One of Betty Hart's many challenges as president of the Colorado Theatre Guild is figuring out how to connect members from around the state with the resources they need. "I work with artists across Colorado, and I know that there are talented people who only work in one region of the state," says Hart. "For example, I know tons of people who only work in Colorado Springs and don't work in Denver, Boulder or anywhere else because they have been siloed into one location. That’s sort of the current state of the theater community: We just don’t know the magic of what goes on across the state."
Or the unexpected challenges a new project might face.
In an effort to expose actors from across the state to theater producers in a single audition, the CTG is hosting the First Annual Colorado Theatre Guild Auditions on Sunday, April 23, and Monday, April 24, in partnership with Curious Theatre Company, at 1080 Acoma Street.
"It was based on the Unified Auditions in Atlanta, where I was working before moving to Colorado," Hart explains. "That opportunity in Atlanta was created by our desire to bring the community together and allow actors the chance to be seen. it was quite successful, and I wondered why we didn't have something like that in Colorado."
So Hart asked CTG boardmember Steve Wilson to head a Unified Audition Committee to figure out the logistics for such an event.
"I’ve been on the CTG board for a long time, and one of the things I did was organize an event that used to happen at the Denver Center called the Combined Auditions," recalls Wilson. "The DCPA would do a large, non-equity audition that they allowed theater producers to sit in on; that event is quite different from what we are doing now, but the intentions are similar. Practically speaking, we are trying to provide actors with a one-stop opportunity to be seen. By not having to drive to 38 theaters — which is how many organizations have signed up to attend the audition — to do a first-time audition, we are saving actors time and gas money."
To put together the criteria, the CTG looked at requirements from the Unified Auditions in Atlanta, the Unified Professional Theater Auditions in Memphis, the Southeastern Theatre Conference in North Carolina and StrawHat Auditions in New York, as well as resources from other theaters across the country. "We thought about what would work best for Colorado," says Hart. "Along with the theater requirements, we included a certain percentage of slots for three groups — recent graduates, BIPOC individuals and people with disabilities — who we wanted to create greater opportunities for."
The response was immediate. "The first feedback we got was tremendous," Hart recalls. "People seemed to be excited about the event after reading about it in the CTG newsletter, and we had a huge response to the Facebook invitation we sent out for the Unified Auditions. It was great; it felt like we were doing something amazing. However, the weekend of the Colorado New Play Summit, it was brought to our attention that some members were concerned about Unified Auditions due to issues of accessibility and elitism."
On February 26, local performer Rita Maria Aires posted a message on Facebook that was widely shared throughout the theater community. "These Colorado Unified audition requirements aren’t it," said Aires. "Colorado, you keep talking the inclusivity game but can’t follow through. 👀 Application/Membership fees are inaccessible. A Theatre degree requirement and/or 5 professional show credits is inaccessible. Grouping BIPOC, recent graduates, and Disabled people into one category of special slots is inaccessible. Who is this for?"
Aires decided to create the post after a conversation with people in the industry following a performance of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at Vintage Theatre. "People were talking about the requirement for the Unified Auditions and how frustrated they were because it wasn't what had been advertised," says Aires. "And so we started talking about what to do to create change. I’ve been interested in using social media to raise awareness of issues and push buttons. There is this weird duality with social media: People in the theater community use it to get information out about auditions and shows, but they also say it is not an appropriate forum for discussion about real issues of inequality within the theater industry. I don’t care about these notions about what social media should and shouldn’t be. I’m going to post about this because I know this is something that engages people."
And it did: Unified Auditions organizers were caught off-guard by what they heard.
"I think that the response was a little disappointing," says Wilson. "Not because I think how we had the event set up was perfect, but because it is hard to have a real dialogue on a Facebook post. I appreciate the folks who emailed the CTG with concerns after the post was made. The CTG is planning to have a community dialogue about the event afterward to discuss shortcomings and ways to improve the auditions."
But first, the organization issued a statement on March 6, pushing back the deadline to sign up by a week, clarifying policies and announcing some changes. Not only did it note that there was no charge for CTG members to audition, but actors could also request financial assistance to cover the $50 CTG membership fee. And while the requirement that an actor have five performance credits in order to audition remained, the committee would accept any level of performance, would waive the requirement for recent college graduates, and allow actors without enough credits to apply to be an alternate.
Or the unexpected challenges a new project might face.
In an effort to expose actors from across the state to theater producers in a single audition, the CTG is hosting the First Annual Colorado Theatre Guild Auditions on Sunday, April 23, and Monday, April 24, in partnership with Curious Theatre Company, at 1080 Acoma Street.
"It was based on the Unified Auditions in Atlanta, where I was working before moving to Colorado," Hart explains. "That opportunity in Atlanta was created by our desire to bring the community together and allow actors the chance to be seen. it was quite successful, and I wondered why we didn't have something like that in Colorado."
So Hart asked CTG boardmember Steve Wilson to head a Unified Audition Committee to figure out the logistics for such an event.
"I’ve been on the CTG board for a long time, and one of the things I did was organize an event that used to happen at the Denver Center called the Combined Auditions," recalls Wilson. "The DCPA would do a large, non-equity audition that they allowed theater producers to sit in on; that event is quite different from what we are doing now, but the intentions are similar. Practically speaking, we are trying to provide actors with a one-stop opportunity to be seen. By not having to drive to 38 theaters — which is how many organizations have signed up to attend the audition — to do a first-time audition, we are saving actors time and gas money."
To put together the criteria, the CTG looked at requirements from the Unified Auditions in Atlanta, the Unified Professional Theater Auditions in Memphis, the Southeastern Theatre Conference in North Carolina and StrawHat Auditions in New York, as well as resources from other theaters across the country. "We thought about what would work best for Colorado," says Hart. "Along with the theater requirements, we included a certain percentage of slots for three groups — recent graduates, BIPOC individuals and people with disabilities — who we wanted to create greater opportunities for."
The response was immediate. "The first feedback we got was tremendous," Hart recalls. "People seemed to be excited about the event after reading about it in the CTG newsletter, and we had a huge response to the Facebook invitation we sent out for the Unified Auditions. It was great; it felt like we were doing something amazing. However, the weekend of the Colorado New Play Summit, it was brought to our attention that some members were concerned about Unified Auditions due to issues of accessibility and elitism."
On February 26, local performer Rita Maria Aires posted a message on Facebook that was widely shared throughout the theater community. "These Colorado Unified audition requirements aren’t it," said Aires. "Colorado, you keep talking the inclusivity game but can’t follow through. 👀 Application/Membership fees are inaccessible. A Theatre degree requirement and/or 5 professional show credits is inaccessible. Grouping BIPOC, recent graduates, and Disabled people into one category of special slots is inaccessible. Who is this for?"
Aires decided to create the post after a conversation with people in the industry following a performance of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at Vintage Theatre. "People were talking about the requirement for the Unified Auditions and how frustrated they were because it wasn't what had been advertised," says Aires. "And so we started talking about what to do to create change. I’ve been interested in using social media to raise awareness of issues and push buttons. There is this weird duality with social media: People in the theater community use it to get information out about auditions and shows, but they also say it is not an appropriate forum for discussion about real issues of inequality within the theater industry. I don’t care about these notions about what social media should and shouldn’t be. I’m going to post about this because I know this is something that engages people."
And it did: Unified Auditions organizers were caught off-guard by what they heard.
"I think that the response was a little disappointing," says Wilson. "Not because I think how we had the event set up was perfect, but because it is hard to have a real dialogue on a Facebook post. I appreciate the folks who emailed the CTG with concerns after the post was made. The CTG is planning to have a community dialogue about the event afterward to discuss shortcomings and ways to improve the auditions."
But first, the organization issued a statement on March 6, pushing back the deadline to sign up by a week, clarifying policies and announcing some changes. Not only did it note that there was no charge for CTG members to audition, but actors could also request financial assistance to cover the $50 CTG membership fee. And while the requirement that an actor have five performance credits in order to audition remained, the committee would accept any level of performance, would waive the requirement for recent college graduates, and allow actors without enough credits to apply to be an alternate.
The CTG statement also acknowledged "that our original language about providing opportunities for underserved populations caused harm. We are deeply sorry, and we are making purposeful changes. The intention was always to consider those particular underserved populations as separate groups in our communications. We recognize that the phrasing on the application form did not support that. We have now updated the application to reflect our original goal for more equitable representation at auditions in Colorado."
For her part, Hart says she wishes people in the theater community had reached out with their concerns before Aires made the problems public.
"Everyone has the right to free speech, but I wish people would have communicated to me about this issue. My email, [email protected], is public information, but I first heard about the outrage through social media," she says. "However, I also understand that marginalized people have been really harmed by the Colorado theater industry and still don't feel comfortable sharing criticisms through formal channels. I just want to stress that this event is not taking anything away from people; rather, the Unified Auditions are adding to the landscape of opportunities. This is not going to replace a general audition. The goal of the Unified Auditions is exposure. You may not get cast as Maria in West Side Story after this but hopefully, you will have more connections."
The CTG had 216 actors request an audition by the new deadline. "Of the 216 actors, 14 actors did not meet our eligibility criteria," says Wilson. "We were able to schedule the remaining 202 actors for auditions and accommodate all eligible actors who signed up."
The Unified Auditions signed up theater companies from not just metro Denver, but Colorado Springs, Creede, Fort Collins, Pueblo and Silverthorne, as well as several small towns across the Western Slope. "But there really is no deadline for the producers," notes Wilson. "The only limit we have is the 188-seat capacity of Curious Theatre Company." Any theater that pays the CTG's $100 annual organizational fee is eligible to send two representatives who are involved in casting the company's 2023-2024 season.
As they look ahead, organizers say they'd like to expand the reach of the Unified Auditions by having more days of auditions and inviting freelance directors, too. The CTG is also working on creating a directory for designers who are members to submit a portfolio of their work to a database that theater producers can use to find technicians for their shows.
"While we can't do everything in the first year, the CTG is doing our best to create more opportunities for artists to connect than ever before," says Hart. "Everyone who is helping out is doing this on a volunteer basis. I would love it if the people who had complaints, concerns and questions would come out to help the CTG. I got involved in the Guild because I saw a problem that I wanted to help solve, and now I am the president. Nothing will ever be perfect, because perfect is a part of white-supremacy culture, but I am proud of the Unified Auditions and excited to see how they will continue to evolve in the future."
For her part, Hart says she wishes people in the theater community had reached out with their concerns before Aires made the problems public.
"Everyone has the right to free speech, but I wish people would have communicated to me about this issue. My email, [email protected], is public information, but I first heard about the outrage through social media," she says. "However, I also understand that marginalized people have been really harmed by the Colorado theater industry and still don't feel comfortable sharing criticisms through formal channels. I just want to stress that this event is not taking anything away from people; rather, the Unified Auditions are adding to the landscape of opportunities. This is not going to replace a general audition. The goal of the Unified Auditions is exposure. You may not get cast as Maria in West Side Story after this but hopefully, you will have more connections."
The CTG had 216 actors request an audition by the new deadline. "Of the 216 actors, 14 actors did not meet our eligibility criteria," says Wilson. "We were able to schedule the remaining 202 actors for auditions and accommodate all eligible actors who signed up."
The Unified Auditions signed up theater companies from not just metro Denver, but Colorado Springs, Creede, Fort Collins, Pueblo and Silverthorne, as well as several small towns across the Western Slope. "But there really is no deadline for the producers," notes Wilson. "The only limit we have is the 188-seat capacity of Curious Theatre Company." Any theater that pays the CTG's $100 annual organizational fee is eligible to send two representatives who are involved in casting the company's 2023-2024 season.
As they look ahead, organizers say they'd like to expand the reach of the Unified Auditions by having more days of auditions and inviting freelance directors, too. The CTG is also working on creating a directory for designers who are members to submit a portfolio of their work to a database that theater producers can use to find technicians for their shows.
"While we can't do everything in the first year, the CTG is doing our best to create more opportunities for artists to connect than ever before," says Hart. "Everyone who is helping out is doing this on a volunteer basis. I would love it if the people who had complaints, concerns and questions would come out to help the CTG. I got involved in the Guild because I saw a problem that I wanted to help solve, and now I am the president. Nothing will ever be perfect, because perfect is a part of white-supremacy culture, but I am proud of the Unified Auditions and excited to see how they will continue to evolve in the future."
