The Ensemble Theatre Announces Auditions for Its 36th Season

HOUSTON, June 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artistic Director, Eileen J. Morris announces general auditions for The Ensemble Theatre's 36^th uninterrupted Season. Auditions will be held Friday, June 29, 2012, 6:30pm-9:30pm and Saturday, June 30, 2012, youth auditions 11:00am-1:00pm and adults 1:00pm-6:00pm at the theatre's location on 3535 Main St. Houston, TX 77002. The season will run September 22, 2012 through July 28, 2013.

Actors, dancers, and singers interested in auditioning should contact Kedrick Brown, Artistic Assistant at 713-807-4320 or ensemblecasting@ensemblehouston.com. Artists must make an audition appointment and submit resumes and head shots to be considered for any of the plays next season. The Ensemble Theatre is also seeking Caucasian males between the ages of 25-40 for the 2012-2013 Season.

All production directors will be present for the auditions including nationally recognized artists: Chuck Smith, resident director at the Chicago Goodman Theatre and a board member of the Chicago African American Arts Alliance; Choreographer/ Director Patdro Harris; and Composer/Director Carlton Leake.

The season line up will present six plays: Romance and comedy kick off the season in The Nacirema Society by renowned author and playwright Pearl Cleage; A 2010 and 2011 Audience Favorite, The African American Shakespeare Company's Cinderella is back by popular demand for the holidays; Knock Me a Kiss, by Charles Smith, brings the suspense of a love triangle based on a true story; next, a loving family handles its struggles with grace and humor in Broke-ology, by Nathan Louis Jackson; in David Mamet's Race, the epic comparison between race and sex takes place in the court room; and the season finale musical, From My Hometown, conceived by Lee Summers, brings the music of Motown to the Apollo theatre for a celebration of brotherhood and pursuing one's dreams.

The Ensemble is also in need of part-time artistic and production staff positions. Production staff positions include: sound technicians, light technicians, carpenters, stage hands, stage managers and assistants, set designers, sound designers, costume designers, and lighting designers.

Volunteers are also an integral part of The Ensemble Theatre's daily operations and are needed to provide clerical assistance, street team/community outreach, and production support.

The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community. This theatre is known as the only professional theatre in its region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African-American experience. In addition to being the oldest and largest professional African-American theatre in the Southwest, it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African-American theatres that owns and operates its facility with an in-house production team. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997.

The Ensemble Theatre produces a main stage season of six contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The theatre's Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre; and the Young Performers Program offers intensive summer training for youth ages six to 17 encompassing instruction in all disciplines of the theatre arts. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble Theatre benefits an audience and artistic constituency of approximately 65,000 people annually.