Seeking a Musician/Composer for Bookworms: A New Play for Very Young Children
Seeking Musician/Composer
Kerfuffle is seeking an adventurous and enthusiastic Musician/Composer for the world premiere of Bookworms, an interactive play for very young children and their caregivers that will tour to libraries, children’s museums, and preschools throughout Chicagoland and Nebraska this fall. Bookworms is written by Jeff Sachs and directed by Jamie Macpherson.
In the play, children will be invited to a typical story time by an engaging and effervescent Storyteller. When two mischievous bookworms appear (played by two puppeteers), adventure is to be had! Children are centered as heroes in the story as they venture “beyond the bookshelves” with the Storyteller to save the stories.
A compatriot of the Storyteller, the Musician/Composer is here to comment on, add to, and explore the story. The ideal Musician/Composer is a sound designer capable of creating and performing the sound elements for a play (sound effects, underscoring, atmospheres) in a quasi-improvisational manner, using any combination of musical instruments, live foley, and computer software as suits the play and their skill set.
Prior experience or interest in working with and/or teaching very young children and/or physical theatre and/or devising is preferred, but not required. Performers should feel comfortable with close interaction and improvisation with children and families.
Kerfuffle encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, sizes, ages, abilities, and experiences to audition.
To audition:
Please submit a link to a Youtube or Vimeo video of yourself playing one or more musical instruments, focusing on storytelling and musicianship. Please highlight the instrument that you are most comfortable with, as well as an instrument that may not be traditionally an instrument (e.g., a picture book; pencils; a lampshade). You may sing if you want.
Please email your video link, headshot, and resume to Ashley at casting@kerfuffletvy.com no later than Friday, August 9.
Callbacks will be held in-person on Sunday, August 18 between 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway. You will be notified by Sunday, August 11 of your callback time.
Time Commitment:
Rehearsals: October 7-November 2, 2024. Rehearsals will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Rehearsals will be held at The Edge Theater at 5451 N. Broadway in Edgewater.
Dress/Tech Rehearsals: Saturday, November 2 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; November 4, 5, 7 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.; Saturday, November 9 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Performances: Daytime performances on select weekdays and weekends between November 10 - December 8, 2024 throughout Chicagoland and a one-week tour to Nebraska November 12 - 16, 2024. There will be no more than two performances per day. There will be no performances November 27-30 for Thanksgiving.
Performance schedule:
Additional performances may be added. Additional performances will be paid at $25 per show.
Sunday, November 10: Performances at 1:30pm, 3:00pm, Chicago
Tuesday, November 12 - Saturday, November 16: Tour to Western Nebraska (Six daytime performances over three days; travel days November 12 & 16)
Sunday, November 17: Daytime Performance, Chicagoland
Saturday, November 23: Performances at 10:00am, 11:30am, Chicagoland
Sunday, November 24: Daytime performances, Chicagoland
Sunday, December 1: Daytime performances, Chicagoland
Tuesday, December 3 : Performances at 9:30am, 10:45am, Chicagoland
Saturday, December 7: Daytime Performances, Chicagoland
Sunday, December 8: Daytime Performances, Chicagoland
About Kerfuffle:
Kerfuffle is an award-winning midwestern theatre and dance company devoted to creating aesthetically and emotionally engaging performances for children ages 0-6 years old. Founded in 2015, Kerfuffle centers young children as major creative partners in the development of new work and shares playful, multi-sensory performances in museums, libraries, parks, and other nontraditional spaces. Children’s imagination is at the center of Kerfuffle’s process. In order to understand what engages, delights, and surprises children, Kerfuffle’s plays are developed through creative drama workshops where young people create stories, characters, and worlds in collaboration with adult artists. Kerfuffle is a registered 501(c)3 organization and is the 2020 recipient of the Zeta Phi Eta-Winifred Ward Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company Award through the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. Visit www.kerfuffletvy.com for more information.
