Casting notices reveal the Equity Principal Auditions — not the open auditions which will be videotaped for the TV show — will take place Sept. 18-21 under the supervision of Jay Binder Casting. The open calls are yet to be announced.
Members of Actors' Equity Association (age 19 or over and/or have completed high school by April 1, 2007) who wish to be considered for the leads must attend the EPAs ("which will not be videotaped," according to the posting) or the open TV auditions (which will be videotaped). "All performers who are called back from EPAs or OPEN TV auditions for the roles of Sandy and Danny must be willing to participate in this television show, for which the judges will be Kathleen Marshall, David Ian and Jim Jacobs. The final casting selection will be made by vote of the viewing public."
When NBC announced the new TV show and Broadway-bound revival, much concern was voiced regarding Equity standards and procedures — and whether the institution which governs all professional stage actors would allow their members to be recorded. A solution seems to have been reached as a note on the audition notice reads "Performers' participation in the TV show will be governed by an AFTRA contract."
Equity will also hold Chorus Call auditions for singers (Sept. 25) and dancers (Sept. 28). For more information, visit Playbill.com's Job Listings.
* BBC Worldwide Productions teams with NBC for the mid-season show (slated to air in Jan. 2007) in which America will decide the two leads for the new Broadway show.
Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall (The Pajama Game) will direct and choreograph the new staging as well as judge the competition — along with Grease co-creator Jim Jacobs and theatre producer David Ian.
Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates, Nederlander Presentations and Phoenix Productions will produce the Broadway run of the show which begins rehearsals on or about April 1, 2007.
The musical Grease — by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey — debuted on Broadway Feb. 14, 1972 and captured the spirit of audiences with its the 1950's-set all-American lovestory of two teens from opposite sides of the fence who fall in love one summer only to discover each other again, this time attending Rydell High School. Will the "bad boy" and the "good girl" be able to rekindle their romance amid the politics of high school?
In 1978, Grease became "the word" with a popular feature film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the lovelorn leads. A Broadway revival played as recently as 1994-1998.
The new Broadway production will feature the smash Jacobs-Casey songs made famous by the original play including "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning" and "We Go Together."
Tickets for Grease will go on sale Dec. 1, 2006. Group sales are available now by calling Nederlander Group Sales at (212) 840-3890.
