A Clue about the SFO Werther Production

San Francisco Opera is holding an open-casting audition looking for three, that's three, supernumeraries who will double for Ramon Vargas, who is, of course, singing the title role. Here are some details, if you're thinking of trying out:

First, you need to be approximately 5' 10". Second, it's best if you understand that this is a non-singing, non-speaking, non-dancing volunteer role. Third, supers are governed by fairly strict rules.

You will be on stage in full makeup and costume, in front of thousands of people at each performance. That sounds like fun to me, but might not be for you.

So, we know that there's a concept of some kind that will involve multiple Werthers on stage. I've seen a few productions recently with a similar, ah, feature: Willy Decker's Die tote Stadt and Achim Freyer's Gotterdaemmerung. Whether Werther will benefit from this kind of treatment, well, we'll see.

For the rest of this posting, I quote directly from the press release.

The public casting call will take place on Monday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Ballet Studio of the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Requirements:

• Males with approximate height of 5 feet 10 inches tall (dark hair preferred, but not required)
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Supers must have flexible schedules as planned rehearsals change frequently and often take place during regular business hours
• Supers must be able to commit to attending all dress rehearsals (from August 10—September 15; exact dates/times to be announced) and performances (September 15, 18, 22, 26, 28 and October 1)
• Acting or performing arts experience is preferred

To reserve a place in the casting schedule, members of the public interested in auditioning should call (415) 551-6205 and leave name and phone number, or send an email to supers@sfopera.com. Calls/emails will not be returned unless there is a change to the audition schedule. Super roles are limited and are cast at the discretion of the stage director.