HOOF 'N' HORN
Student-Run Musical Theatre since 1936
GET INVOLVED
Whether on or off-campus, there are lots of ways to get involved with
Hoof 'n' Horn. Scroll down to hear more about what we do and discover the best ways you can become an active member of our community.
ON CAMPUS
Hoof 'n' Horn wants YOU! We need involvement from the beginning to the end of the season, and there are plenty of ways to be a part of the process, whether on stage or behind the scenes. Hoof ‘n’ Horn prides itself on being an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere - a home away from home. We have social events all year, and whether you've been a part of one show or have done them all, we welcome you to join us. From study nights to family dinners to our annual beach week trip, there are endless opportunities to have fun with us.
JOIN A PRODUCTION COUNCIL
In addition to the efforts of the casts, each Hoof 'n' Horn production requires a great amount of time and effort offstage in order to be successful. If you are interested in becoming a part of the behind-the-scenes process, considering joining our Production Council (PC). No matter your skill level, we are always interested in getting new creative input on our productions. As an organization run entirely by students, there is a lot of room for freedom and independence within the various PC positions. Trust and collaboration make the council a community of its own right and many students explore a range of roles during their time at Duke. For more information about the responsibilities of each role and an overview of the Production Council, click here. To apply for our fall production's PC, contact Tyler King at tyler.king401@duke.edu.
AUDITION TO PERFORM
There are opportunities to audition for Hoof 'n' Horn spread throughout the year. For each of our three mainstage shows, there are auditions roughly two months before the show is set to open. The cast spends weeks together, rehearsing sometimes four nights a week to learn all of the material for each show. Acting with Hoof 'n' Horn is a wonderful experience because, with students leading each project, actors often have the opportunity to get to know their directors in a personal way and input their own creative ideas. And, with all the time spent together in rehearsals, cast members often become fast friends. Beyond the three mainstage shows, there are several cabaret performances throughout the year that help to showcase everyone interested in performing. Click here to see what shows we're producing this season.
SIGN UP FOR A CABARET
In additions to our three mainstage productions each year, we produce a series of smaller cabarets that we perform for each other, the Duke student body, and the Durham community. Examples include O-Show, a show of ten musical theater songs that we perform for freshmen during O-Week, Homecoming Cabaret, Miscast Cabaret, and small performances at the Ronald McDonald House and VA Medical Center. You do not have to be involved in a mainstage musical to join a cabaret, and there are no auditions required. If you want to get updates on different cabarets you can join in on throughout the year, make sure to indicate so on the audition form! They are fun and rehearsals are typically low-commitment, and if you join a cabaret, you will be included in all of Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s social activities and listservs. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to Lily Egol at lily.egol@duke.edu and Jamie Wang at jamie.k.wang@duke.edu.
PLAY IN THE PIT ORCHESTRA
Playing in the pit orchestra is another great way to join Hoof 'n' Horn. We are proud to have instrumentalists from every major instrumental ensemble on campus joining in on each show. Members of the pit typically rehearse once a week until full runs of the show begin the week before opening night. We understand that skilled musicians are in high demand, so don't let outside commitments stop you from reaching out! Hoof 'n' Horn is proud to have accomplished instrumentalists in all our shows. Orchestrations require different players for each show, but no matter whether you're interested in playing now or in the future, we'd love to have you on our Instrumentalist ListServ. To join, email our Orchestral Supervisor, Sam Carpenter, at sam.carpenter@duke.edu.
WORK BEHIND THE SCENES
Working on the technical side of theatre allows you to see things from a unique perspective. Whether on the catwalk running lights, in the darkness moving sets, or in the scene shop building in the weeks leading up to the show, tech members gain professional level skills that can be marketed post-graduation. Tech roles vary from show to show, but typically include assistant stage manager, light/sound board designers and operators, set designer, a set building team, a costuming team, and a props team. Many students get the chance to work directly with Duke Theatre staff, allowing them to learn from professionals in the field and ensuring that everything is created safely and efficiently. To hear more about technical opportunities, contact our Technical Supervisor, Clara McMillan, at clara.mcmillan@duke.edu.
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COME SEE A SHOW
Love musicals but unable to be a part of one? Support Hoof 'n' Horn by seeing one of our productions! Starting during Orientation Week in the Fall semester, there are Hoof 'n' Horn performances and/or events just about every month. Tickets for mainstage productions are $10 for students and $15 for general admission, while cabaret and event performances are free of charge. Tickets can be found by heading to tickets.duke.edu or by buying one from us directly on the BC Plaza during the two weeks leading up to a show. To stay up to date on upcoming events, join our community newsletter, Encore! With 1200 subscribers and counting, our newsletter serves as a bi-monthly update on upcoming events, features from current creatives, and interviews with notable alumni. Click here to sign up!
OFF CAMPUS
Even off-campus, there are lots of ways to stay involved with Hoof 'n' Horn. We've made it our mission to keep the community informed and involved as much as possible. A great first step in getting back in touch with us or to get to know Hoof 'n' Horn for the first time is to follow our social media pages (linked below).
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Hoof 'n' Horn has a bi-monthly, student-written, community newsletter called "Encore." It features updates about what current members are up to on campus, alumni interviews, creative pieces, and event announcements, and is sent out every other month. We love communicating with and hearing from everyone interested in Hoof 'n' Horn, whether you're an alumnus, parent, student, prospective student, or a fan! If you have any memories, ideas, or anything you'd like to share, feel free to reach out to development@hoofnhorn.org. And please click below to subscribe.
GIVE TO HOOF 'N' HORN
Giving a gift to Hoof 'n' Horn is one of the most direct ways of showing your support of what we do. Being fully student-run gives us lots of freedom, but it also means that the size of the projects we take on is often limited. Anything you can contribute helps. Gifts to our organization help us out at every step of the process:
securing rights to the shows we take on, set building costs, payments to Duke Theater Operations for allowing us to use their space and providing their technical expertise, audience and accessibility services, publicity costs, costuming and makeup budgets, props, and more.
Click here to read information about how to give. And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact development@hoofnhorn.org.
ATTEND AN EVENT
Hoof 'n' Horn holds events over Reunion Weekend and Homecoming Weekend each year. Events typically feature live performances by current students, good food, and great people. We love meeting alumni, families, and all interested community members.
To stay up to date on what events are coming up, click here to subscribe to our newsletter. We'll also be updating this website with information about upcoming events so click here to see what's coming up next! We hope to see you soon.
BECOME AN ALUMNI AMBASSADOR
Want to give back to Hoof 'n' Horn in a personal way? Missing your friends from the kick line? Become a HnH Alumni Ambassador! In the past year, our ambassadors have reconnected with friends from decades ago, enjoyed special perks over Reunions weekend, and discovered old photos/articles/videos from their time in HnH. If you're interested in sharing your story or just hearing more, we'd love to connect with you! Reach out to this year's Development Chair, Robert Miron at development@hoofnhorn.org to hear more about our Alumni Ambassador program.