[closed] THE CONFIDENTIAL MUSICAL THEATRE PROJECT: AUDITION INFO

Want to do a fun experiment with the wonderful Cauldron community?

The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is a concept conceived of by Marion Abbott where you audition without knowing the show. You take four to six weeks to learn your role without knowing who your castmates are, with nothing but notes from the Director and Music Director (and maybe a session with each of them)!

You meet your cast two hours before curtains up, and then you perform for an audience who bought tickets also not knowing the show, only the concept. The only rule is that no matter what, we have to keep going!

It will be fun, it will be mayhem, you can have your script on stage if you need it. You can bring your own costume. The moments of unexpectedness are the ones we are looking for and will be treasured! 

This is a great opportunity to work on a show without the intensity of a rehearsal schedule; to get to spend time with this lovely community, or to join it for the first time; to put your improvisation and on-the-spot decision making to the test, and to have a friggen blast!

audition process

how to apply

It’s really simple! Just send us :

  1. A video of you singing any song you feel shows off your voice nicely! This can be a new video or one you already have. Don't forget to act while singing because we are looking for both!

  2. Your performing CV or small paragraph of your experience and a small statement about the kinds of roles you are excited to try out. 

The Director (Madison) and Music Director (Elliot) will look at all the audition materials and cast the show!

THERE IS NO CAST FEE FOR THIS PRODUCTION

Anyone may audition! The only requirements are that you are available on August 24th for the performance, and that you will keep the secrets.

Deadline

The auditions close on July 7th at 11:59pm.

WHAT NEXT?

Our director and music director will cast the mysterious show, doing their best to find a role for everyone (that being said, our community is quite big and we may not have space for everyone in this first round.)

On July 9th-10th, you will receive a reply from them.

If you are cast, you will be sworn to secrecy about your role and the show we are performing. Once you agree (and sign!) to keep it a secret, we will let you know which show we are performing and the role you will be playing.

You will receive the script with notes and will have until August 24th to learn your part with notes from Madison, Elliot and Ellen. There may be an opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with Madison and Elliot. This is still to be decided. 

ON THE DAY ITSELF

On August 24th, you will arrive at the theatre two hours before the show begins, where you will meet your cast for the first time.

Then, CURTAINS! 

Meet the Team

  • Madison Jolliffe

    DIRECTOR

    Madison Jolliffe (they/she) is an intersectional feminist theatre director, dramaturg, performer and teacher.

    They direct and make with the theatre collective Utopia Syndicate based in Utrecht, which cultivates a practice of radical imagination, prefigurative politics, and utopian speculation with the aim of fostering hope. They also direct and teach acting for The Cauldron and other theatre companies in Amsterdam and occasionally collaborate with Studio Julian Hetzel.

    They won “Best Director of a Musical” in 2023 from BroadwayWorld for her direction of The Addams Family.

    They also hold a Master’s degree in Contemporary Theatre, Dance and Dramaturgy from Utrecht University and a BFA in Performance Creation from Concordia University in Montreal.

  • ELLIOT MORGAN

    MUSICAL DIRECTOR

    An avid musician, Elliot has been involved in the Amsterdam musical theatre scene for almost 5 years.

    Having played piano, guitar, bass, and recently theremin in different shows over this time, he has also more recently stepped back into musical directing roles, most recently as Band Director for Happily Ever After's Chicago, for which he (and his incredible band) won Broadway World's Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance.

    After taking a year's hiatus from the stage, he is very excited to be back in the theatre for the Confidential Musical Project.

  • ELLEN BROOKER

    STAGE MANAGER

    Ellen is a Canadian production and stage manager living and working in Amsterdam. She loves being part of the devising process, baking bread, and handling the unexpected.

    She obtained a Master’s Degree in Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries from Central St Martin’s (London, England) in 2018, and has been happily applying her imagination to exciting projects ever since.

    As well as being the Stage Manager for The Cauldron’s 2023 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, select international production credits include:

    - Stage Manager for QETC’s La Cage aux Folles, 2024 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
    - Design Assistant for Punchdrunk Theatre’s Small Wonders, 2018 (London, England)
    - Production Manager for Nightwood Theatre’s All the Little Animals I Have Eaten, 2020 (Toronto, Canada)
    - Stage Management for Morro & Jasp: Save the Date at Red Pearl Womxn international clown festival 2020 (Helsinki, Finland)

  • SHEILA BOSCO

    TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

    Besides her passion working in musicals as a drummer and musician, Sheila began her career in theater while studying Electronic Engineering in New York City and working as a technician for Vito Acconci, when she was hired by the Guggenheim Museum to manage the Peter B. Lewis Theater.

    Over the years, Sheila has worked as a freelance theater technician, Technical Director, and sound/lighting designer.

    She has also served as House Recordist and Archivist for the Greenwich House of Music and the NYC American Composers Alliance, Technical Director and Chief Engineer at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, Theater Manager for San Francisco’s Brava Theater, and Arts Facilities Director at the University of San Francisco’s Presentation Theater.

    She is thrilled to be getting back into her roots of technical theater with this show and team!

  • YANN BELIN

    LIGHTING DESIGNER

    Yann has been part of the Amsterdam English and French theater communities for almost a decade. You will most often find him in the lighting booth (Chicago, Spelling Bee, Cinderella) but also sometimes onstage (Titanica, She Kills Monsters, Spamalot)! He is really excited to work on this fun new mystery project.

  • Ádám Széky

    Ádám Széky

    SOUND ENGINEER

    Ádám Széky is graduated in Performing Arts in Jazz Bass from Kodolányi János University in Hungary. Ádám is passionate about music and over the years, he has played in many bands, jazz concerts and musicals including Working, Chicago, Addams Family, Little Shop of Horrors and Monster Songs. Like many musicians, his interest and involvement in sound production came from his love of musical performance. And...because things are always breaking!

    He is excited to be part of the technical team for this show!