Senior Debo Balogun will be holding auditions in the first week of March for his passion project, Elephant’s Graveyard.
Balogun has been preparing for the show throughout the year with a team of Augustana students.
“We’re looking for people who are good at telling stories in engaging ways,” said Balogun. “Being able to tell a story effectively to the audience is important, especially for this show.”
Balogun is especially looking for good story tellers as none of Elephant’s Graveyard actors ever interact with each other onstage. The show, which is the story of the only known lynching of an elephant, is instead told almost entirely through monologues.
“One of the things that I love most about this show is that there are no small parts, so to speak,” said Balogun. “Each character plays a very important role in developing the story.”
There are also small musical elements in the show that Balogun believes auditioners should be prepared for.
“There are two characters in the play that don’t have any lines … the drummer and the guitarist,” Balogun said. “Basically they provide musical accompaniments throughout the show to accencuate certain moments.”
Balogun also said that actors of color are encouraged to audition, as there are multicultural characters.
Elephant’s Graveyard is also unique because there are going to be three different sets of auditions: One for Augustana, one for St. Ambrose, and one for the Quad City Community.
“With Augie theatre having a much more ambitious season, I knew our actor pool would be stretched,” said Balogun on his decision to reach out for auditions. “I think what I’m looking forward to most in working with people from the community is seeing where they come from and how they play on the stage.”
Augustana Junior Laura Bergren, who is serving as dramaturg for the show, is also excited to work with actors in the Quad Cities.
“Getting ready to create theatre with and for the QC has been amazing,” says Bergren. “Everyone who knows about the project is interested and has been so supportive through this whole thing. It’s really been a dream.”
Mostly, Balogun and his team are ready to get the show rolling after months of preparation work.
“What people will see in the finished product is this heightened, vibrant, no restraints spectacle of a show,” said Balogun. “Having that juxtaposed with the dark subject will bring audiences to a realization that they may not have come to otherwise.
Community auditions for Elephant’s Graveyard will be held March 2 from 5:30-9:00pm in Augustana’s Wallenburg Hall, St. Ambrose auditions will be March 4 from 10:00am-12:00pm at St. Ambrose’s Galvin Fine Arts Center in room 141, and Augustana auditions will be March 6 from 6:30-9:00pm in Augustana’s Wilson Center.People interested in the Augustana auditions should email [email protected]. Auditioners should come prepared with a 90-second contemporary monolgue and verse/chorus of a contemporary rock/pop song. All actors will also be paid a small stipend.
