We Invite You to Perform with Us

On Temple Hill, we are blessed with one of the premiere performing arts facilities in the Bay Area and in the Church. The Auditorium seats 1,600 and features a 60-foot stage with full rigging, fly space, sound equipment, lighting, pipe organ, balcony and theatrical seating. We want to make full use of this amazing facility. So, we need many people to help with each production. Most are volunteers, although there is also a need to fill a few paid roles for highly technical and trained individuals. We need volunteers for producing, directing, set construction, set artist and painting, stage management, house management, lobby decorations, ushering, security, and even concessions management, rehearsal assistants, and children's choir directors and assistants.

For your INTERVIEW: Please bring a short resume of your experience in your areas of interest. List what groups, theaters, concerts, musicals, plays, or other events where you participated and as well as your responsibilities. Note that we are in special need of experienced producers, assistant directors, artists, set carpentry, special effects builders, social media management, house and lobby management, and marketing/advertising. For those wishing to be considered for one of the few paid tech positions on Temple Hill, please include a more thorough resume including volunteer and professional experience, college courses taken in theatrical technical areas of lighting, sound, rigging, production management, etc. Those with sufficient experience and availability will be referred to the Technical Management team.

There are two dance series that are performed on Temple Hill each year by the Behold Dance Collective: Behold the Gift at Christmas time and Tapestry in the Spring. In addition, dancers are featured in other special events, such as performances of Scrooge! The Musical alternating with The Magic of Christmas.

The Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra has performed on Temple Hill for over 50 years. Conductor Jay Trottier is always looking for exceptional instrumentalists to fill vacancies when people move away or are otherwise no longer able to continue with the Symphony. In addition, there are oratorios, musicals, choir concerts, and small ensemble and solo opportunities for capable instrumentalists. Needs vary from production to production, but generally there is always a need for more string players, and frequently needs for low winds and brass, seasoned trumpet and trombone players, percussionists, and keyboard players. There are also some opportunities for saxophones, harp, guitar, organ, flute, clarinet, and oboe. And, every now and then even a banjo or a Jews harp is needed.

Vocalists should come warmed up and prepared to sing a 2-minute selection that shows your range, diction, technique, tone, excellent pitch, and personality. Soloists interested in performing a solo concert at the Visitors’ Center for Days of Christmas should also bring a list of their probable repertoire for that concert and be prepared to sing one or more from the list. 

Instrumentalists should be prepared to play a 2-minute selection that shows their technical ability, tone, and range. In addition, they should be prepared to play at least 2 octave scales as fast and clean as you can in any key. 

Dancers, be prepared to show your technique, flexibility, range, and rhythm. In addition to your application, we invite you to submit a video to TempleHillProducer@gmail.com, including "DANCER VIDEO" in the subject line. 

Actors should come prepared with a 2-minute scene or reading that shows your vocal range, diction, expression, characterization, and connection with an audience. 

Mimes, we don’t care about your diction and we will keep you in a special safe place, because of course, a mime is a terrible thing to waste. Just seeing if you were still reading!

ATTENDANCE 

All participants are expected to attend all assigned rehearsals and all performances. Please provide the directors with all known conflicts. Where conflicts exist, they must be discussed with the Directors before being cast in a show. We will consider if rehearsals can be arranged to accommodate the conflict. All participants must attend all required technical and dress rehearsals and must be at all performances without exception or cannot be cast, unless prior arrangements are made with the directors to have actors share roles.

PERFORMANCES

• Review all performance dates when posted, and report if you have ANY conflicts

REQUIRED TECHNICAL & DRESS REHEARSALS 

• Review all tech and dress rehearsal dates when posted, and report if you have ANY conflicts immediately.

Most rehearsals will be held at the Oakland Temple Hill Auditorium on the grounds of the Oakland Temple at 4780 Lincoln Ave. On occasion, rehearsals may be held at other easily-accessible LDS Churches. Rehearsals for featured dancers may be scheduled for a location central to the most dancers.

COSTS

We are pleased to present performances completely free to audiences. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not fund our productions. We are indeed thankful that the Church is providing the Stage and Auditorium and rehearsal space at no cost, plus some paid technical crew time. The rest of the budget will come from a large donation by the Temple Hill Choir, participant fees, donations, concessions, and advertising.

PARTICIPANT FEE - Each participant, child and adult, will pay a participant fee that is quite small when compared to many community theaters and other school and community theater or sports events. The participant fee is $85 for each participant whether child or adult, which will include the cast t-shirt with a value of $15. (Please note that many community theaters charge participant fees between $100 and $350 per production.) In addition, each participant on stage may be required to provide some of their costume or costumes. We have a considerable number of costumes for The Music Man being donated by or rented from various local community theaters, so we currently expect that the costume pieces that participants provide will be limited. Participants will pay NO additional costume fee for these rented costumes. The Music Man production will pay the rentals.  On stage participants may be required to provide their own make-up.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FEES - We do not want money to keep anyone from participating. Where paying for participant fees or costume or make-up costs is a hardship, participants and their families can speak with the People Producer or Director and arrange an alternative way to pay. This could include volunteering extra time to support the set construction, providing a truck or trailer for moving sets, foyer prep, or other voluntary production team activities.

ACTOR STIPENDS - We are aware that some community theaters provide small payments or stipends to their actors. For those used to receiving such, please consider the following. This musical presentation is being provided to audiences as a gift to the Bay Area community. To offer this for free and avoid much higher royalty fees, we are also not allowed to pay actors. Your family and friends will attend at no cost. We are considering allowing some preferred early seating to family members of the production participants. Please join with us and make this a memorable event for your family and our audiences. Feel free to discuss this further with the Director or one of the Producers.

Please note the following regarding how we will address Covid in our auditions, rehearsals, and performances of The Music Man.

• Our number one priority is protecting the safety and health of all participants and audience members.
• We will follow all requirements set by the City of Oakland, State of California, and the by our host, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This also includes following the CA guidelines for live performances.
• All participants are responsible for their health and should also be careful to protect those around them. 
• The Temple Hill Auditorium has excellent ventilation systems which will be used during all rehearsals and performances.
• Since singing and dancing are higher risk activities for respiratory illnesses including Covid, full vaccination is highly recommended. We have added rehearsal time to the schedule to allow for times when people are out with illness.
• Anyone with any Covid, cold, or flu symptoms should inform the People Producer and the Director as soon as they can. Usually, we will ask you to stay home until symptoms stop and Covid testing is negative.
• Those who wish to wear masks during rehearsals are welcome to do so. In most cases, performances are expected to be without masks. Some exceptions are possible.
• Additional information about Covid protocols will be provided upon request. We strongly encourage anyone auditioning to get vaccinated prior the start of rehearsals on April 29 if possible to do so.
• We understand that with the current Covid variants, being fully vaccinated is not a guarantee that you will not catch Covid. However, those who are vaccinated typically will have fewer symptoms and shorter period of testing positive. Vaccinations are not required, but strongly recommended.
• Contact the People Producer or Director if you are not feeling well or have been tested positive for Covid at any time before coming to an audition, rehearsal, or performance.