Season Audition Info

Category: voiceover: audio theatre

Director/Writer: Bret Jones

Production Description: In a blight-infested future, a group of survivors make a journey to a way station to protect their hope – a newborn baby.

Genre: Adventure - Drama

Seeking voice actors for The Way Station – primary actors. This is a 96-page audio fiction story.

HELEN – one of the protectors hired to deliver Zach and Kris across the desert. Calm, protective.

JIM – hired to deliver Lainey to Way Station 7. Patient, loving, lost his family to the blight.

KRIS – on her way across the desert with her newborn baby. Scared, protective of her baby.

LAINEY – has hired Jim and Will to take her to Way Station 7 in hopes of finding her family. Alone, frightened.

TREVOR - one of the protectors hired to deliver Zach and Kris across the desert. Focused, confident.

WILL – hired to deliver Lainey to Way Station 7. Bitter, angry and doesn’t want to take Lainey.

ZACH – a former boyfriend of Kris’. He thinks the baby is his, but it isn’t. Protective, angry, willing to die for Kris and the baby.

Needed: lead roles: 4 men/3 women.

Characters (Lead): Males & Females, 18+

ETHNICITY: All Ethnicities

HELEN

And we're paid to protect that. You understand that, right? We aren't here to play out some domestic dispute.

You need to know at this point, you're expendable. If you're alive, you can still help her. Stand in the way and I cut your throat.

The hardest thing I ever had to do with shoot my own mother. But she begged me to as a couple of marauders dragged her off into the night. I hesitated just a moment and then did what had to be done. My father didn't speak to me the rest of the trip to the way station. In fact, he didn't say anything after that. He didn't say goodbye to me.

JIM

Sandi loved to play Hearts. You know the card game? She played all the time with whoever would sit at the table. And her laugh, her giggle...that's where I found her after the blight hit. Face down in a deck of cards.

Remember, they were once people before the blight changed them. They still have the same physical needs as the rest of us.

You can choose to make this trip terrible for us, Will. Or, you can get over yourself and show a little grace.

KRIS

Quit acting like you're my father, Trevor. All right? I can handle myself just fine.

The important thing right now, Zach, is that we're here with each other right now. This baby will be yours if you'll let it. The dad is dead. Please. I need you...

All right. Fact: I loved her father. Okay? Just so you know. Before we go any further with whatever's going on, I adored him. When he went off and died, I wanted to die with him. He gave me everything. His heart. His love.

LAINEY

Nice to meet you. Sorry. I can't believe someone is about to give birth. I thought no one could have babies anymore because of the blight.

My brothers. I'm a middle child. Michael is the oldest. Smart, weird, a nerd, really. But devoted to us. His family. He got married and got a job out west a year before the blight hit. The last email I got from him before the power grid went down was for me to get to the newly established colonies. They weren't even called "colonies" then...

And Anthony. The typical youngest child. Bratty, spoiled, impulsive, but loving. When the blight hit, he hopped the last train in the city and got out west to find Michael.

TREVOR

Really. Come on. Quit it. There isn't a cure for the blight. There probably won't ever be. Why did we take this trip in the first place? Because there is a new life now in the world. It gave us hope. She gave us hope. And she'll give the colonists hope. That's worth something.

We all know that the blight is going to get me and I don't want that. It could make me one of them out there and I really don't want that.

Get them to a way station and hopefully get picked up by someone from the colonies.

WILL

Don't you get it, honey? You don't have any people to get back to! The blight has killed everyone out there!

It's meant to discourage people. Jim is wiring up the chain, so if anyone cuts through it, explosions go off and kill anyone around the bunker.

What? I've met others just like them. Wannabe mercs who go waving guns around and kill a couple of marauders...they don't have a clue.

ZACH

It's about survival, isn't it? The blight hit and it didn't take long for the human race to turn on each other. We were worse than the blight. How many of us were actually killed by the blight, instead of by each other? I know you're doing what you need to do to survive. And to make sure your baby does, too.

You better. I don't know much about babies, but I bet she's going to wake up soon wanting another feeding.

How can the baby not be mine? I was the only one she was ever with...I was the only one...

• You do not have to break the bank to self-tape. Great auditions have been taped on 
  smartphones and tablets.
• Sit or stand close to the phone to get the best sound.
• Make sure to film in LANDSCAPE, not portrait.
• Do not look directly at the camera. Look just slightly to the left or right – unless 
  asked otherwise. Follow directions.

There are a few easy things you can do to ensure good light for your self-tape. Again, no need to spend a lot of money.

• We need to see your face
• Choose a room that is well lit
• Use natural light if you can
• Make sure that there are no light sources behind you
  • Don’t stand in front of a window
  • Being in front of a light source will make it hard to see you
• You can also use soft practical lights in your house
• Using existing overhead light, lamps, and natural light you already have at your 
  disposal works well.
• Understanding the principal of three and four point lighting helps. Create a set 
  up similar to that on set or stage: principal light on you (also known as a key 
  light), a fill light, and a back light to sculpt and separate you from your 
  background. If you want to get fancy, add a background light, which is used to 
  eliminate shadows and provide additional depth. 

• An ideal background is usually a blank one
• Ensure that background noise is kept to a minimum
• If you have a tripod, great. If not, improvise!
  • You can balance your smartphone on chairs, books, or even create a tripod out of the furniture
  • Please make sure it’s tall enough
  • Shooting from below won’t help the look of your self-tape
• Make sure the camera is at eye-level

• Turn off anything that may make noise—any noise
• Make sure to turn off your HVAC, etc.
• If possible, stand on a soft surface—even if that means putting blankets on the floor

• Wear solid, bright colors
• Clothing that’s free from very bright and busy patterns works best
• Avoid white (it can reflect too much)
• No hats and no logos
• Make-up: generally keep it subtle (unless otherwise specified)

• Make sure you read all of the instructions that you have been sent, thoroughly
• You must be memorized

• Your eye-line should be close to the camera as we want to see both sides of your face. We don’t want to see you in profile.
• Don’t go too far from the camera (unless you have an external microphone)
• Frame in a mid-close shot unless told otherwise
  • This means chest to top of head 
• Sit or stand depending on what feels comfortable/appropriate
• Slate (if asked)
  • If slating, state your name and any other particulars requested
  • Do this with energy
  • You’d be surprised how important the slate is to set up what we are about to view. It’s the first impression!
• Act!
  • Give your best audition
  • Do your homework and analyze the script
    • Read the play/script (if available)
    • Investigate what has brought this character to speak now
  • Play strong objectives—affect change—always affect change
  • Make sure that your thinking is strong and specific
  • Make bold choices that create a sense that something serious is at stake
  • Make us care
  • End the piece strongly and with purpose
  • Don’t over do it or overthink
    • If you can’t get it in 3 takes, then stop and come back to it again later