Larry Kass (music and lyrics), Ron Newell (book with Kass), George Pinney (director and choreographer), and Terry LaBolt (musical director). The production is being presented by The University of Akron's School of Music; School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration; and Thomas Hall. Visit the Tuning In website for more information.
Media contact: Cyndee Snider, 330-972-5196 or cyndee@uakron.edu.