Audition Date: 6–8 p.m. Monday, June 13
Audition Location: 1235 Siler Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87507
Please note: This space is up a flight of stairs and there is no elevator. If you wish to audition and cannot or choose not to use the stairs, please reach out to us and we will set another time when we can see you at an accessible space.
100th Fiesta Melodrama
Directed by Eliot Gray Fisher and Andrew Primm
Artistic Director Robyn Rikoon
Written by an anonymous committee
Production Dates:
Rehearsals: July 25–August 24
Performances: August 25–September 18; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays
Pay: $150/week
In Attendance: Artistic Director Robyn Rikoon, Director Andrew Primm
About the Fiesta Melodrama
The 100th Fiesta Melodrama celebrates a century of shows and honors generations of performing artists. For its first four decades, the Santa Fe Playhouse staged annual classic melodramas, and in 1961, an anonymous committee began writing original scripts using the popular melodrama format, taking events in Santa Fe as their inspiration. The 100th Fiesta Melodrama will present a riotous selection of scenes and songs from these original scripts, performed live as well as on video, featuring an array of local legends.
Turning its satirical eye firmly on its own navel for its birthday, the 100th Fiesta Melodrama draws on its archive to revel in the ways the theatrical tradition has spoken its own knee-slapping truths to power. The show will overflow with gags and provide a guilty pleasure for all, while provoking reflection on the ways we continually remake our community by telling its story.
We seek as diverse a cast as possible in ability, age, ethnicity, gender, and race, and strongly encourage all to audition. Characters originally written for a specific gender may be played by actors of other genders. All cast and crew members must be fully vaccinated and boosted, with proof of vaccination required. All crew and cast will follow COVID safety guidelines set by the state of New Mexico and Santa Fe Playhouse. If you are cast in the production and will be traveling to and from Santa Fe, a travel stipend may be provided.
How to Audition
To secure your audition slot, please send a headshot (or portrait), and resume if you have one, to submissions@santafeplayhouse.org and show up at 6 p.m. to 1235 Siler Rd. Please wear a mask.
If you want to audition but can’t make it on the audition date, you’re welcome to provide a video with a reader or with a monologue. We accept video for the initial audition; callbacks must be in person. Note that video will be recorded during in-person auditions for internal use for casting.
Sides will be provided when you secure your audition spot. Sides are from original Fiesta Melodrama scripts from the Playhouse archive, which will be featured throughout the production. Auditioners will read for several roles (eg heroine, villain, etc.) because ensemble members will play multiple roles in the production. If you sing, please prepare a song to perform a capella.
CHARACTERS
HERO – Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, strong as an ox—but not a rocket scientist. Often saves the day by chance, not intent.
HEROINE – The epitome of virtue, innocence, and light. Somewhat brighter than our hero, but a genius grant isn’t in the cards. Tenacious, spunky, and adorable.
VILLAIN – No redeeming value whatsoever. Motives include lust for money, power, and unsuspecting victims. The incarnation of evil, hidden behind a wall of charm.
VILLAINESS – The yin to villain’s yang. Hard-bitten and seductive yet concealing an unfortunate past that is ripe for redemption.
SIDEKICK – Plenty unsavory and sleazy but without the grand evil vision of the big bosses.
POLITICIAN – May have been well-meaning at some point. Corruption and egomania now reign.
LOCAL – An artist of some kind who has lived in Santa Fe longer than anyone else.
TOURIST – New to town, unfamiliar with—and generally uninterested in—how locals do things.
PIANIST – Sometimes long-lost, always beleaguered. Loving and caring yet foolish.
DESIGN/TECH POSITIONS
Motivated, creative individuals are needed for the Fiesta Melodrama production team, for the positions listed below. If you’re interested in any of these positions, please email submissions@santafeplayhouse.org with your resume and the position you are applying for.
Stage Manager – $175/week
Assistant Stage Manager – $75/week
Costume Designer – $600
Lighting Designer – $600
Co-Directors
Eliot Gray Fisher (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist from Santa Fe who explores performance technologies as co-director of the Austin-based company ARCOS. He has created award-winning, acclaimed media and sound designs for performance, composed music for dance, theater, and film, designed and built interactive new media installations, and written and directed original theater and dance productions.
Andy Primm (he/him) is a producer and performer from Santa Fe. As a composer and musician he has performed nationally and internationally with various bands and shows. He has acted in or directed Fiesta Melodrama productions at the Santa Fe Playhouse for more than 10 years and has served on its board since 2014. A passionate supporter of local art, Andy produces, shoots, and edits video for museums, organizations, and artists.
About Santa Fe Playhouse
As a cornerstone in its theatrical and artistic communities, Santa Fe Playhouse connects the artist with the audience. Through these interactions, the Playhouse engages in dialogue to examine, uplift, challenge, and heal through the visceral art of performance and storytelling.
Land Acknowledgement
Santa Fe Playhouse acknowledges the breath of those that came before us and all living animals, on the ground and above it. We acknowledge that the place we now call Santa Fe is still recognized as Oga Po’geh, meaning White Shell Water Place. Thousands of years ago, it was a center for the communities of Northern and Southern Tewa (often identified as Tanos). The living memory and stories told by the people of Taytsúgeh Oweengeh (Tesuque Pueblo) hold profound meaning to this day. To view the full Land Acknowledgement and Resources list, visit: https://santafeplayhouse.org/land-acknowledgement/
Equal Opportunity Commitment to Collaboration
Santa Fe Playhouse is an equal opportunity collaborator. We are committed to cultivating a deep and wide reach in order to connect with prospective artistic, administrative, and creative collaborators who have varied experiences and skills, a collaborative attitude, and the desire for growth. Santa Fe Playhouse seeks to recruit and diverse teams as a reflection of our commitment to create an anti-racist, socially just, and inclusive presence in O’ga Po’geh and all Northern New Mexican communities. Santa Fe Playhouse does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, citizenship status, political affiliation, detention records, economic history, dwelling or housing circumstance, or any legally protected characteristic. Santa Fe Playhouse recognizes that certain identities and voices are historically under- and misrepresented in the theater industry, and actively seeks to rectify that imbalance in our communities through inclusive collaborative practices. Santa Fe Playhouse values diverse life experiences and believes them to be a core aspect of our organizational mission and all collaborative experiences.
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