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Mission,
Goals, All That Good Stuff...
Some of the saddest days of our lives have been those when Reality checked in. You know, those traumatizing “The truth is…” moments. For many, it was “Sorry, there’s no Santa Claus” or “The blood tests are in and you’re not a multi-billionaire archduke’s heir kidnapped at birth, your dad really is a plumber, get a job.” For actors, those terrible, terrible days come even more often. It’s the day you realized you were too old to play Hamlet and had never gotten the chance, or you accepted the fact that you’d never be cast as the romantic lead because you’re the overweight sidekick type. It’s not fair, dammit! As actors, we’re trained to use our imaginations, to be open to any possible situation. We’re supposed to convince audiences to believe that we can pilot a spaceship, fight a dragon, meet the Wizard, and take out three hundred machine gun wielding terrorists before the bomb goes off. Well, why the hell can’t the fat girl play Juliet or the short guy with the golden voice play Don Quixote beside a hulking Sancho just once? Hell, why not eight times a week? Don't join us to get rich or famous. Infamous maybe... The mission of the Misfit Toys Rep is to give actors a chance to try
out roles and opportunities that are too often limited by the beliefs
of others in and about us. Through readings, workshops, and productions
of new and revisited works, we hope to entertain audiences and help
them see the work, and our actors, in a new light. Are we gonna get
rich? Probably not. Can everyone get to live out their dream every time?
Unlikely. Roles are like a suit off the rack. Sometimes, it fits the
first time you try it on. Sometimes you don’t think it’s
right until you try it on. Sometimes your friends will laugh and roll
their eyes but you’re loving the pin stripes. And sometimes it
really can’t be altered to fit but at least you had a laugh trying
it on. At least our ‘store’ will let you try it on! |
Company
Guidelines
Yes, you can try it. It may not always work, accept it and move on. Have fun, but be serious about your work. Trying a new take on a role is not an excuse to be unprepared. Be professional. Commitments are commitments. In general, you still have to play the part as written. This is especially true of recent works being performed under agreements with publishers. If we do Man of La Mancha, we can cast a four foot tall Don Quixote but we can’t rewrite that show as a love triangle between him, Sancho in a sheep costume, and a pre-op Aldonza. If we choose Shakespeare, we can make some cuts to the text and change some pronouns, and even reverse the gender on some roles. You get the point. There’s always one more way to get your dream role… write it! Be courteous and supportive of others. You may not understand your follow actors choices, that’s why they’re bringing them to our forum in the first place. Likewise, be open to suggestions and comments offered selflessly and honestly by others, that’s also why we’re here! Laugh, cry, let off steam, be strong, be vulnerable, but always clean up after yourself. We want to work with directors and playwrights who being their own unique, out of the box perspectives and who are open to new ideas. That said, we still can’t cast everyone in every production. Bring cookies. Eat cookies. Smell the cookies. Be the cookies. OK, that’s a little too method. Sorry. Which brings us to… This is not an acting class. Your fellow actors may not share your approach or training. There is no right or wrong technique. Have a favorite teacher? Invite them to make a presentation or conduct a workshop. We’re not a rehab program and the drama belongs on the stage. Please check all egos and weapons at the door. Everyone wears many hats. We’re all actors, we’re all crew,
we’re all fundraisers. So, there you have it. Does this sound like a theatre company for you? We're looking for actors, directors, playwrights, designers, and enthusiastic admirers! For more information, send an e-mail or your headshot
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