Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera

Check out our new logo and website design! Isn’t it awesome?

Many thanks to the fabulous Reagan Heller for creating the artwork and graphics for us, as well as super thanks to Doug Butterworth for helping us translate everything into a working WordPress template:)

We are also pleased to announce that we officially start production on the video segments of the show this weekend.  Kicking it all off with a production meeting this afternoon, then heading out to participate in Zombie Awareness Night, a zombie walk at the Oaks Theater this evening organized by the folks at Horror Realm. Tomorrow, we put our narrator, “The Newscaster”, in front of the camera.

Exciting times:)

We are very excited to begin filming segments for the opera this weekend. No, we do not need extras the first weekend, but those of you on the list will be notified VERY SOON about when and where we need our ‘bodies’. If you wanted to be an extra during our video shoots this summer, please notify our ‘Zombie Wrangler” Jill Egyud with your information and summer conflicts.

We are still seeking some locations for our summer video shoots, if you have a large empty warehouse, a living room worthy of a party for the End of the World, or any such locations we have described on our website, please contact our Location Scout, Evan Miller.

In addition, we are hoping to feature a local beer in our show, as there is a party sequence in which people are… partying and…drinking:)  If you know of a local beer distributor that would like to be featured in that portion of the video backdrop, please have them email us.

As the video production portion of our show draws near, we are still searching for some key locations for the various ‘living backdrop’ scenes in our show.

• Laboratory or some sort of Scientist working space
• Open Space which we can construct in, a large warehouse or room
• Newsroom with the desk an anchor would sit at and report from

All of these areas need to be accessible on the weekends.

We will be happy to work out advertising in our program and/or website as a trade for use of a space if needed.  Please contact Evan Miller our Production Artist/Location Scout with any information! Thanks!

(the following message from Special Effects Make-up Coordinator Arvin Clay)

Due to an unexpected change in fx crew people I am looking for a few good artists to add to my zombie squad.

Do you have what it takes? The guts, the determination, the understanding of silicone gel-filled appliances?

I am looking for people wiling to think far outside of the box and really give it their all for the love of the craft. (to that end i am looking for lots of body parts, a few blood gags, and lots of zombies) This is going to be a rough shoot due to the time crunch, but it could be the perfect portfolio building exercise for a student, or even for a seasoned semi-pro that wants to add some zombie action to (ahem) liven up their book.

And yes, this is an unpaid gig, (though materials will be covered within reason) but it is going to be a ton of fun!

Sound like your kind of (body) bag? Cool.

All I need from you are a few (minimum of 4 no more than 8 ) sample pics of your work sent to: arvin@thezombieopera.com

Please include your contact information and the best time/way to reach you in case we need to chat.

I look forward to hearing from you!

.

Arvin Clay
Special Effects Make-up Coordinator
Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera

We are proud to be able to now say “This project is supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.”

We are very honored to have an award from Sprout, and hope that over the spring and summer we can continue raising additional funds to support our project and assist with production costs.

If you wish to donate financially to our project, please note that thanks to New Sun Rising, our fabulous Fiscal Sponsor, monetary donations to our project are tax deductible! For more information on financial or material donations, please visit our How Can I Help page.

We here at Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera have already received so much love and support from our brilliant community of ‘deadites’. We rely on such support to make this an awesome community-based show. With this in mind, we are placing a call for donated items to alleviate the cost of props, costumes, and special orders. If you have any of the items listed below, please contact the appropriate representative. Remember to state whether this is something that you need us to return and how we may contact you when the need for this prop is over.

for more details, click Read the rest of this entry ?

Did you want to audition but only have limited free time or prefer not to have a singing/acting role in the show? Have you ever wanted to be an extra in a zombie film? Have you been an extra and love it so much you can’t wait for the next opportunity?

As our opera is a multimedia theatrical work, live performance this October, it will include a projected zombie film that we will be producing this summer. That’s where you come in!

Contact us for info about being part of our show’s pre-recorded video segments. Filming will take place in Pittsburgh, PA May-July, on weekends. Even if you can only be an extra for a couple hours on one day this summer we can find a spot for you!

Don’t like zombies or prefer to remain human? No problem! We are seeking not only the un-dead, but soldiers, scientists, survivors and victims!

If interested please provide us with your name, availability/conflicts, description (height, hair, etc) and if you have any previous acting (or zombie) experience or a preference for which role you would like to fill.

Hi Everyone! We’re back from a visit to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East in Boston. Many thanks to those who attended our performance of the song “Screaming” in the MAGFest JamSpace room. It was a pleasure to meet many other zombie enthusiasts and musicians (The Protomen, Jonathan Coulton, Paul and Storm, and many other awesome people).

As audition day grows near, April 10th, we want to remind those of you who have shown interest to please email us to request a time slot for your audition. Walk-ins are welcome, but priority will be given to those people who scheduled with us.

EDIT 5:30pm 4/9/10:  Only 2 audition spaces left!!!

Auditions for lead roles and featured extras will be held Saturday April 10th at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, from 2-6pm. Each audition will take approximately 10 minutes. For this Audition please have prepared the following:

• A completed audition form (mandatory)
• One song that best shows off your voice (if auditioning for a singing role or an understudy)
• Performance resume (optional)
• Photograph or Headshot (optional)
• If you are under 18 years old, you must have the bottom of the audition form signed by a parent or guardian.

You may be asked to do a cold reading if you are auditioning for a lead or a non-singing role.

If interested, please email thezombieopera@gmail.com to request a time and listing your availability. We will get back to you confirming the scheduled time of your audition.  Walk-ins are welcome, but priority will be given to those people who scheduled with us.

If you wish to audition but are unable to make it on the official date, please email us to work out an alternative plan.

For your reference, here a cast/character needs list is available.

EDIT 5:30pm 4/9/10:  Only 2 audition spaces left!!!

If you are interested in auditioning for a feature role in Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera, we have just posted the list of cast and characters that we will be seeking.  If any of these roles sound like they could be you or someone you know, please pass the word around and consider which song you would like to sing when we audition on April 10th. Auditions will be in the Pittsburgh area, we are pinpointing the exact location as we speak.

(more information, specific time and location, coming very very soon)