Tokyo International Players Announce 2012-13 Youth Programs, Auditions, Upcoming Shows and More

Tokyo International Players have announced information about upcoming 2012-13 productions, youth opportunities, auditions, how to apply to produce a show on TIP's Second Stage, and more. See full details below.

Coming up from the TIP Youth program:

ACT I PROGRAM - "Honk! JR." Book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe, music by George Stiles. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling". Directed by Linden Wint. Choral direction by Megan Ofstedal.

A musical version of "The Ugly Duckling". Ugly is tormented by everyone in The Farmyard, falls into the hands of the Cat and finds himself lost in a blizzard. Will he ever find his way home safely? Will he ever make any friends?

ACT II PROGRAM - "Guys and Dolls JR." Book by Abe Burrows & Jo Swerling, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Based on "The Idyll of Sarah Brown" and characters by Damon Runyon. Directed by Dale Geyer. Choral direction by Megan Ofstedal.

A rollicking musical comedy full of hilarious and lovable New York characters. Follow along as missionary Sarah Brown navigates her conflicting feelings for slick gambler Sky Masterson, while showgirl Miss Adelaide tries to pin down her fiancée, Nathan Detroit, after 14 years of engagement!

TIP Youth is a program from Tokyo International Players designed for teaching students all about theatre and performing. This six-month program is just for students, to give them a firm grounding in all things involved in acting on stage, being part of a production and belonging to a theatre community. TIP Youth aims to provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge and practical techniques in theatre and performing in a professional-level show, so that they may carry and use this experience in many aspects of their student and adult lives, whether they perform professionally or not. The students, aged eight to seventeen, have been attending workshops and rehearsals since January, learning through practice what it is to be part of a professional theatrical production. Come and see the results of their hard work and dedication to the craft.

Intake for the 2013 program opens November 1st, 2012. Information will be posted in October.

"Honk JR." (ACT I) plays Thursday, May 31st @ 7pm and Saturday, June 2nd@ 1pm AND 4pm. "Guys and Dolls JR." (ACT II) plays Friday, June 1st @ 7pm and Sunday, June 3rd @ 1pm AND 4pm. Both shows take place at the Bonbon Theater in Nakano. For map and directions, click here.

All tickets are 2,000 JPY. For "Honk, JR." reservations, go online here. For "Guys and Dolls, JR." reservations, follow this link.

On the Second Stage, TIP will present "Intimate Apparel" by Lynn Nottage, directed by Sonja Inge.

"Intimate Apparel" is the story of Esther Mills, the daughter of slaves, who is a highly-skilled lingerie seamstress in New York City in 1905. She saves all of her money in a quilt in the hopes of one day opening a beauty parlor where black women will be treated like royality. However, she is also very lonely and and after celebrating a milestone birthday, is desperate to be married. Through a mutual friend, she strikes up a long distance relationship with a Caribbean laborer.

Originally a co-production and co-commission between Center Stage, Baltimore, Maryland, and South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, California. It was also performed off-Broadway starring Viola Davis.

This production will feature Trenetta Jones, Ann Jenkins, Ra'Chelni M. Weir II, Lucy King, Nami Miyasaki and Matt Rac.

The show plays Friday, June 15th @ 7pm, Saturday, June 16th @ 1pm AND 7pm, Sunday, June 17th @ 1pm AND 7pm at the Theatre Rapport, Higashi-Nagasaki station (2 stops from Ikebukuro on the Seibu-Ikebukuro line). For map and directions, visit their website here. Advance reservation: 2,500 JPY. At the door (no reservation): 3,000 JPY. For reservations, visit this link.

TIP will also be holding mainstage auditions for the opening show of its 116th season, "Comedy Festival of One-Acts." The show will be a one-act play festival, highlighting 5 plays over two performance slates.

The festival includes:

Program A (Performances Sep. 20th @ 7pm, Sep. 22nd @ 7pm, Sep 23rd @ 12pm):

"Controlling Interest" by Wayne S. Rawley, directed by Ed Gilmartin

"The Fifteen Minute Hamlet" by Tom Stoppard, directed by Andrew Martinez

"Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" by Bert V. Royal, directed by Lou McLeod

Program B (Performances Sep. 21st @ 7pm, Sep. 22nd @ 1pm, Sep. 23rd @ 6pm):

"The Actor's Nightmare" by Christopher Durang, directed by Ron Scott

"The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard, directed by Jonah Hagans

*NB: Please be aware that some shows include mature themes and language.

Prepare a monologue no longer than 3 minutes in duration. A maximum of 6 people may sign up per each hour slot. At the audition, you will be asked to fill out an Audition Sheet and sign a general waiver. On the Audition Sheet, you can indicate if you would like to perform in more than one show.

One-hour audition slots can be booked between:

Thursday, June 21st 4-9pm

Friday, June 22nd 4-9pm

Saturday, June 23rd 1-8pm

Sunday, June 24th 2-3pm

*Please indicate 3 preferences. You will be contacted and notified which time slot to which you will be asked to come.

**If you are unable to make any of the above times, please indicate that and you will be contacted to arrange a separate time.

Callbacks will be as follows:

Sunday, June 24th 4-6pm - Callbacks for "Controlling Interest"

Sunday, June 24th 6-8pm - Callbacks for "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead"

Monday, June 25th 7-8pm - Callbacks for "The Fifteen Minute Hamlet"

Monday, June 25th 8-9pm - Callbacks for "The Actor's Nightmare"

Monday, June 25th 9-10pm - Callbacks for "The Real Inspector Hound"

*If you are unable to attend the callbacks, please indicate so on your Audition Form.

**All auditioners must be available for all September performances of the show in which they are cast.

All auditions will take place at Our Space in Hatagaya. For map and directions, visit TIP's website here.

Due to the adult nature of the shows, all those auditioning must be at least 16 years old. To sign up for your audition slot, visit the website here and fill our the audition form.

TIP also announces a "Friends of TIP" Black Stripe Theater performance of "Cloud 9" by Caryl Churchill, directed by Andrew Robinson. Men play women. Women play men. Adults play children. Everybody has sex. This is Black Stripe’s next production.

Sexual taboos, old fashioned values, parenting, racism, manliness, sexism, guns, patriotism, sacrifice, and war all get questioned in this modern classic about family and society.

Cast includes Adrienne Larin, Sophie Noreén, Antun Percic, Nerida Rand, and Liam Shea. Special appearance by Rudy McCollum.

Caryl Churchill is one of most well-known and respected female playwrights in history. Her plays have been succesful globally, and have been performed in many languages. She has won many awards, including three Obie awards (one for Cloud 9), and a Lawrence Olivier/BBC award. Other works by Churchill include "Top Girls", "Serious Money", and "A Number".

Note: This show contains adult themes and language not suitable for children.

The show runs  Thursday, July 5th @ 7:30pm, Friday, July 6th @ 7:30pm, Saturday, July 7th @ 2:30pm AND 7:30pm and Sunday, July 8th @ 2:30pm at Tiny Alice in Shinjuku. For map and directions, visit the BST website here.

Reservatios are  2,500 JPY. At the door (no reservation) - 3,000 JPY. Visit their website at http://blackstripetheater.com for more information and to book tickets.

Finally, TIP has announced a call for Second Stage proposals. TIP launched Second Stage in 2009 with the goal of providing an opportunity for artists to present new and innovative shows in intimate, creative settings, and to offer Tokyo audiences exciting new theatrical experiences different from those in the main season lineup.

Presented in "black box" style, Second Stage is intimate with its smaller casts, creative venues, and playing to a limited number of patrons. Already audiences have enthusiastically attended productions of Monty DiPietro's "Honiefaith" (June 2009; Nov 2009); Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard's "Greater Tuna" (Sep 2009; Sep 2010); Matt Thompson, Matt Chiorini and Dana Vermette's "If The Shoe Fits" (Sept 2009); and Stephen Mallatratt's adaptation of "The Woman in Black" from the book by Susan Hill (Oct 2011). Our next production will be Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" (June 2012).

TIP is currently accepting proposals for Second Stage productions. If you have a production (either published or original) that you would like to produce, please apply using TIP's website. Timeslots are based on space availability. Please apply online for more information. Time requests will be considered.

So far, all of the company's Second Stage shows have been performed at Our Space, in Hatagaya. However, our next production, "Intimate Apparel" will be performed at Theatre Rapport, at Higashi-Nagasaki station. If you already have another, intimate venue in which you'd like to produce your Second Stage show, please mention that in your application. Other venues will be considered.

Fill out TIP's Second Stage application form here.

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