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Posts about Casting news

A chance to be a "MasterChef"

Posted by: Neal Justin Updated: September 11, 2012 - 2:36 PM

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Gordon Ramsay

Could the next "MasterChef" hail from the Twin Cities?

The Hit Fox series, featuring judge Gordon Ramsay, will hold open auditions in Minneapolis on Oct. 13. Contestants must bring one prepared dish to be served to the food judges (sorry, the celebs most likely won't be on site; expect to feed producers and casting agents). There will NOT be a kitchen to cook or warm up anything, so be prepared!!

Details of the times and site have not been announced so you'll have to keep an eye on www.masterchefcasting.com, which also features the application form you'll need to fill out and bring in.

Minneapolis is the second stop on the casting tour.

Guthrie announces casting for Hampton festival

Posted by: Graydon Royce Updated: August 28, 2012 - 4:43 PM

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Christopher Hampton

The Guthrie Theater has announced casting for the Christopher Hampton festival, which starts next month with “Tales from Hollywood.”Thirty-nine actors will be used for three productions – primarily for “Hollywood” and Hampton’s new play, “Appomattox.” To state the obvious, that’s a lot of actors.

 

 

Among some of the highlights: Keir Dullea, pictured, who made his mark long ago in the film “2001” will play German novelist Heinrich Mann in “Hollywood.” Lee Sellars plays the principal role in that production, narrator Odon von Horvath. Stephen Yoakam plays Bertolt Brecht and New York actor Allison Daugherty plays Mann’s wife, Nelly. The play is about German expatriate writers in Hollywood in the 1940s. Ethan McSweeny (“Arms and Man”) is directing at the Guthrie.

"Appomattox” begins in 1865 at the end of the Civil War and jumps to 1965 and the civil rights struggles.

Harry Groener (at right), from TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” plays both Abraham Lincoln and LyndonJohnson. Groener was nominated for Tonys for his work in “Oklahoma” and “Crazy for You.” Sally Wingert plays Mary Todd Lincoln and Lady Bird Johnson.

Shawn Hamilton and Greta Oglesby are slated to portray Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. David Esbjornson (“The Great Gatsby”) will be at the helm.

The third play in the festival is “Embers,” a small work planned for the Studio theater. Barbara Bryne and Nathaniel Fuller are both well known to Guthrie audiences. Joe Dowling directs in the black-box theater that bears his name for the first time.More information here.

 

Chanhassen announces lead roles for "Bye Bye Birdie"

Posted by: Graydon Royce Updated: August 15, 2012 - 2:31 PM

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Michael Gruber and Ann Michels will headline Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s fall production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” They play Albert Peterson, the frantic agent who represents Conrad Birdie, and Rose Alvarez, who wishes Albert would settle down with her in a small town.
Frank Moran, a relative newcomer to the Twin Cities, makes his Chanhassen debut as Birdie, the Elvis knockoff who stirs this 1960 musical. Jessica Fredrickson plays Kim MacAfee, the wholesome Ohio girl who is chosen to receive Birdie’s final kiss before he joins the army.
Chanhassen regulars Michelle Barber and Keith Rice are on board as Kim’s parents, who lead one of the best-known numbers in the show, “Kids.”
Michael Brindisi will direct the show, which actually has a ton of familiar songs. “Put On A Happy Face,” “Got A Lot of Livin,’” “One Last Kiss” and that staple of junior high talent shows everywhere, "The Telephone Hour,"  are a few.
“Birdie” opens in early October. “Xanadu,” the spoofy musical based on the movie, runs until the end of September. The lead characters from each show – Gruber and Michels, and Jodi Carmeli and Dieter Bierbrauer – are slated to sing at the Cub Foods stage at the Minnesota State Fair on Labor Day, at 12:15 p.m.
  

"The Voice" is coming to St. Paul

Posted by: Neal Justin Updated: June 26, 2012 - 2:15 PM

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Adam Levine and Blake Shelton won't be making the trip when NBC's "The Voice" holds auditions in St. Paul in July, but those who shine may get a chance to fly to Los Angeles and perform in front of the judges.

Tryouts will be held July 14 and 15 at the Saint Paul River Centre, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd. SIngers should prepare three current recognizable songs and be ready to share personal stories. Applicatants must be at least 15 and be a legal US resident. All artists must register at www.nbc.com/the-voice/about/casting/.

 

Foreigner looking for college choir to sing on July 27 in Mille Lacs

Posted by: Jon Bream Updated: May 29, 2012 - 4:44 PM

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Mick Jones (left) is looking for some local backup singers for Foreigner
Star Tribune photo by Kyndell Harkness
 
Foreigner is looking for a few good college singers. Actually, make that an entire college choir (no more than 25 voices, please). The assignment is to accompany the classic rockers on the 1984 smash “I Want Want to Know What Love Is” on July 27 at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.
The casino will donate $500 to the choir.
Kool 108 is coordinating the competition, with morning personality Jeff Olsen. Each weekday morning next week he’ll feature a choir on his show. (For info, go to www.kool108.com.)
Good luck finding a college choir in the middle of summer.

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