Auditions for Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne and the musical Ordinary Days by Adam Gwon will be held via video submission the week of November 9, 2020. Read on for contact information and instructions.

All students interested in theater or musical theater are encouraged to audition or participate backstage in these productions that speak to our times.

Unfortunately all too timely, Perfect Arrangement is a serio-comic play about living in an atmosphere of lies and deception. In 1950 Washington, DC, two loyal State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with the latest assignment in the cold war against communists and other subversives. The search for un-American activities has extended to the gay community—“deviants.” Bob and Norma's task is made more complicated by the fact that they're both gay themselves, and have married each other's partners as a “perfect arrangement.” Hijinks ensue in a style reminiscent of sitcoms of the period; but as the secrets and lies accumulate, the laughter gives way to a serious look at identity, self-loathing, and human rights.

Also of our age, Ordinary Days tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love, and taxis. It is an original musical for anyone who has ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex world.

Important: Please request an audition form for the specific show using emails that include the titles of the show (i.e., for Ordinary Days, make the request at ordinarydaysIUP@gmail.com; for Perfect Arrangement, request the form at perfectarrangementIUP@gmail.com). Students interested in participating backstage should contact Carrie J. Cole (cjcole@iup.edu).

Submission Deadline: Monday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m.

Instructions for Perfect Arrangement, Directed by Michael Schwartz

  • Required: Record a two-minute modern comic or serio-comic monologue (roughly 1930s-present). Record the video in landscape mode and in line with your eyes. State your name and what piece you will be doing at the start of your video. Check your sound levels.
  • Submit video links (with PDF of head shot and résumé) to perfectarrangementIUP@gmail.com.
  • Callbacks: Wednesday, November 18; time and place TBD
  • For more information and list of available roles, contact Michael Schwartz, director, at mschwart@iup.edu.

Instructions for Ordinary Days, Directed by Rob Gretta; Music Directed by Oliver Lo

  • Required: Sing 32 bars with accompaniment that shows off your vocal range. It may be from Ordinary Days or another show. Record the video in landscape mode and in line with your eyes. State your name and what piece you will be doing at the start of your video. Check your sound levels.
  • Submit video links (with PDF of head shot and résumé and vocal range listed) to ordinarydaysIUP@gmail.com.
  • Callbacks: Tuesday, November 17, 6:00-10:00 p.m. Music Building, Cogswell Hall, rooms 121 and 126
  • For more information and list of available roles, contact:

Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance