Dance Nation
Dance Nation
Written by Clare Barron
Directed by Carrie McNulty-Falicki
Audition Dates/Times: Open auditions Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, from noon-3pm. If you are unavailable at one of the listed days/times, please email us at info@atgr.org and we'll make accommodations for a video audition submission or other in-person day/time.
Location: Spectrum Theater at 160 Fountain NE.
Callbacks: TBD at auditions based on auditionee availability.
Rehearsals: There will likely be a few rehearsals between auditions and December 19. Then the team will be off until January. Rehearsals are generally weekday evenings for a 3-hour period of time between 6-10pm. If any weekend rehearsals are needed to accommodate cast availability, those would be scheduled for specific times that work for the team.
Performance Dates: March 5-7, 12-14 at 7:30; March 8 at 3pm
Audition Requirements: No material needs to be memorized for the audition, but you should familiarize yourself with the script/characters/etc. Come prepared to move (bring water to stay hydrated, and shoes/clothes you can comfortably move/dance in). Headshots and resumés encouraged. Please be prepared to list any potential schedule conflicts throughout the rehearsal process.
A Note On Dance (Read This Even If You “Can’t Dance”):
This is not So You Think You Can Dance: The Play. This is Dance Nation - a gutsy, glitter-crusted, hormone-fueled deep-dive into ambition, rage, and the sweaty mess of becoming. We don’t care if you’ve never taken a dance class in your life. In fact, that might be better. The choreography in this show isn’t about technique - it’s about power, presence, and throwing your whole body into something with wild abandon. So: bring your weird, your fierce, your awkward, your raw. We’re looking for performers who can burn bright and get messy - not necessarily hit a perfect pirouette.
Perusal Script: An online perusal copy of the script can be viewed here.
Characters:
All roles are open to individuals of all races and ethnicities (aside from where prescribed by the playwright), abilities, body sizes, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses. Trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer actors highly encouraged to audition.
Please note that, per the playwright/script:
- Characters are performed by performers of any age
- The role of Connie must be played by an actress of South Asian descent.
- Regarding the roles of Zuzu, Amina, and Ashlee, two of the three must be played by women of color.
Dance Teacher Pat: Male-identifying. The head of the dance studio
Amina: Female-identifying. The star dancer.
Zuzu: Female-identifying. Always second best.
Connie: Female-identifying. A talented dancer who thinks she should play the role of Gandhi.
Luke: Male-identifying. The only male dancer on the competition team.
Maeve: Female-identifying. The oldest and least talented dancer on the team.
Sofia: Female-identifying. Knows what's up.
Ashlee: Female-identifying. Future president of a post-apocalyptic USA.
Crumpled Sailor AKA Vanessa: Female-identifying. Could've been a phenomenon.
The Moms: Female-identifying. Means well. Grown-up Wendy. Also plays Vanessa
Synopsis: If you aren’t ready to bleed, break a few bones, or trample your best friend, then you aren’t ready for this after school dance group. When a pre-teen dance team sets its sights on national glory, the stage becomes a battlefield of bodies, dreams, and identity, where the stakes are as high as the pirouettes are sharp. Will the team be able to band together or will the hunger for dominance turn them into monsters? Dance Nation is a fiercely funny, deeply poignant explosion of ambition, adolescence, and the raw power of girlhood.
*Michigan Premiere*
Finalist, 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama