[ti:Despite Coronavirus, K-pop Theater Show Seeks Performers] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.48]Most theaters in America may be closed, [00:04.80]but one musical theater show is not letting that stop it from preparing. [00:11.68]"KPOP" is a musical exploring the world of Korean pop music. [00:18.64]The producers are doing a video-based casting call worldwide [00:24.84]in hopes of being ready when live performances restart. [00:31.40]Jason Kim is the playwright, or writer, of the musical. [00:36.76]"We really hope as soon as possible to get into a room with all these people [00:42.68]and see them in person," he told the Associated Press. [00:47.96]Producers are looking for Korean, Korean American [00:52.60]and Asian American men and women in their 20s. [00:58.04]They "must be excellent singers" with a strong pop sound and great dancers. [01:06.20]Knowing K-pop music is, of course, helpful. [01:11.48]Claire Burke is a casting director at Tara Rubin Casting in New York. [01:19.68]She said she and her team have a "very tall ask." [01:25.68]They are looking for performers who have all the energy [01:30.08]and lovability of pop stars and also serious acting skills. [01:38.44]"It's about the shine and the performance and the dancing [01:42.72]and the singing — that's huge," she said. [01:46.88]But people also need to be able to really feel the emotion of it. [01:53.04]Those who hope to be in the musical are asked to send a video of themselves [02:01.56]singing a pop or K-pop song and a video of their dance moves. [02:09.00]Submissions have so far come from the United States, South Korea, [02:14.88]Britain, Canada, Japan and Kazakhstan and other countries. [02:24.00]When "KPOP" returns, it will represent a rare thing [02:29.00]— a live theater production with a nearly all-Asian cast. [02:35.00]The last time New York City had anything like that was in 2015 with "Allegiance." [02:43.20]It was a musical based on American actor George Takei's life [02:49.28]in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. [02:56.08]Kim said he strongly believes the right performers are out there [03:01.20]and have been "for a really long time." [03:05.76]"KPOP," which had its first showing in New York City in 2017, [03:11.52]follows the lives of three sets of performers. [03:15.84]It follows a boy band, a girl band and a young woman singer [03:21.56]as they try to gain success in the American music market. [03:27.44]Theater critics have had great things to say about "KPOP." [03:32.84]In the original musical, crowds followed different performers from room to room. [03:40.40]Kim is rewriting it for a more traditional theater setting [03:45.44]and songwriter Helen Park is adding new songs. [03:51.80]The show is changing just as K-pop music is. [03:56.44]In the years since it began, Americans have learned more about the music, [04:03.12]including such groups as BTS, EXO and BLACKPINK. [04:11.40]K-pop fans have also spoken online [04:15.24]about everything from Black Lives Matter to Donald Trump. [04:21.28]Kim has been helping the casting people [04:24.80]go through hundreds of submissions to cast for 12 performers. [04:31.44]Candidates who the team likes are sent material from the show to record and submit. [04:39.68]The next step is a live video meeting with the creative team. [04:45.48]Then, if chosen, candidates receive a message [04:50.12]that they will see everyone at rehearsals — whenever that happens. [04:56.80]Burke's team is showing understanding about the quality of submissions [05:02.28]because of the coronavirus crisis. [05:05.36]The usual process has candidates in a room together [05:10.12]learning dance moves at the same time. [05:13.72]It also has a trained actor as an audition reader [05:18.52]along with a person who knows the music. [05:22.96]None of that is happening for the online process. [05:27.92]Instead, the "KPOP" team has to deal with poor home microphones, [05:34.48]bad lighting and the real chance that a candidate's mother [05:39.24]or sister is holding the cellular phone to record. [05:44.12]"I don't want to say forgiving, but I am definitely more mindful [05:50.32]that everyone has a very different situation" [05:54.04]when they are recording and submitting a video, Burke said. [05:59.20]She said the most exciting thing about her job is when she finds people [06:05.12]who may never have thought about musical theater as a career. [06:11.00]I'm Alice Bryant. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM