Category Archives: Auditions

INNOVAtheare is holding auditions for CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD on April 4th & 5th at the historic Sorg Opera House.

INNOVAtheatre will hold auditions on April 4th & 5th for singers/actors and a separate audition at a later date for dancers to perform in Craig Hella Johnson’s, CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD. This infusion oratorio will be presented June 2nd thru 5th at the historic Sorg Opera House, in collaboration with the beginning of Ohio PRIDE.

Singing auditions will be held from 7:00 to 9:30 at Mockingbirds – 1024 Central Ave, Middletown, Ohio 45042.

Singers should prepare a vocal selection that best demonstrates their range and one that best fits the style of music from the show. The selection does NOT have to be from a musical. A professional accompanist will be provided. Acapella will be permitted but please be advised that you will be asked to vocalize with the piano during your audition. All auditionees will be asked to read a small selection from the libretto.  Contact Richard Lee Waldeck at INNOVAtheatre@gmail.com with questions.

Under the musical direction of Sarah Plaugher, visual & staging director, Richard Lee Waldeck and movement by Aaron Washington INNOVAtheatre is an all inclusive theatre company based in Butler & Warren counties and includes talent from the southwest and West Ohio theatre regions.  The group was founded in 2017 and was designed to showcase unexpected talent while putting a spin on the traditional theatre experience audiences have come to expect. Embracing diversity in every way, INNOVAtheatre is a place where artists are free to take artistic risks to create work that is cutting edge and made accessible to everyone.

A stunning work arising from dark violence, CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD explores the beauty of Wyoming, what it’s like to be an “ordinary boy” and the mystery of violence through a startlingly varied and cohesive group of pieces. Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare give us a cowboy’s lonely song, a recitative from the Bible’s first murder, a crucifixion taunt harkening to Bach’s St. John’s Passion, as well as a mens’ chorus richly declaring “We Are All Sons.” The searing poetry of Robert Kyr and Hella Johnson’s own lyrics incarnate the voices of Matthew Shepard’s mother, the deer who sat by Shepard throughout the night of his beating, and the jazz singer who desperately warns us not to bring pain too close. “Considering Matthew Shepard” sinks deep into the soil where all our souls are struggling to grow.

Rehearsals will be minimal and all music and dialogue for the show must be memorized. We will be performing with a live orchestra who will share the stage with us.  We hope to see you at auditions.