Would You Please Welcome To The Stage¦

MEDIA ALERT: 27 November 2007

Would You Please Welcome To The Stage¦

Auckland Theatre Company and New Zealand Post are delighted to announce the winners of Opencall 07

After weeks of anticipation and excitement, and a gruelling audition process, Auckland Theatre Company and New Zealand Post have announced the ten winners, who will comprise the cast of the 2008 performance of Shrew'd.

The winners, Isla Adamson, Omar Al-Sobky, Luke Bird, Ben Cain, Julia Croft, Omer Gilroy, Robin Kerr, Sara Stone, Vasa Tasele, and Rudi Vodanovich, fought it out with 86 other hopefuls from around the country. Their prize is a place in a three week summer school and a part in Shrew'd, directed by Margaret-Mary Hollins. Shrew'd is the first show in Auckland Theatre Company's 2008 season and opens January 24 2008 at the Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC).

Hollins was one of the judges given the arduous task of selecting the final ten actors. Robyn Malcolm, Craig Parker, David Fane, Toni Potter and Auckland Theatre Company's Artistic Director Colin McColl joined her in narrowing down the field to find New Zealand's top talent.

'We were all hugely impressed with the breadth of talent from the young people that we saw. For many of the hopefuls, it was their first real audition in front of industry professionals and we hope that it was as valuable experience for them as it was for us.' says McColl.

The chosen ten will enter the summer school to hone their theatre expertise and rehearse Shrew'd in early January.

Shrew'd is a radical reinterpretation of William Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew, where all the boys love Bianca, and Kate is just one of the boys… until Petruchio comes along. Catfights, fist-fights and a battle of wits ensue as Shakespeare's classic comedy goes six rounds in the ring with the ten winners of OpenCall 07.

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