First Casting Call!

2007-01-16T06:00:39Z

Posted to the Pendant group a few minutes ago:

EXCLUSIVE GIHUGIC CASTING CALL!

Hello there, fellow Pendites! My name is Macalla Eaton and I'm here in your inbox to announce the first casting call for an upcoming, brand spanking new Pendant show.

What's the show? Alas, I can't tell you. Even if I killed you afterwards. The title and subject are under tight wraps until the premiere of the first episode, which is tentatively scheduled for May 2007.

I can tell you this: The show is set in the same world as Superman: The Last Son of Krypton, Batman: The Ace of Detectives, and Wonder Woman: Champion of Themyscira. Until the title is revealed, this show is known only by the codename ... PROJECT PANCAKES.

No, that's not a hint. There's pancakes in the first episode, is all.

There are twelve roles in this casting call: 6 male, 2 female, and 4 that could be either male or female. Some of them are oneshots, some are recurring. The descriptions below are fairly loose -- I'm open to whatever additional interpretations you talented folk want to bring to the parts based on the info provided. A few of these characters do not appear in the first episode but play a big enough role in episodes to come that I want to be sure to cast them early.

Please email your auditions to: macallaeaton@gmail.com by FRIDAY, JANUARY 26!

-- MALE ROLES

MYSTERIOUS MAN: male, any age. Recurring role. This as-yet-unnamed character slips from shadow to shadow, keeping an eye on events for an unseen master. He is all cold, deadly, businesslike efficiency.

Mysterious Man: A cup of coffee, and some information.
Mysterious Man: Target just left the location, heading east. Blue Mustang convertible, probably a rental. I'll stay on her tail.

TJ: male, teenaged. Recurring role. TJ is a small-time street punk who has suddenly gotten some better firepower and wants to take advantage of it and work his way up in the world of crime. He's not stupid, but often acts before thinking things out. Hangs out with Slab.

TJ: Oh, the cops were on our butts, but we got enough shots out the back window they had to chicken out before they even got a chopper in the air.
TJ: Didja see the look on the counter jockey's face though? (laughs)

SLAB: male, teenaged. Recurring role. Slab is also a street punk. He hangs out with TJ but feels (probably correctly) that TJ is smarter so he lets TJ come up with the ideas and he adds some muscle.

Slab: I told you we shoulda found out the armored car schedule!
Slab: Man, I wanted a chance to take out a chopper!

SIKE: male, teenaged. Recurring role. Sike is a street punk, but brighter and more perceptive than the rest of them. He knows there's no such thing as a free lunch and is always looking for the hidden cost.

Sike: We didn't waste our time on no lousy convenience store. My group hit up Chip's Electronics over on Main.
Sike: Ha! They thought they could trap us in the store. You shoulda seen the mess we made outta those cruisers. It was just like the time I got the high score in Felony: Assault in the arcade.

OFFICER CHRIS WILDEN: male, anywhere between mid-twenties and mid-fifties. Major recurring role. Wilden is a police officer in a medium-sized city which is undergoing a huge surge in violent crime. He is not the "uptight, by-the-book" stereotype, but he believes in his job and in protecting the innocent. He hasn't lost his idealism, but has been a cop long enough to know the reality of the streets.

Wilden: It's a good thing they were in a hurry to leave. If they'd decided to make a hostage situation out of it, you could have been hurt.
Wilden: Mm-hmm. Your description matches up with the security camera footage. You should be careful for the next few days, miss. Those guys are still on the loose, and if they recognize you as a witness ...

CUSTOMER: male, any age. Non-recurring. He gets one line and one grunt. Whoever tries out first will probably get this.

Customer: Hey Aggie, am I gonna get a refill or what?

-- FEMALE ROLES

AGGIE: female, middle-aged. Non-recurring. Waitress at a roadside diner. Compassionate and sympathetic.

Aggie: Just in time, sweetie. I was worried these pancakes would get cold. Here, let me refill your coffee.
Aggie: Having a three-coffee day, eh Bob?

PAM: female, middle-aged. Non-recurring. Waitress at the same diner. Only has two lines, so the role will probably go to the first person to try out.

Pam: Well, who is he? I told you, handsome boy like that, he's got to be a movie star or something.

-- NON GENDER SPECIFIC ROLES

ENIGMATIC VOICE: any age, any gender. Recurring. I may end up altering the voice digitally for effect. EV is the unseen hand ruthlessly manipulating the situation. The city is a game of chess for EV, and s/he never hesitates to sacrifice pieces to gain an advantage. Little patience for mistakes or fools. EV doesn't dirty his/her hands by doing dirty work personally, and only (as far as I've written) appears as the voice on the other end of the phone.

Enigmatic Voice: Negative. What they don't know, they can't screw up.
Enigmatic Voice: No. Do nothing but observe. I will ... contact someone to keep them out of our way.

TIGER FIVE: any age, any gender. Recurring. Tiger Five is a skilled mercenary who has been put in charge of a group of people s/he regards as young, incompetent fools. S/he speaks coldly and tersely, but always obeys the orders s/he is given by his/her superiors.

Tiger Five: The money was not the point of the exercise. I didn't send you there to fill your wallets, I sent you out there for some weapons practice.
Tiger Five: Tiger Five reporting in. This pack of lackeys is getting along nicely with their new weapons. No incidents. Any further orders?

RECEPTIONIST: any age, any gender. Recurring. Bored receptionist at a cheap motel.

Receptionist: Uh-huh, it's broken. Lord only knows when the boss'll get it fixed. Meantime, there's a convenience store over at Berkeley and Culver Street.

CONVENIENCE STORE CLERK: any age, any gender. Non-recurring (so far). Night worker at a 24 hour convenience store.

Clerk: (terrified) Here it is! That's all I can give you! Just don't shoot me!
Clerk: It's a good thing they didn't hear me hit the silent alarm. That one guy woulda blown my head off like *that*.

And that's it for this call, folks! Remember, email your auditions to macallaeaton@gmail.com by FRIDAY, JANUARY 26. Good luck!

Edited to add: For those who aren't familiar with the audition process, here's what you do.

1. Obtain a microphone for your computer.
2. Obtain a sound recording program. The one that comes built-in with Windows won't work. I recommend Audacity or WaveSurfer. Whatever you use, it must be able to save in .mp3 format.
3. Beneath every character description is a line or two. Record yourself reading those lines (in character).
4. Repeat step 3 for any and all characters you feel like trying out for.
5. Gather up your mp3s, put them in a zip file if you can, and email them to the address listed above.
6. Wipe hands on pants.

Current Status

2006-10-25T22:31:45Z

Episode 1: written, typed up, re-read, named
Episode 2: written, typed up, re-read
Episode 3: written, typed up, re-read
Episode 4: written, typed up, re-read
Episode 5: written, typed up, re-read
Episode 6: written, typed up, re-read
Episode 7: written, typed up, needs one scene changed for continuity
Episode 8: one scene planned out

I've had too little trouble with the law -- I need to check up on police procedures, and how police talk when talking to the witness of a crime.

In the beginning, there was the Word.

2006-10-25T22:04:39Z

All right, here's the deal.

I'm starting this journal mainly to keep track of my work. Specifically, an upcoming audio drama that is currently known only as ... Project Pancakes.

Sinister working title, innit?

Until the project is released, its title and subject matter are being kept under wraps. I will probably add a filter for anyone who friends this journal and is already "in the know", in case I post about the Deep Dark Secrets that are being kept. Likewise, there'll be a filter for actors in the show once I start casting. The rest of you will have to wait until release to see any updates that have titles or main characters in it.

The current projected release of this show is: May 2007. Mark your calendars!

Why am I already blabbering about this when it's months away? Simple. Giving myself a three month buffer (i.e. Episode 3 is already in the works when Episode 1 is released), figuring a month for mixing and a month for actors to get their lines in, that means I'll be casting in late December to early January. This kinda thing starts way before the public sees pretty much anything.

Not sure what I mean by audio drama? Check out Pendant Productions. In the Days of Yore, before every bedroom had a TV in it, audiences tuned in to radio shows. Using only the medium of sound, actors acted out stories ranging from the Old West to the Yukon to the stars and beyond. Sound effects created the sets, and imagination did the rest. Pendant Productions is a return to that art form, creating shows in that style. But instead of putting them on the radio, they're released in mp3 format on the internet. They're even Podcasted, so your favorite shows can be downloaded automatically when a new one comes out!

Stay tuned, and watch this space.

The Mightier Pen

First Casting Call!

Current Status

In the beginning, there was the Word.