WMATA: Auditions for MetroPerforms! begin Options

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For immediate release: April 27, 2007

Auditions for MetroPerforms! begin

Warm up those vocal chords. Shine those tap shoes. Dust off those violins. Metro’s Art in Transit program and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will hold the first auditions on May 10 and May 12 for live performances at Metrorail stations.

The MetroPerforms! program invites local performers to showcase their talents at select Metrorail station entrances. Through the audition process, Metro and local arts councils will select the participants to perform near designated Metro station entrances from spring through fall and during the December holiday season. Performances are scheduled to begin in early June.

“MetroPerforms! supports the talents of local performers, enhances both mass transit and pedestrian travel and promotes the arts throughout the region,” said Michael McBride, Metro’s Art in Transit program manager.

Local arts councils have partnered with Metro to establish performance criteria. The arts councils also are responsible for holding the auditions and selecting the performers who will play at stations in their respective jurisdictions, and can choose to pay stipends to the performers.

The artists selected after the May 10 and 12 auditions will perform at stations in the District of Columbia. Currently, Metro is working with the Prince George’s County Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for upcoming auditions and performances at Metrorail stations in Maryland.

Performances will take place at designated station entrances (to be determined) at a distance far enough away from station stairs and escalators to ensure clear access for people heading into or out of Metrorail stations. In addition, participants in the MetroPerforms! program will not be permitted to sell merchandise, nor ask for money from the public while performing.

The DC Arts Commission auditions take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, at Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC. Individuals and groups interested in auditioning for the program should bring a photograph and a one-page biography or resume. Auditions are first-come, first-served.

If selected, participants will be notified and the performance schedule will be announced in May. Performers selected to participate in MetroPerforms! are subject to criminal background checks by the Metro Transit Police Department, required to wear a Metro-issued identification badge while performing and must cooperate with Metrorail station managers and Metro Transit Police to ensure that performances do not compromise station access and the safety of Metro customers and the general public.

MetroPerforms! is a one-year pilot program developed by Metro Art in Transit in conjunction with local arts councils served by Metro to enhance the experience of transit users and pedestrians.

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AP via WTOP radio, 5/5:

Metro to Hold Auditions for Live Performances at Stations

WASHINGTON (AP) - Metro is holding auditions next week for live entertainment at Washington stations for the first time in the transit agency's 31 years.

Metro and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities will hold the auditions at Metro headquarters next Thursday and Saturday. Five judges will select performers for five Metro stations. It hasn't been determined which stations yet.

Anyone can audition, but only D.C. based performers will receive stipends of about $200 for each performance.

Continue.