Audition and Casting Policies

Auditions and Casting

• All students enrolled at NMU, regardless of major, are eligible to audition for any production.
• At the discretion of the director, auditions for a production may be opened to NMU faculty/staff and/or members of the community.
• Casting decisions are made by the director of each production according to the needs of the production. All other factors being equal, students will be given preference in casting. The decision of the director is final.
• Theatre and dance students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to be eligible to audition. All students cast in a production must maintain university eligibility requirements (sufficient academic progress).
• Theatre and dance majors are encouraged to accept any role which they are offered. 
• Audition paperwork will be made available digitally prior to all auditions and must be filled out before audition day. 
• Students should arrive at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled audition time.
• Students will typically have 90 seconds for their audition and are encouraged to prepare a short monologue and a cutting of a song if auditioning for a musical, or two monologues if auditioning for a play.
• An accompanist will be made available at auditions for musical productions and an aux cord will also be made available so that students can use instrumental tracks.
• Students must only remain at auditions until they have completed their audition.
• If a student is unable to attend auditions but would still like to be considered for a production, they should contact the Director of Theatre. 
• Students will be notified if they are needed for callbacks. A callback does not guarantee a role in the production. Similarly, if a student is not called back, it does not mean they will not be cast.
• Unless otherwise noted, the only people permitted to watch auditions are directors, faculty, and their assistants; other performers will not watch your audition.
• Cast lists for productions are posted as soon as possible following auditions and callbacks and will be made available via email and on our Facebook page.

Dance Call

• Dance call is required for those auditioning for a musical production.
• Students should wear/bring appropriate clothing to dance calls. Examples of proper attire include but are not limited to leotards, tights, leggings, athletic shorts, well-fitting t-shirts, etc.
• Students should wear/bring appropriate footwear to dance calls. Examples of proper footwear include but are not limited to ballet slippers, jazz shoes, character shoes, socks, etc.
• Depending on the style of choreography, the choreographer may request that performers bring appropriate shoes for technique (pointe, tap, etc.)
• No street shoes will be allowed in the dance studio.

BFA Acting & BFA Musical Theatre - Special Audition Requirements

Students in the BFA Acting and BFA Musical Theatre programs must audition for every production within the academic season and accept any role which they are offered. Once accepted into these programs, students must adhere to the Performer Expectations outlined the the NMU Department of Theatre and Dance Student Handbook. Failure to abide by these expectations may result in removal from the production and the student may be prohibited from participating in future productions until the faculty agrees that the student is ready to do so.

Rehearsals

• Rehearsals for productions are typically held in the evenings beginning as early as 6:00pm and running for up to four hours.
• There will be at least one collective day off of rehearsal per week as decided by the director/music director/choreographer of each production, with the exception of tech week.
• Weekend rehearsal times will be determined by the director of the individual production.
• Weekend rehearsals are limited to three-hour blocks with the exception of tech week, rehearsal boot camps, and emergency cases.
• Dinner is provided for performers during all 10 out of 12 tech rehearsals.
• Directors will make time changes as needed.
   

General Rehearsal and Performance Rules

These rules apply to all productions rehearsed and performed in the Forest Roberts Theatre and James A. Panowski Black Box Theatre. Additional rules may be added by the director.

The following behavior is unprofessional and will result in dismissal from the cast or crew:

• One unexcused absence from a scheduled rehearsal or crew call.
• Three unexcused late arrivals for scheduled rehearsals or crew calls.
• Possession, use, or abuse of drugs or alcohol on the premises of any department facility.
• Theft, defacement, or destruction of personal or university property.
• A major violation of the NMU Department of Theatre and Dance Code of Conduct.

Each company member is expected to monitor the above behavior and, if necessary, report a breach of conduct immediately to the director, the technical director, the production stage manager, or the Head of the Theatre and Dance Department. 

Cast members may be removed from a production by the director or by action of the theatre and dance faculty. Crew members may be removed by the technical director or the production stage manager.

Frequently Asked Questions: