Auditions Recap

Erik Schark and Kevin Koch.

Auditions for Season Four of STBD went very well this past Saturday. The Open Stage Theatre in the Strip District rented us the use of their stage for 3 hours, which gave us time to audition a dozen of Pittsburgh's finest actors and aspiring newcomers. Lacey Fleming (aka Dierdre), Will Guffey (aka Leo) and Kevin Koch (aka Dex) all came down to assist with the auditions, which involved the reading of a prepared side opposite one of our existing cast members, followed by an improvised scenario among 2 or 3 people.

Michael Moats and Will Guffey

The results were quite impressive. This was the best talent pool we've seen yet in our three years of casting; Open Stage Managing Director Michael Moats even took the time to audition for us, providing an eerie parallel to the manic side of Leo. All of this talent actually makes my job unintentionally more difficult: deciding who best fits our current cast openings.

With memories of the auditions still fresh in my mind and the cast's immediate feedback to consider, I spent the evening (and most of the morning) poring over my notes and envisioning different actors in various roles and scenarios -- even including actors we've seen in the past, who are still in the ongoing STBD mix. As I remind everyone who auditions for us: "Just because we haven't called you yet doesn't mean we won't call you soon."

Jennifer Koegler and Lacey Fleming

I have a few more days to deliberate before I need to announce a decision. Hopefully some clarity manifests during tonight's brainstorming session, in which ideas will be bounced off more than just the insides of my own head. Regardless of the eventual decisions, the future looks very bright for the cast of STBD.

Note: the images displayed here are not indicative of any actors who are favored over any others for available roles on STBD. They were simply three of the few screen captures from the taped auditions that were lit well and therefore useful.