Open Runway Leads to Center of Fashion : Charity: In the past, only guild members could take part in the annual show. This year, ‘fresh blood’ is sought.

The Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center has issued a casting call to anyone wanting to model in its upcoming Center of Fashion show.

In past years, only guild members could vie for a chance to star in the Broadway-style fashion show. Those selected to model paraded down a runway at the Costa Mesa center showing off the latest styles from local retailers.

Show organizers decided to open auditions to the public to heighten interest in the center.

“We wanted to make the Center of Fashion a broader community event,” said Shari Esayian, chairwoman of the Center of Fashion 1995. “We’re hoping for new, fresh blood and new enthusiasm. By giving people the opportunity to participate, it helps them get to know the center better.”

Esayian said she has no idea how many people will show up for the auditions.

“We don’t know if we’ll have people lined up to South Coast Plaza or if we’ll be sitting there by ourselves,” she said.

Public auditions will be at the center from 7 to 9 p.m. April 18 and from 2 to 4 p.m. April 19. No appointment is necessary, and models must be 18. Separate auditions for guild members and their families will be from 7 to 9 p.m. April 11 and from 2 to 4 p.m. April 12.

Men are welcome to audition and must be at least 5 feet 10. Female models “must be at least 5 feet, 6 inches--and that’s barefoot,” said Brenda Arthur, spokeswoman for the Center of Fashion. They must fit into a size 6 or 8.

“The size criterion is not set by the guilds; it’s set by the stores. They feel the clothes show better” on smaller figures,” Arthur said.

For their audition, female models must wear high heels and a close-fitting dress--no hats or pants, said Diana Conner, model audition chairwoman. Applicants will be judged on their appearance and poise.

“Mainly they need to have good stage presence. They can’t be shy. They need to get out there and move around,” Conner said.

Applicants will be photographed, measured, then asked to walk on stage and perform different moves.

“We’re trying to cast people who are capable of more than just walking on stage, doing a turn and walking back,” Esayian said. “We’re looking for how well they follow directions and handle their bodies.”

Models will be chosen by a small panel of judges headed by show director Jim Bates and including representatives from show sponsors Fashion Island Newport Beach and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

Those selected will be asked to attend all rehearsals and donate a $100 modeling fee, which helps underwrite the cost of the production. In exchange, they will receive one free ticket to the show.

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The show will feature about 100 models. Twenty to 30 models will be chosen from the public and 45 will be chosen from the guilds. Ten professional models will donate their services.

“The pros can help set the pace and be a leader, so the other models will have someone to follow,” Esayian said.

The show theme has yet to be officially announced, but Esayian said it’s in the works.

“It will be about how fashion influences life,” she said. “It will show what we would wear to graduation, a first job, a wedding.”

To foster community involvement, the show’s grand finale will spotlight people involved in Orange County charities, Arthur said.

The first Center of Fashion was produced in 1990. Last year’s show was canceled because the guilds wanted time to restructure the event to boost interest and ticket sales.

This year’s show includes a matinee and evening performance, scheduled for Sept. 29.