Audition for New Gay Reality Series

Dozens of hopefuls tried out last month in Hammonton, N.J., for a new gay reality television series being shot at the Jersey shore this spring. Now Philly has a chance to be in the spotlight.

Under The Boardwalk Productions will hold its first Philadelphia casting call for a pilot being shot in the next few weeks. If the series is picked up by a network, several more episodes will be filmed at a beach house in Atlantic City with an exclusively LGBT cast.

The first audition is being held at Woody’s for LGBT folks between the ages of 18 and 20 years old on Wednesday, Feb. 23 (4 p.m.). For those 21 and older, Woody’s will be the site of the second round of auditions on Saturday, Feb. 26 (2 p.m.). All auditions will be held on the nightclub’s second floor dance area. The audition consists of a videotaped interview. People are asked not to memorize any lines or scripts.

“We envision it to be a very sophisticated show, with each character having a unique and fresh take on the world – with the fact that they are LGBT providing the community and context,” says Kim Friedman, an Emmy-winning producer who is working with her daughter Princeton grad Kate Siegel to create this new show.

Both the mom and daughter creative team say they are not interested in reproducing a gay version of MTV’s blockbuster Jersey Shore. Instead, they want to introduce new characters and concepts to the world of reality TV with a fresh LGBT focus.