TheatriPod Round 2 FAQ
Oct. 8th, 2012 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
klb posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
theatripodTheatripod is a challenge to create multivoice podfics in the style of theatre productions, with a director, auditions, callbacks, rehearsals, and a final recorded performance with minimal editing (ideally in front of a live audience)!
Why are you doing this?
Theatripod came about from three desires:
How can I learn more about this round's projects?
On January 15th, our two directors will put up posts about the projects they are casting. Each post will include a link to the fic, information about the director's style, and an audio pitch for the project so you can familiarize yourself with the director's goals and personality.
How do I audition?
The posts that go up on the 15th will include audition excerpts for each character. If you want to audition for that character, send a recording of yourself reading the excerpts for that character to the email address indicated in the post. You're welcome to audition for as many characters as you want. You're also welcome to audition for both projects—though the directors will coordinate to make sure they don't cast you in both, due to the time commitment involved.
You will get a confirmation ASAP that your audition was received, but no casting decisions will be made while auditions are open. Once auditions close, every person who auditioned will receive a personal thank-you from the director that includes the following:
I'm worried that auditioning will be scary/humiliating/damaging for me.
While we've orchestrated the process to be as positive as possible, you know yourself better than anybody, so go with what feels right for you! We can guarantee that every audition will result in specific positive feedback about something you did well and that no auditions will be met with either silence or negative feedback. However, we know that some people might have had negative experiences with auditions in the theatre community at large. Others will not like the idea of podfic mixing with auditions, and others may have anxieties around being chosen or not chosen, regardless of the reasons for the choosing. If auditions don't work for you, there are many more opportunities for collaborative multivoice podfics at the commcollaborativepodfic, most of which are first-come-first-serve.
What are callbacks and what will happen if I am scheduled for one?
A callback is part of the casting process where the director and the actors do some brief work together and make sure they end up with a team that has good chemistry. Callbacks will take place on Skype, and you can expect to perform a short scene with one or more scene partners. You'll probably be given some notes from the director and then asked to read the scene again. Afterwards, you'll have some time to ask the director any questions that you have.
During this process, you can see whether the director's style works for you, and the director can see the energy that different combinations of actors bring to the scene. This part of the process helps guarantee a great fit with everybody who will be working together during the upcoming rehearsals and performances!
Within 48 hours of the last callback, the director will contact you to let you know whether they would like to offer you a role working on this project with them. Again, whether you are offered a role or not, this will come with specific positive feedback about what you did that stood out and impressed the director!
If I join the cast for one of the projects, what happens next?
If you join one of the casts, you will meet the director on Skype for weekly rehearsals through the months of February, March, and early April. You should expect to set aside 1-1.5 hours per week (on a predictable, pre-scheduled basis) for rehearsals, though some rehearsals may end up being longer or shorter, depending on mutual agreement by the director and performers. In between rehearsals, actors should expect do some thinking about and practicing their parts, so that rehearsal time itself can be used efficiently. At the end of the rehearsal period, there will be one or more performances. Depending on whether we can get the technology to work for us, this may involve any of the following:
What will the schedule be?
How will I make sure that all group members have a good experience?
If at any point, you are concerned about something happening in your group or have an expectation for a groupmate that you are not sure how to communicate to them, please feel free to contact the mod (klb), and I will be happy to step in as mod to make sure that everyone is feeling heard and comfortable. While I am here in a support role, I am here to equally support the directors and the actors, and I will be happy to help problem-solve, to act as an impartial party, or to step in for any other need that may come up for a group or group member!
You may contact me at![[twitter.com profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
theatripod, through a comment here, or at theatripod@gmail.com.
Why are you doing this?
Theatripod came about from three desires:
- to play with theatrical directing as a form of fanart
- to capture the experience of theatre acting, getting to rehearse and respond to director's notes and act off the performances of others, in a podfic project
- to encourage further experimentation with different ways to create multivoice podfic projects
How can I learn more about this round's projects?
On January 15th, our two directors will put up posts about the projects they are casting. Each post will include a link to the fic, information about the director's style, and an audio pitch for the project so you can familiarize yourself with the director's goals and personality.
How do I audition?
The posts that go up on the 15th will include audition excerpts for each character. If you want to audition for that character, send a recording of yourself reading the excerpts for that character to the email address indicated in the post. You're welcome to audition for as many characters as you want. You're also welcome to audition for both projects—though the directors will coordinate to make sure they don't cast you in both, due to the time commitment involved.
You will get a confirmation ASAP that your audition was received, but no casting decisions will be made while auditions are open. Once auditions close, every person who auditioned will receive a personal thank-you from the director that includes the following:
- An acknowledgment of how wonderful you are for auditioning!
- At least one thing that they thought was great about your audition (this email will contain positive feedback only).
- A decision about whether the director would like to schedule you for a callback for this particular project. This decision depends on your fit with the other performers who auditioned and with the director's vision for the project and is not a reflection of your skill or awesomeness levels!
I'm worried that auditioning will be scary/humiliating/damaging for me.
While we've orchestrated the process to be as positive as possible, you know yourself better than anybody, so go with what feels right for you! We can guarantee that every audition will result in specific positive feedback about something you did well and that no auditions will be met with either silence or negative feedback. However, we know that some people might have had negative experiences with auditions in the theatre community at large. Others will not like the idea of podfic mixing with auditions, and others may have anxieties around being chosen or not chosen, regardless of the reasons for the choosing. If auditions don't work for you, there are many more opportunities for collaborative multivoice podfics at the comm
collaborativepodfic, most of which are first-come-first-serve.What are callbacks and what will happen if I am scheduled for one?
A callback is part of the casting process where the director and the actors do some brief work together and make sure they end up with a team that has good chemistry. Callbacks will take place on Skype, and you can expect to perform a short scene with one or more scene partners. You'll probably be given some notes from the director and then asked to read the scene again. Afterwards, you'll have some time to ask the director any questions that you have.
During this process, you can see whether the director's style works for you, and the director can see the energy that different combinations of actors bring to the scene. This part of the process helps guarantee a great fit with everybody who will be working together during the upcoming rehearsals and performances!
Within 48 hours of the last callback, the director will contact you to let you know whether they would like to offer you a role working on this project with them. Again, whether you are offered a role or not, this will come with specific positive feedback about what you did that stood out and impressed the director!
If I join the cast for one of the projects, what happens next?
If you join one of the casts, you will meet the director on Skype for weekly rehearsals through the months of February, March, and early April. You should expect to set aside 1-1.5 hours per week (on a predictable, pre-scheduled basis) for rehearsals, though some rehearsals may end up being longer or shorter, depending on mutual agreement by the director and performers. In between rehearsals, actors should expect do some thinking about and practicing their parts, so that rehearsal time itself can be used efficiently. At the end of the rehearsal period, there will be one or more performances. Depending on whether we can get the technology to work for us, this may involve any of the following:
- A live performance on Skype, google hangouts, or a similar platform, with audience members looped in for live audio reactions!
- A live performance for an audience who reacts via chat.
- A live performance without an audience that is recorded and edited together by the director (not to choose takes but just to combine the recordings from different mics) so that it can be released as a podfic.
What will the schedule be?
| Jan 15, 2015: | Project posts go up and auditions open |
| Feb 1, 2015: | Auditions close and callbacks are scheduled. By 48 hours after the last callback, final casting is decided. |
| Feb–April, 2015 | Director and performers for each project meet for weekly Skype rehearsals |
| late April, 2015: | Performances happen, hopefully with a live audience, and a recording is made |
| May 15, 2015: | Recordings of performances are posted as podfics. |
How will I make sure that all group members have a good experience?
If at any point, you are concerned about something happening in your group or have an expectation for a groupmate that you are not sure how to communicate to them, please feel free to contact the mod (klb), and I will be happy to step in as mod to make sure that everyone is feeling heard and comfortable. While I am here in a support role, I am here to equally support the directors and the actors, and I will be happy to help problem-solve, to act as an impartial party, or to step in for any other need that may come up for a group or group member!
You may contact me at
