Marlene Madison's new works Audition Tapes and Open Call explore notions of "Celebrity". Audition Tapes, a single screen video installation, consists of three "cold" readings of a prepared text in a format that closely resembles a screen test. Open Call is the reading by 15 actors and non-actors of texts they receive when they arrive at the event.

This work examines pre-production systems applied to mainstream performance and the mainstream performance product [film;stars;scripts]. Using the Hollywood model as a an agent through which to direct this critical examination of both celebrity culture and the entertainment product, this series spotlights celebrity life and its effect upon culture. My interest in the Hollywood model is its appeal to mass culture and notably, consumer culture. Marlene Madison is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer. For the past few years, Madison has focused on the effects of advertising's intrusion upon cultural, public, and private space. The culture of celebrity and brand culture are recurring themes in her work.