Call for Participation: Touching on Everything by Michael Portnoy

For a newly commissioned piece by renowned US artist Michael Portnoy steirischer herbst is looking for four performers.

The artist
Michael Portnoy is a US artist coming from a background in dance and stand-up comedy. His performance-based work employs a variety of media–from participatory installations to sculpture, painting, writing, theatre, video, and curation–and is largely concerned with bending language and behavior, often to brutally comic effect. The artist lives in New York. For more information on Michael Portnoy’s work please check out his website: www.strangergames.com

About the piece
Touching on Everything is a newly developed commission by US artist Michael Portnoy for the 2018 edition of steirischer herbst festival in Graz. It’s an allegorical stage piece in which a series of concepts engage in all sorts of pathological relations with each other and with their own self.

Requirements
For his piece Michael Portnoy is seeking expressive, ferocious, charismatic performers of all ages, genders, etc. who are ideally Vienna based. The piece positions itself between theater and dance and is essentially a piece of physical theater which requires no speaking. All great (dramatic and post-dramatic) actors with advanced movement skills, or advanced movers with great acting skills are invited to apply. Comedic sensibility and/or avant-clowning is an extra added plus.

Premiere: 12.10.2018 in Graz
Rehearsal period: 22.9.–11.10.2018 (22.9.–7.10. in Vienna, 8.10.–11.10. in Graz)
Rehearsal time: approx. five hours/day

To take part in the casting process please send a CV, images and videos of yourself performing to: everything@steirischerherbst.at

Deadline: 26.08.2018 (If necessary an additional video-taped, in-person casting might follow)

Successful applicants will perform in the piece for steirischer herbst on 12.10.2018 and will be paid a flat fee for rehearsal and performance, per diems and accommodation for their time in Graz. Additionally, they will be reimbursed for their travel from Vienna to Graz and back.