Half Black Productions Announcing Auditions for Gilgamesh at IndyFringe 2010

The Half Black Performance Group will be performing one of the oldest epics known to mankind next August at the 2010 Indy Fringe Festival: The Epic of Gilgamesh. It has been adapted for the stage by founding member Joanna Winston from lyric text by Herbert Mason. This will be a dominantly masked piece using Libby Appel techniques. Our company is looking ideally for around 8 performers with movement experience who will be in Indianapolis for the summer of 2010 for rehearsals. Ideal performers would have puppetry or masked experience, but such is not required. We would prefer at least 2 males and 2 females for leading roles, but chorus roles may be any gender. - will contain both movement and sides and The audition - which ideally will be held at Butler University's LH328will be held on April 25th & 26th, 2010 at 6PM and will contain both movement and sides. Sides will be made available via email upon request closer to the audition itself. No roles have been pre-cast - all parts are available at this time. There will be some pay at the production's closing, but rehearsals are unpaid. We are currently seeking costume/makeup designers as well as a talented & well organized stage manager. All are encouraged to contact us if interested in any aspect of the mask design/construction process as well. You can reach our representatives at halfblackproductions@gmail.com or leave a message at our office# (317) 850-7997.

Available Roles:

Gilgamesh - King of Uruk, 2/3rds god, 1/3rd man. Dynamic and sometimes stubborn comrade of Enkidu. Goes on epic quest for the secret of eternal life.

Enkidu - "Wild Hairy Man", wise, primal, earthy. Sacred comrade of Gilgamesh.

Siduri - a barmaid that tends a tavern at the foot of Mt. Mashu; strong-willed and compassionate towards a broken-hearted Gilgamesh.

Utnapishtim - One of the only survivors of the legendary Flood; knows the secret of immortality.

Chorus/Puppeteers - 3-4 individuals who will be responsible for an army of other characters throughout the epic as well as operating a cast of shadow puppets, various masked incidental characters, and 1 large puppet: Humbaba - the guardian of the Cedar Forest. These individuals will have to be adept at movement as well as changing vocal tactics & body language to change from character to character seamlessly. Chorus roles include:
The temple Prostitute - educator of Enkidu.
Ninsun - Mother of Gilgamesh.
Humbaba - a 3-person complex puppet; monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest.
Ishtar - goddess, daughter of Anu, maker of the Bull of Heaven.
The Scorpion People - grotesque man and wife who can turn trespassers into stone with a glance. Guardians of the Mountains of Mashu.
Various Gods/Goddesses of the Flood - heavenly beings who will be represented via shadow puppetry.

We thank our very own Joanna Eve Winston for her continued efforts to bring great literary works to the stage and wish her all the best in the coming months of preparation for IndyFringe 2010! Be sure to keep checking in for further developments and check out joannaevewinston.blogspot.com to find images & director's thoughts and comments on the audition and rehearsal process. The cast list will be posted here within a week of auditions.

We hope to see many faces at the HBP Gilgamesh auditions on April 25th & 26th!

Announcing Our Winter 2010 Production: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

"Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lived just north of Who-ville did NOT!" - but we are certain you will fall in love with our flagship winter production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, adapted by founding member of Half Black Productions Joanna Eve Winston. This story featuring those familiar characters we have come to know and love (and dislike when it comes to the Grinch) is brought to life by our very own Joanna Eve Winston & Jonah D. Winston in a sleek, fast-paced performance style that'll be sure to have you holding onto your Who-hats! This performance is aimed at grades K-5 and will run 30 mins long. The Half Black Players will travel to your school, hospital, community center, or private function for the number of performances of your choosing. To request our rates & terms of service and to schedule a performance, please email halfblackproductions@gmail.com or leave a voicemail with our representatives at (317) 850-7997. We wish you a delightful holiday season and hope we here at Half Black Productions hope we can join your holiday festivities in Winter 2010!

Welcome to Half Black Productions!

Let us thank you for visiting us on our brand-new blog! Our mission statement is to bring affordable theater to the whole of Indiana at a price that won't leave your wallet empty. We are a self-managed independent theater company that is dedicated to creating new thought-provoking works for adults as well as bringing educational stories to life for children. We are comprised of 2 basic companies: The Half Black Performance Group which performs at theater festivals and at various times at select locations throughout our season, and The Half Black Players, an education-based troupe that travels to local schools, hospitals, charity functions, and other community events.

Why "Half Black"? Half Black Productions was the original name coined by one of our company's founders - Jonah D. Winston - for an independent film short he created while at Butler University entitled Creep written by James Christy starring Nick Murray and Casey Farrel. Initially it was a boyish quip about his race. Both Jonah and Joanna Winston - founding members of Half Black productions - are of mixed race, black & white. Through the years creating theater it became apparent that theater featuring and highlighting the performances of African Americans was scarce in Indiana. The Winstons have made it a goal of Half Black Productions to consistently produce theater that features multi-ethnic cast members. It is important for children and adults alike in our day and age to see people of all races in theater situations so that they might have affirmation that everyone has a voice in our world.

We hope you will keep checking in for new theatrical events, special offers, and auditions for Half Black Productions and will keep supporting Indy's theater scene. Keep the arts alive in Indiana.