[Capdist-auditions] RPI Players Call for Directors

[Tina]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
RPI Players
RPI Union
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180
Phone: 518-276-6503
Fax: 518-276-6920
players at union.rpi.edu <mailto:players at union.rpi.edu>
http://players.union.rpi.edu


RPI Players Call for Directors for their 78th Season!

Troy, NY - March 30 2007 - The RPI Players are looking for directors for 
their mainstage productions of ////Rossum's Universal Robots// (R.U.R.) 
to be performed November 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17 in 2007 and ////Zanna 
Don't// to be performed April 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 in 2008. Performances 
will be held in the RPI Playhouse on 15th Street in Troy, NY.

////R.U.R//. by Karel Capek, Translated by Paul Selver and Nigel 
Playfair is the story of Rossum's Universal Robots which turns out 
millions of manufactured workmen with no souls, desires or feelings. 
Helena Glory, president of the Humanitarian League, comes to ascertain 
what can be done to improve their condition. Ten years later, due to 
Helena's desire to have the Robots more like human beings, the head of 
the experimental department has secretly changed the formula, and there 
are enough to make ringleaders and a world revolt of Robots is under 
way. The rest of the play is magnificent melodrama, with the handful of 
human beings at bay while their own robots close in on them. In the 
epilogue, Alquist, the company's builder, is the only human being left 
on earth. The robots know their bodies will wear out and there will be 
no new robots to replace them. But Alquist discovers two humanized 
robots, a young man and young woman, who have a bit of Adam and Even in 
them, and mankind is about to start afresh. (samuelfrench.com)

/Zanna Don't a Musical Fairy Tale /by Tim Acito
It's the beginning of the school year at Heartsville High, and Zanna,
the school's magical matchmaker, is as determined as ever to make sure
everyone in town is happily paired up ("Who's Got Extra Love?").

When heart-throb chess champ Mike Singer confesses he has a crush on the
new quarterback in town, Steve Bookman, Zanna snaps into action and, before
you know it, Mike and Steve are scurrying off hand in hand ("I Think We Got
Love").

Meanwhile, over at the diner, Roberta is enraged to learn that her 
girlfriend
has been cheating on her, and vehemently puts an end to the relationship
("I Ain't Got Time"). Zanna once again shifts into high gear, plotting to
match Roberta with over-achiever, Kate Aspero. As luck would have it, Kate
just happens to be holding auditions for the Girls' Intramural Mechanical
Bull-Riding Team that very afternoon. So with a little dose of Zanna's 
magic,
Roberta successfully bucks her way into Kate's heart ("Ride ‘Em").

Exhausted but triumphant after a hard day's work, Zanna retires for the 
evening,
content that all is right once again in Heartsville ("Zanna's Song")...
or is it?

The next day at Drama Club meeting, the kids decide to put on a musical 
that
addresses the controversial issue of whether or not heterosexuals should be
allowed in the military. The play within the play includes "Be a Man", a
musical number that explores Heartsville's gay only military policy, and
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," an overly dramatic plea for tolerance that is 
reprised
as a poignant ballad in which Kate and Steve secretly start to realize that
they--gasp!--have feelings for one another.

Kate and Steve try to pretend like nothing has happened, though it is 
obvious
that they are quite shaken up. When Mike proposes moving in with Steve 
after
graduation, Steve gently tries to avoid the issue by asking Mike if 
maybe they
should slow down. Mike reassures Steve that the speed with which two people
fall in is a sure sign they were meant for each other, a sentiment 
echoed by
a trio of locals ("Fast"). Scared and confused, Steve rushes out of the I'm
OK, You're OK Corral, leaving Mike perplexed as to Steve's unpredictable
mood swings and behavior ("I Could Write Books"). And to add to the
bewilderment, Zanna has the alarming revelation that he himself is
also in love...with Steve!

Both mystified and frustrated by the inattentiveness of their respective 
mates,
Mike and Roberta playfully fantasize about how much easier life would be if
they could be in love ("Don't You Wish We Could Be in Love?"). Alone in 
their
own worlds, Kate, Steve, and Zanna all join in the song, determined to 
find a
way to bury their feelings.

At the State Chess Finals, it is obvious that Kate has been working 
extra hard
to be the perfect girlfriend to Roberta, and Steve has even gone so far as
proclaim he is going ask Mike to exchange varsity rings with him after the
tournament. To help Mike win the match, Roberta leads the crowd in a 
raucous
chess cheer ("Whatcha Got?"). In the celebratory frenzy of Mike's victory,
Kate and Steve unwittingly end up locked in a deep kiss. The town is thrown
into chaos, while Mike, Steve, Kate, and Roberta are left utterly 
devastated
("Do You Know What It's Like?").

Later that night, in an effort to prevent the ostracized Kate and Steve 
from
running away from home, Zanna digs through an old book of magic and finds a
spell which will make the world safe for heterosexuals. Even though he may
lose his magical powers in the process, Zanna decides it is a risk worth
taking ("Tis a Far, Far Better Thing I Do/Blow Winds")

When the thunder and smoke from the spell clear, we see Kate and Steve once
again locked in a kiss, but this time as King and Queen of the Prom. To
celebrate, Tank, the DJ of the school's student-run radio station, leads
everyone in a spirited rendition of the prom theme song ("Straight to 
Heaven").
Zanna arrives and is shocked to learn that something has gone terribly 
wrong
with the spell; not only has the entire town become heterosexual, but they
remember nothing of the previous world. When Zanna tries to correct things,
the students tease him for being so different, breaking his wand and
ostracizing him. Alone and magic-less, Zanna reflects on the way life 
used to
be ("Someday You Might Love Me").

Unbeknownst to Zanna, the students quietly return to listen to his song, 
and
proceed to apologize for their appalling behavior ("Straight to Heaven"
Reprise). As they sing and dance into the distance, they ask Zanna to join
them in a post-prom celebration, but Zanna gently declines, preferring 
to be
alone. Just as Zanna is about to go home, Tank rushes in to declare his 
secret
long-standing crush on Zanna ("Sometime, Do You Think We Could Fall in 
Love?").
It seems not everyone has forgotten the way things used to be, and perhaps
love is stronger than magic after all. (theatricalrights.com)

Any persons interested in directing these shows, or would like more 
information should
contact the RPI Players Executive Committee via email at 
players at union.rpi.edu <mailto:players at union.rpi.edu> or
via phone at 518-276-6503 no later than April 20th. Please submit a 
theater resume and three references. The RPI Players Executive Committee 
will contact you about an interview time. At the interview, please come 
prepared to discuss your vision for the show.

The RPI Players is a student run community theatre on the campus of 
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While RPI students are the primary 
participants in the organization, auditions and production roles are 
open to all community members.

For more information visit http://players.union.rpi.edu or Phone: 
518-276-6503 Contact: players at union.rpi.edu <mailto:players at union.rpi.edu>

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