Description:

Now Announcing Auditions for the 2019 Cast of The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque directed by Leah Urzendowksi and choreographed by Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop performed Thursday's in December

Auditions will be Saturday July 27th from 12pm-3pm in small blocks. The audition location is Volta Performing Arts Center, 2142 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. If callbacks are necessary they will be held Monday July 29th.

If you are unable to attend Saturday's audition but still are interested in being considered, please let us know in your email and we will do our best to accommodate.

You will learn a short choreographed piece, followed by ensemble work. Come dressed to move. Dance shoes, heels, appropriate footwear, please no bare feet or socks.

Show Description: The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque tells the story of Clara, the admin of a corporate office where conforming is to be expected and anyone who deviates is looked down upon. Charged with throwing the office holiday party, Clara is fired after hiring Drosselmeyer, a larger than life burlesque dancer who quite literally offends the pants off the coworkers, especially the Boss. Feeling defeated and out of place, Clara finds solace in Drosselmeyer, who with a little magical help, whisks her away to the Land of the Sweets. After battling rats along with her confectionary Buttcracker Prince, Clara is introduced to the colorful characters who inhabit this sexy, raucous underworld, and ultimately learns that your self-expression and sexual desires are nothing to be ashamed of, and that there is a home for those who subvert the system of conformity.

Character Breakdown:

Clara - Principal - Our hero, and the Admin of the office, charged with setting up the office holiday party. Young, awkward, and a bit on the lower side of self-esteem, but grows into an awareness of and confidence in her sensuality and sense of self. Typically femme presenting, open to all genders, gender expressions, and races. Does not need to be a formal dancer, but a familiarity with movement and comedy preferred. Burlesque experience not required.

Drosselmeyer - Principal - The hired entertainment for the office party, and the orchestrator of the hallucinogenic trip to the Land of the Sweets. Drosselmeyer is the through-line of the show, connecting both the boring corporate world and the Land of the Sweets. Seeking a skilled entertainer who knows how to work a crowd. Drag, burlesque, magician, circus performers, and big personalities welcomed. Any gender, gender expression, or race. Burlesque experience not required.

Boss/Rat King/Sugar Plum Fairy - Principal - Boss - snooty, oppressive, not a fan of Clara, but even less a fan of doing any actual work. Sexually and physically repressed. Rat King - The villain of the Land of the Sweets, sexy with an edge, trapped the Sugar Plum Fairy and made the Land of the Sweets their own - One dance number. Sugar Plum Fairy - The Glinda of the Land of the Sweets, freed by Clara, BFFs with the Buttcracker - One solo and one duet. Typically femme presenting. Any gender, gender expression, or race. Seeking excellent dancer: Point, jazz, modern, ballet, hip hop, etc. Comedy skills especially necessary. Burlesque experience not required.

Ensemble - a Group of Four dancers/movers/shakers - They dance in the Dance of the Snowflakes, Dance of the Reeds, Dance of the Flowers, and Rat King vs. Buttcracker Battle, also serve as Clara's co-workers, who are just as snooty, snobby, and repressed. Any gender, gender expression, or race. Burlesque experience not required.

Two understudy/swings will also be cast.

Featured Soloist submission form will be available in July.

Please note: This is a parody ballet, therefore no roles are spoken. We want to see your ability to convey story and expression through physical movement.

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals begin Oct. 6th and run Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evening rehearsals, 6pm-10pm.

Tech is Dec 3rd and 4th from 6-11pm.

Show Dates are Dec. 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th at 8pm at The Den Theatre. Possible extension January 2nd.