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The upcoming run of the Venice Biennale-darling opera Sun & Sea at BAM was always going to be an ambitious, unconventional theater experience. For one, the near-future, climate-change-focused work employs massive tons of sand to create a visually stunning mock beach. Second, the imaginative opera offers a chilling and timely rumination on how a simple day by the water could be mired and shaped by ever-increasing climate crises. But BAM is taking even more steps to make Sun & Sea a uniquely dynamic and rule-breaking show.
On Thursday, BAM issued an open and inclusive casting call for background beachgoers, with absolutely no performance experience required of hopeful participants. “Local community members of any age (at least 12 years old), gender, ability, racial and ethnic background, and body type are encouraged to apply,” BAM wrote in its call. They are also calling for (at least) one dog!
Participants are asked to be available for all performances and one dress rehearsal (September 14–19 and 22–26). In addition, they must provide proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The casting call went out early Thursday morning and within hours BAM was forced to temporarily close its application form to additional applications due to overwhelming interest. This latest production development comes after over a year of delays for the large-scale production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sun and Sea will run at BAM through September 15-26. While applications to be in the show may be closed, tickets to see it are still available.