Whatever your experience level, Brazosport Center Stages volunteers are always welcome and appreciated. Listed below are just some of the areas where volunteers are always needed:
Brazosport Center Stages
Laugh, gasp and sing along with Brazosport Center Stages’ live plays and musicals!
- Be entertained by the longest-operating community theater on the Texas Gulf Coast.
- Get close to the action in our two performance spaces where there are no bad seats.
- Enjoy a variety of plays and musicals chosen to delight both families and grown-up audiences.
- Experience high-quality productions at an affordable price, without the hassle of big-city traffic and expensive parking.
- Plays take place in the Dow Arena Theater and the Freeport LNG Theater – both located in The Center for the Arts & Sciences.
BCS 2020/2021 Season
Molly Sweeney
by Brian Friel
Director: Wes Copeland
Auditions: July 27 & 28, 2020
An Iliad
by Denis O'Hare
and Lisa Peterson
Director: Susan Moss
Auditions: Sep 12 & 14, 2020
Sistas
by Dorothy Marcic
Director: Lois Davis
Auditions: Dec. 14 & 15, 2020
Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
Director: Judi James
Auditions: March 1 & 2, 2021
Peter Pan, Broadway’s Timeless Musical
Director: David Hill
Auditions: May 10 & 11, 2021
- About
- Volunteer
- Membership
- History
- Audition Information
- Education
- Scholarships
- Leadership
About Brazosport Center Stages
Brazosport Center Stages advances its mission of enriching, educating and entertaining people and seeks to build community while sharing and instilling a passion for theater in our audiences and patrons by serving residents and visitors in Brazoria and surrounding counties through high-quality theater and education outreach and emphasizing our competitive advantage of real-time authentic theater experiences. We are sustainable by our volunteers, donors, patrons and the institutional support of The Center for the Arts & Sciences.
Volunteer with Brazosport Center Stages
Center Stages’ success depends on the important work of its volunteers. By bringing together the time, talent, and energy of many dedicated individuals, we are able to provide the community with quality theatrical entertainment.
Volunteers work alongside each other, learning the “behind-the-scenes” technical aspects of theater such as lighting, sound, costumes, and set construction. Others choose to work in the theater as ushers and box office staff. Still others enjoy getting together to help with publicity and group mailings.
- Box Office
- Bookholder (prompter)
- Costumes
- Directing
- Hospitality
- House Manager
- Lighting
- Properties
- Publicity
- Producer
- Set Construction
- Sound
- Stage Crew
- Stage Manager
- Ushering
If you are interested in volunteering and would like more information, please give us a call at (979) 265-7661.
You may also email us at thecenter@bcfas.org or complete the Volunteer Interest Form online.
Membership
Full Circle Membership
Membership Benefits (beginning September 2019)
Enjoy an exciting season at The Center (and beyond) with memberships to each Partner Group with this “all in” membership! Reserve tickets and receive discounts on select workshops and classes with only one membership number!
Membership includes:
Basic Brazosport Fine Arts Council Membership (voting level membership)
Single Artist Brazosport Art League Membership
Flex Membership to Brazosport Center Stages (6 total tickets to any combination of performances in the 2019/2020 season. Reservations required.)
Individual Brazosport Museum of Natural Science Membership
Individual BASF Planetarium Membership (Single passes throughout the 2019/2020 planetarium season)
Flex Membership to Brazosport Symphony Orchestra (6 total tickets to any combination of concerts in the 2019/2020 season. Reservations required. All concerts take place at The Clarion Music Performance Hall at Brazosport College.)
Brazosport Center Stages Membership
Membership Benefits (beginning September 2019)
Individual 1 ticket per Brazosport Center Stages show in the regular season
Patron 2 tickets per Brazosport Center Stages show in the regular season
Sponsor 4 tickets per Brazosport Center Stages show in the regular season
Benefactor 6 tickets per Brazosport Center Stages show in the regular season
Flex 6 total tickets to be used in any combination for shows in the Brazosport Center Stages regular season
Additional benefits include:
Advance notice for all theater special events
Discounts on Summer at The Center workshops
Memberships tickets must be redeemed by reserving seats prior to each Center Stages show. Reservations may be made online, in person or by calling (979) 265-7661 during The Center’s regular business hours (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM).
History of The Little Theater of Brazosport
Over seven decades ago, in the war-torn years of 1942-1943 and in an area better known for mud and mosquitoes, the early stirrings of desire to develop a more cultural atmosphere resulted in the beginning of the Little Theatre of Brazosport.
It was a self-help, boot-strap operation which progressed from an idea of eight people working in defense plants, schools and as housewives, to the production of a full three-act play on a school stage on October 29, 1943. The founding eight enlisted six more, and these fourteen put up $10.00 each to finance the first production.
In an area hungry for entertainment, the group fast became a core of social and cultural life in the community and in the years 1947-1949 found itself with 500 sustaining members. In 1948, the Theatre was granted a state charter as a non-profit community organization dedicated to offering entertainment and education in the theater arts to all citizens of the community.
But, it was to take ten years for the Theatre to find its first “home”. Until that time, sets were built and painted in yards. They were hauled to the school auditorium, set up for a two-night run and then dismantled, stored in a donated shed or destroyed.
This nomadic existence came to a happy end in 1952 when the group used its entire savings to buy a sturdy, landmark house on the levee of the old Brazos River in Velasco. The Little theatre was home at last.
The varied skills of volunteer carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers and seamstresses were utilized to transform the house into a working and social center. Interior walls were dismantled, ceilings shored up with steel beams. The kitchen was modernized, a new restroom created. The entrance was turned around so the porch would be used as a workshop-storage room. Four small rooms in the center of the house became one 30X30 foot area. But there was still the problem of moving sets and playing only two weekend performances in the only available place, a local school.
Then, in late 1957, it was suggested to the group that they use the high-ceilinged great room as an arena theater and produce and perform in their own building. Over the next year and a half, the great room was converted by volunteers into a 75-seat arena theater which opened its first production on March 10, 1959. Seating was on folding chairs. The lights were created from two-pound coffee cans. But a new and exciting theater was born in Brazosport.
For seventeen years, the Little Theatre produced shows of increasing professional quality. Workshops in the various theater arts were taught each year to adults and children. At least three productions were offered each season. One actor in 1975 celebrated his 30th anniversary on Little Theatre stages. Second generation young people were active as actors, directors, technicians.
In 1976, the Little Theatre, through its membership with the Brazosport Fine Arts Council, moved to Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences to begin its 35th season and 100th production.
History of Brazosport Music Theater
In the summer of 1964, Brazosport Fine Arts Council, the Little Theater and Brazosport Art League had joined forces to produce “Brigadoon”. This project was begun to provide a summer activity for interested citizens. “Brigadoon” was a success in every way.
The following year, however, the three organizations, which had sponsored “Brigadoon”, chose not to produce musicals on a regular basis.
In January of 1966 a group of enthusiastic participants met to make plans for the organization of a group to produce summer musicals. In September of that year, after a successful summer production of “The King and I”, the first general membership meeting of the group was held. The charter was granted July 3, 1967.
In 1976, when The Center for the Arts & Sciences opened, Brazosport Music Theater took up residency in the Large Theater (now Freeport LNG Theater) and began performing several musicals a year in that space. The organization needed a pool of talented musicians to accompany the actors and singers performing in the musicals. To attract highly talented musicians, Brazosport Music Theater sponsored the formation of Brazosport Symphony Orchestra as a not-for-profit corporation, and hired their first professional conductor, Maestro James C. Hagberg, in 1982 to both music direct the musicals and to curate a season of independent symphonic concerts for the community.
History of Brazosport Center Stages
In 1990, the members and boards of The Little Theater of Brazosport and Brazosport Music Theater recognized that their interests and missions were similar and that they were sharing resources, including talent, more and more. It was determined that the two groups would experience growth and security if they were to consolidate into one corporation. In June 1992, Brazosport Center Stages filed for recognition as a not-for-profit corporation and have continued the decades-long tradition of producing high-quality, volunteer-produced plays and musicals for the residents of Brazoria County and beyond.
Current audition practices may be altered to conform with local & state guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please bear with us as we adjust during this time.
What to Expect at Auditions
Whether you are an experienced performer, or have simply always dreamed of being on stage, Brazosport Center Stages is an open and welcoming place to become part of a vibrant, local theatre scene.
Several days before auditions are to be held, ‘sides’ (selections of scenes from the play) will be available to review at the front desk of The Center. If possible, it is also recommended that each potential candidate read the full play to become familiar with the characters and tone of the play.
When you enter The Center for Arts & Sciences, you will see a table set up for applications to audition. Fill out the audition form and then have a seat in the theatre auditions are being held.
Your application will be delivered to the director and the director will call you up to the performance space in order to read a specific character with others who are auditioning. You will then sit down and wait for the director to call you up again. More than likely, you will be asked to read for more than one character. You may notice some people reading more times than others. Do not take too much stock in the amount of times you are asked to read: the director may have simply gotten from you what he or she wanted to see and hear. Further, do not become too nervous if the director stops your reading and gives you directions to consider. Simply do your best to follow the directions on your next reading of the side.
Finally, many directors will ask, at the end of an audition, if anyone would like to read for a character he or she may not have had a chance to read. (The director may also give you an opportunity to read with an actor you haven’t had a chance to read with.) This is your opportunity to show the director something you may not have had a chance to show on previous readings—so don’t be shy!
Directors usually hold auditions over two days. You are not obliged to attend both auditions. Please let the director know of any conflicts you have with rehearsals or performances. Usually, a director can work around a small number of rehearsal conflicts. Performance conflicts, however, will typically disqualify the performer from getting cast.
Special Instructions for Musical Auditions
With most musicals, the Director, Music Director, and Choreographer will probably want to see how well you sing along with an accompanist, and how well you are able to execute a short series of dance steps (after being given a brief time of instruction). So, in the case of Musicals, be sure to prepare a song from either the show you are auditioning for or a song from another musical that is similar in tone and mood to the ones you hear in the show.
NOTE: please be sure to bring in the accompanist’s sheet music for your prepared song. The Music Director and Director may, politely, allow a short a cappella performance, but most of what the directors will be listening for is how well you can follow piano accompaniment. (That is why you may hear, at the end of an a cappella audition, the Music Director ask the actor sing “The Birthday Song”, or other familiar song, along with the piano.)
Also, be sure to wear clothing and footwear that will allow you to move. (Sandals and ‘flip-flops’ are not appropriate footwear for a dance audition.) You are also advised to bring a clean towel with you.
Finally, wait for the call or email confirming your status with the show. IF you don’t get a part, don’t sweat it! It is not a personal statement of your qualities as an actor…simply a director’s decision on the ensemble, or ‘total picture’ of the cast. Come back and audition the next time! Check out Brazosport Center Stages’ pages for your next audition opportunity!
Upcoming Auditions
There are no upcoming events at this time
Gerrard Teen Guild – Monthly Meetings
Gerrard Teen Guild meets the 2nd Sunday of during the months of September through May from 2 PM – 4 PM. Teen Guilders learn all areas of production, including acting and design. When appropriate, Gerrard Teen Guild use Center Stages productions as inspiration for the monthly meeting.
Third Thursday Theater
Bring your favorite beverage and snack to share and join other theater lovers to read and discuss a play among friends. Most meetings take place in the BASF Planetarium or in the classroom of The Center. Sessions begin at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of the month and is free to participate. Call The Center’s front office at (979) 265-7661 to get added to the email list and to confirm meeting time and location.
Gerrard Teen Guild Summer Workshop
Students ages 12 – 18 are invited to kick off the summer with a two-week intensive workshop where the participants are directly involved in almost all major areas of production. In addition to acting and staging a full-length play for the public, participants also participate in set, lighting and costume design as well as stage management, set crews and publicity. Sign up in May and get ready for a fun-filled and challenging production schedule, with the show opening at the end of the rehearsal process. Priority is given to students whose parents are members (season ticket holders) of Brazosport Center Stages and who have participated in the FREE Gerrard Teen Guild during the school year immediately prior to the workshop. Gerrard Teen Guild Summer Workshop is part of Summer at The Center and is generously underwritten by The Facts.
Summer Musical Theater Workshop
Students ages 7 – 12 will spend a week rehearsing to perform an original musical with costumes, lights, sets and live music! Summer Musical Theater Workshop is part of Summer at The Center and is generously underwritten by The Facts.
Summer Drama Workshop
Students ages 7 – 15 will spend a week rehearsing to perform a child-friendly drama, complete with costumes, lights and sets! Summer Drama Workshop is part of Summer at The Center and is generously underwritten by The Facts.
Other Educational Opportunities
Occasionally, Brazosport Center Stages hosts additional workshops for both adults and youth. Recent offerings include a workshop for auditioning, directing and lighting design. More educational opportunities will be offered in the future. Check this space often for upcoming educational opportunities.
Brazosport Center Stages Scholarships
Each year, Brazosport Center Stages awards deserving students scholarships to be used in their pursuit of a college degree. Students are judged and awarded scholarships based on their merits as students, their participation in Brazosport Center Stages productions and on their audition and/or interview.
Brazosport Center Stages/Kris Kirsch Scholarship
Award Amount: $1,000 scholarships will be awarded (number of scholarships awarded varies year to year)
Eligibility: Must be a graduating senior
- Must show outstanding aptitude/interest in drama, dance, technical theater, vocal or instrumental music.
Requirements: Submit a Brazosport Center Stages Special Application**
- Submit a list of your Brazosport Center Stages involvement. This may include on stage, as well as, backstage involvement. It may also include Brazosport Symphony Orchestra involvement.
- Must include financial need, leadership experiences, academic ability, and participation in extracurricular activities.
- Must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Submit a list of all your community service. This may include extra- curricular activities and theater involvement other than with Brazosport Center Stages.
- Must perform or present skill in an audition format.
Additional Information: All applicants will be contacted by the Scholarship Chair to schedule an audition time.
- Selected scholarship recipients are expected to perform at BSC Appreciation Night. If a candidate is unavailable, he/she should submit a video recording to be shown.
Selection: Scholarship selections will be made by a committee of Judges chosen by the Board of Directors of Brazosport Center Stages, The judges scoring and decision to award any scholarship is based on the following criteria:
- School Records/Community Service (Weight: 33.33%) Review of Application and any attachments to evaluate Applicant’s scholarship, (based on class rank, standard tests, and GPA) community involvement, and community service in the Brazoria County area.
- Involvement in Center Stages/Brazosport Symphony Orchestra (Weight: 33.33%) Past contribution and/or participation in Brazosport Center Stages’ productions, workshops, projects or general program.
- Presentation of craft (Weight: 33.33%) Interview/Audition Project or other presentation of your craft to demonstrate proficiency in any aspect of theater or music. The applicant is invited to perform or present a work of his or her choosing. The applicant may perform a prepared piece or present any portfolio, project or resume of his or her work in any aspects of theater, drama, instrumental or choral music, design, production, sound, lighting, stage management etc.
- In addition, all applicants may be interviewed by the judges on a variety of subjects appropriate to their application and attachments.
A link to the application can be found here.
| Brazosport Center Stages Leadership 2019-2020 | |
|---|---|
|
President |
Mary Meyers |
|
Vice President of Operations |
Craig Fritz |
|
Vice President of Productions |
Susan Moss |
|
Treasurer |
Tom Fowler |
|
Secretary |
Lizzy Conger |
|
Director of Facilities |
Shirley Busbice |
|
Director of Workshops |
Andrea Hutchison |
|
Director of Archives |
Lorin Furlow |
|
Director of Scholarships |
Sharon Hill |
|
Director of Marketing & Audience Development |
Callie Ayers |
|
Director of Appreciation |
Dennis Ulrich |
|
Director of Policy |
Irenna Garapetian |
|
Teen Guild Representative |
Kerry Cormier |
|
Brazosport Symphony Orchestra Representative |
Gary Rodgers |
|
Past President |
Judi James |