ONGOING SERIES
TRYOUT ROOM
A curated open mic night, with headliners
PREMIERING ON JUNE 7 WITH HEADLINERS
GAS MONEY
Join us for the premiere show. Cheryl King (emcee) welcomes Tryout artists Max Vogel and Jake Turner with musical acts, Sasha Fox with her Interspecies Intertainment (magic act with African grey parrot) and Johnathan Stiegman (mentalist). Plus a special treat - three members of the cast of Airness will show off their chops with selections from the show, currently playing at The California. Gas Money headlines.
Calling all performers, musicians, comedians, actors, dancers, solo artists, storytellers, Ted-talkers, podcasters, and variety artists!
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH 5 MINUTES ONSTAGE @ THE CALIFORNIA?
Send us a sample of your work for the chance of a slot in our TRYOUT ROOM!
The Tryout Room is part curated open mic, part variety show, part emerging artist launch party and the fulltime hangout of edgy and adventurous revolutionaries and arts makers. Enter at your own risk.
WHAT’S THE FORMAT?
Act ONE: Tryout artists have 5 minutes to try out new material. Audiences are invited to vote for their favorite. Winners receive an invitation to return as the Act TWO warm-up act at a future Try Out event!
Act TWO: Warm-up act (10 minutes) plus Headline Act by an emerging artist or group.
Every event will be attended by the artistic staff of The California and/or other Sonoma County arts makers looking for talent.
IS PAYMENT INVOLVED?
No. You don’t have to pay to try out and The California will not reimburse Tryout artists.
Audiences will be encouraged to show their appreciation - tips will be shared equally among participating artists.
The headline act is a paid gig, arranged through a contract with The California.
HOW ABOUT TICKETS?
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Participants get a free ticket and discounted tickets for family and friends.
HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE?
Fill out the submission form, which includes a link for you to upload a rehearsal video/audio of your material. We’ll review all submitted materials and contact you if we think yours is a good fit.
Remember – you only have 5 minutes!
HOW TECHNICAL CAN MY PIECE BE?
Please limit your technical needs to one soundtrack per act. Lighting will be general, but you can request blackouts if needed. Performances will be strictly limited to 5 minutes.
HOW ABOUT PROPS?
Setup/strike is limited to no more than 60 seconds in total. We will allow pre-set props and set pieces, as long as they don’t interfere with the rest of the show. Performers have plenty of space on the front half of our large stage. The headlining band will be set up on the back half before the evening begins.
Join the growing community of artists performing their acts on The California stage.