ICELAND Auditions

Audition Notice - ICELAND

Overview

Overtone Industries is holding auditions for their newest Opera Theatre work ICELAND to premiere at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City in March 2023.

Against a background of nature and myth, ICELAND is a story of two strangers in search of a lost connection that transcends the ordinary. Supernatural forces try to unite these two would-be lovers, but their efforts are complicated by human free will.

Audition dates

Sunday Oct 15th and 16th (callbacks same weekend)

All roles include singing, speaking, and movement work, which will be asked for during auditions.

Rehearsal / Performance dates

January or February (TBD) 2023 1-week workshop to develop the Hiddenfolk ensemble
March 2023 rehearsal for whole cast, and 6-8 performances

All auditions will be held at: La MaMa's Great Jones Studios: 47 Great Jones Street, NYC

creative team members

ICELAND is an original 2-act opera written and composed by O-Lan Jones and Emmett Tinley and will be directed by O-Lan Jones.

Compensation

This is a non-union project, Performers will be compensated $25/hr for rehearsals and $100/performance.

Roles

While set within the context of Icelandic folklore, there are no ethnic restrictions for this cast. Rather, we seek to build an ensemble that reflects New York City’s wildly diverse community.

Hiddenfolk Ensemble

We are seeking 12 classically trained singers (SATB, 3 voices on each part) for the HIDDENFOLK ensemble which will include four featured soloists that perform in the Bel Canto style for the roles of the MYTHIC BEASTS.

Mythic Beasts

The Bird - Soprano
The Dragon - Mezzo
The Giant – Bass/Baritone
The Bull – Bass

Leads

Vala (Alto) - She is a successful architect, disillusioned by the projects that have led to her success, on her way home to the north of Iceland, to take some time out and look at herself.
Mundi (Tenor) - He was a wilderness guide, but a near brush with death has kept him away from his true calling in the mountains and stagnant in a kind of limbo.

The two leads need a natural and individual singer-songwriter vocal quality that emphasizes the uniqueness of the character. We are NOT looking for a genre specific sound.

Some examples of singers that represent the natural drama and lived in quality of sound we are looking for include:

Hozier (for Mundi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm4CrOfbHMI

Florence Welch (for Vala): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TSiB9OuVM

(We are not looking for an imitation of these singers, just encouraging you to bring your own unique quality.)

Both Vala and Mundi are old enough to have had a dream broken, and young enough to get back in the game and make it happen. Should appear to be between 30 and 40.

How to Submit

By September 30th, please fill out the audition form, which requests the following information:

1 Page Resume
Headshot
Bio (250 words or less)
Link to video performances in the style of the roles for which you are auditioning.
Any restrictions on your availability during the audition dates

Those invited to an audition will be asked to prepare one song of their choice and a short (16-32 bar) excerpt of a song for the role they are being considered for, which will be provided in advance. Auditioners are welcome to transpose the music we send to a key that works for you.