Three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) is holding an open casting call for West Side Story, a new version of the iconic Broadway musical. Spielberg’s directing the film from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner (Oscar nominee for Lincoln and Munich).
According to 20th Century Fox, the open dance call will be held in New York City for “males and females to fill the roles of The Sharks and The Jets. The Sharks are Latinx and The Jets are Caucasian. Those auditioning should be between 15 and 25 years old. They must be able to sing, and a strong dance background is required.”
The casting call will take place on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy (29 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY). Men need to sign in between 9-10:30am ET. Sign ups for women are open between 1-2pm ET.
Per Fox’s casting call announcement, all dancers should “come warmed up and ready to dance in the proper attire and shoes. Men should wear comfortable movement clothes and bring jazz shoes or sneakers. Women should wear comfortable movement clothes and bring heels, ballet or jazz flats, and a rehearsal skirt.”
Interested dancers should prepare a short cut of a classic musical theatre song and bring sheet music. A recent photo and resume with contact info is also required.
Dancers who can’t attend but would like to try out can email a video, headshot, resume and contact info to [email protected].
Two additional casting calls have also been announced: September 27th in Puerto Rico and October 9th in Los Angeles.
Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim wrote the original 1957 West Side Story, and Leonard Bernstein wrote the music. The musical was adapted into a feature film in 1961 starring Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony, Russ Tamblyn as Riff, Rita Moreno as Anita, and George Chakiris as Bernardo. The musical earned 11 Oscar nominations, winning 10 including Best Picture, Best Director (shared by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins), Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Best Supporting Actor (George Chakiris), and Best Music.
