Behind the Scenes: Headshot Day

This weekend Random Farms' dance studio was transformed into a photo studio for another Headshot Day with Yolanda Perez. Yolanda is one of New York City's top headshot photographers, and many of Manhattan's best agents recommend her for headshots.  

"A lot of the kids that come here were clients I photographed in my studio," Yolanda said. Our producer Anya Wallach reached out to her approximately three years ago, and the idea for Headshot Day was born. A session with Yolanda usually costs $700. However, Random Farms' families can schedule 20-minute mini-sessions during one of our designated Headshot Days for just $140.

"It's a good opportunity," Yolanda added. "Kids are constantly changing, and it's important to have an updated headshot. You never know who's watching in the audience. Maybe it's a manager, a producer, or an agent."

Subjects spend the first part of their session in hair and makeup, although it's very important that subjects look as natural as possible and to stay away from pinks, greens and purples in makeup. Subjects have to provide their own clothing, but you can find a list of tips and suggestions from Random Farms here.

Evelyn Carr, below, participated in her first-ever Headshot Day this past Saturday. "I tried taking them at home myself, and they didn't turn out very good," said her mother Noelle. "This was perfect because it was right here. She just loves performing and going on auditions. She hasn't done anything professional yet. She just got her first-ever professional callback." We're very excited to have Evelyn perform with us in Tom Sawyer in our upcoming Winter Workshop!

Evelyn and her mother Noelle get a sneak peek at the results with Yolanda and her assistant Martin. Martin is also the go-to guy for retouching and post-production. "Retouching by Martin" is a division of  Yolanda Perez Photography LLC, and they offer everything from teeth-whitening and stray hair removal to background changes and clothing color change for an additional fee. You can see before and after samples, as well as get pricing and contact info here.

If you missed out on Headshot Day this weekend, we have another one scheduled for Sunday, November 18th. Click here to register!

Thank you, Yolanda and Martin, for your hard work and amazing talent!

Tom Sawyer Signups Are Underway!

Registration for Tom Sawyer, our Winter Workshop and Jellybeans production, is well underway. In the past week since registration began, several casts have already filled up! Casts A through D for Workshops, our program for third through eighth-graders, are wait list only or nearly full with only a handful of spots open. We still have room in Casts E, F, and G, however.

Meanwhile, only Casts C and E still have multiple openings for our Jellybeans, which is our program for kindergarten through second-graders. B and D have one or two openings, and A and F are wait list only. We want all the children who wish to participate to have a chance to learn and grow with us!

Tom Sawyer is a special show that was commissioned especially for the Random Farms Kids Theater.  The book is by Kristin Madden, with music by Brennan Johnson and lyrics by Brian Blythe. This same dynamic trio also brought our recent production of "Anne of Green Gables" to life. Now, they turn their remarkable talents toward bringing Mark Twain's beloved characters Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher to the stage. 

We're particularly excited to see our talented young stars perform favorite scenes from the classic novel, including whitewashing the fence, having pirate adventures, incurring Aunt Polly's wrath and falling in love. Just look how cute the costumes will be!

Click here to register for workshops and here for Jellybeans!

Costume Inspiration: How'd you do that Who hair?

With Halloween right around the corner, costume shops like Spirit of Halloween popping up everywhere you look and lines out the door at Party City, it seems like a good time to show off some pictures of one of our our most impressive stage makeup and costuming efforts of our season.

If you didn't get to see one of our four Mainstage casts of "Seussical! The Musical," you missed seeing how we translated Dr. Seuss's beloved characters, with their signature look often appearing as elongated foreheads in illustration, into hair and makeup. This was especially true for the Whos of Whooville and the Sour Kangaroo (and her baby.)

Do you want to know the secret? Empty water bottles and pipe cleaners! Here are some photos taken both backstage and during the show for inspiration...

Special thanks to our amazing costumer Terri Canziani, seen here with her talented daughters Jamsine, Rebecca and Samantha, all of whom performed with Cast D.

Is your child ready for his or her big break?

Auditions for Random Farms' industry showcase night are coming up on December 1st, 2nd and 4th. Our industry showcase provides an opportunity for New York's top managers, talent scouts, and casting directors to discover new talent, so these auditions are only intended for children and teens between the ages of 5 and 18 who do not currently have professional representation. We're so pleased to partner with Broadway Workshop and proud of how successful these showcases have proved to be in the past. Last year Anthony Pierini went right from the industry showcase to Mary Poppins on Broadway!

If you think your child is ready to aim higher, our industry showcase might be his or her chance. Here's what you need to do:

1. Prepare one minute of material. This can be a short song, a monologue, or a combination of the two. Children can even tell a story or a joke. The most important thing is to have your son or daughter's true personality shine. Still stuck? That's okay! We have mini commercials on hand at the auditions.

2. Sign up online for an appointment to audition by clicking here. Your child or teen can audition in the Elmsford studio located at 77 Executive Boulevard on 12/1 or 12/4. If you're closer to the city, we're holding auditions there at Ripley Grier Studios at 520 Eighth Avenue, 16th floor, on 12/2.

3. Audition! Make sure to bring sheet music if you plan to sing a song. Please bring a headshot if you have one or a recent photo. (School pictures are fine.) If you wish to prepare a theater resume, you can see a sample  here.

4. If your child is accepted to the showcase, he or she will need to attend one rehearsal at the Elmsford studio on December 13th from 4-8 p.m.

5.  Those who have successfully auditioned and attended the rehearsal will give it their all at the showcase on December 18th from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

One last thing: You may wish to check out our auditions tips here. Good luck to one and all!

The New Kid appears on Fox News!

October is Anti-Bullying Month, and Fox News brought our producer Anya Wallach in on a live national broadcast to talk about The New Kid, Random Farms' anti-bullying musical that tours schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

We're proud of all of our New Kid cast members, but especially Olivia Jarrett, Evan Smolin and Whitney Woerz who were interviewed along with Anya on Fox News. 

Click here to see the segment: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1901102736001/taking-a-stand-against-bullying-in-school-life. 

To find out how to bring "The New Kid" into your school, visitwww.randomfarms.com/newkid.

Spot that Prop!

One of my favorite things about getting to be backstage at Random Farms' productions is getting to see the tremendous amount of time, energy and resources that go into every detail of a show, including the costumes and props. It's so interesting to see the ways that certain objects, wigs or costumes get repurposed in multiple productions. The children's (and teens') imaginations grow with every new show, so I thought I'd show you how one small thing, a sparkly pink plastic glass, has made repeat appearances on stage. Have you spotted this prop before? Here it is as an indulgent drink for Ursula the Sea Witch in Little Mermaid, a goblet to brew a magic spell for Snow White (pre-apple) and a margarita for Maisie in Seussical after she takes off and leaves Horton sitting on her nest.

The box office is open!

 

Tickets go on sale today for both "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Legally Blonde!" Get more information here- or click through to the Tarrytown Music Hall to buy Joseph tickets here or Legally Blonde tickets here. This is your best chance to get premium seating in the first four rows in front of the orchestra, so don't delay! We can't wait to show you what your kids having been working on!