For Immediate Release

Contact:  Carter Burnette
WhatEver Productions
37390 5th Street • Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
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(267) 251-7256

THEATRICAL PRODUCTION COMPANY HOSTS FIRST ONLINE AUDITIONS AND REHEARSALS USING SKYPE SOFTWARE

In response to rising theatrical production costs, one Delaware firm has utilized technology as a novel approach for auditions and rehearsals.  WhatEver Productions in Lewes, DE has been developing a musical about Nancy Reagan based on Kitty Kelley’s “Nancy Reagan:  The Unauthorized Biography”, the best selling biography of publishing history.  They were granted a one time license to further develop their treatment and charged with the task of producing a sit down reading for Miss Kelley at the offices of her agent, The William Morris Agency.

“Morris gave us three weeks to produce our reading which coincided with the time of the death of my grandfather,” said WhatEver’s Executive Director Carter Burnette.  “We had to recruit actors and rehearse with a very tight timeline and it made sense to utilize Skype software to facilitate auditions and rehearsals.  Additionally, it allowed us to utilize non regional talent.”  It is believed that this is the first time that the software has been utilized by a theatrical production company in this fashion.

"I was so amazed at how it all worked. It used to be so time consuming to travel for auditions and to do the reading. By using Skype it allowed me to do it in the comfort of my home or anywhere I wanted with my laptop,” says actor Shane Miles of Rehoboth Beach, DE.

"I was skeptical at first, because the whole concept of doing auditions and rehearsals online, without us seeing each other, was completely foreign to me”, says Book Writer Jennifer M. Oaks of Schuylkill County, PA.  “But it turned out to work just as well, if not better than face-to face auditions and rehearsals.  It created a much more relaxed atmosphere.  And yet when we actually gave our presentation at William Morris, it was like we had been rehearsing together onstage for months, rather than online for a week-and-a-half."  Oaks continues, “The Skype software enabled me to work simultaneously with people in Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and other parts of Pennsylvania."

"The need for creative telecommuting solutions became apparent almost immediately when working with this project.   There were many times where we were scattered across the city of Philadelphia, and that was before I relocated to the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Area." said William Woeppel, Project Manager for WhatEver Productions.  "Our stop gap measure proved its excellence when that move happened.  When time came to interview additional personnel, Skype's teleconferencing strengths came to bear with people located throughout the Northeast and Florida acting as one cohesive unit regardless of location."

Carter Burnette continues, “What further amazes me is that we were rehearsing a musical.  We offered break out sessions with the vocalists and a vocal coach which went very smoothly.  I especially liked that I could pop into their sessions, listen and give them direction and then pop out like Tim Gunn does with his designers on the popular Bravo TV show, “Project Runway.  We offered Skype as a viable solution to the theatrical staff at William Morris for their client base and hope that others utilize this great software tool.”

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