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PLAYS MUSICALS
2012 AUDITION NOTICES
BEVERLY SHORES, IN
AVENUE Q
Directed by Lisa Lake
When:Saturday & Sunday, February 11 & 12, 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: First Congregational Church, MC, or TBD
Performance Dates:June 8 - 10, 15 - 17, 22 -24, 2012
Synopsis:
Casting Requirements:
Characters Details:
Dunes Summer Theatre
219-879-7509
HAMMOND, IN
HALLELUJAH GIRLS
A Comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten
Directed by Don Taylor
When: Sunday, February 19 - 5 to 7 pm, Monday, February 20 - 7 - 9 pm
Where: Beatniks On Conkey, 418 Conkey Street, Hammond, IN
Performance Dates: April 20 - 29, 2012
Synopsis:
Hilarity abounds when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives. The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in SPA-DEE-DAH!, the abandoned church-turned-day-spa where this group of friends gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear friend, the women realize time is precious, and if they're going to change their lives and achieve their dreams, they have to get on it now! But Sugar Lee, their high-spirited, determined leader, has her hands full keeping the women motivated. Carlene's given up on romance, having buried three husbands. Nita's a nervous wreck from running interference between her problematic son and his probation officer. Mavis' marriage is so stagnant she's wondering how she can fake her own death to get out of it. And sweet, simple Crystal entertains them all, singing Christmas carols with her own hilarious lyrics. The comic tension mounts when a sexy ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, a marriage proposal comes from an unlikely suitor and Sugar Lee's archrival vows she'll stop at nothing to steal the spa away from her. By the time the women rally together to overcome these obstacles and launch their new, improved lives, you've got a side-splitting, joyful comedy that will make you laugh out loud and shout "Hallelujah!"
Casting Requirements: 6 women, 2 men
Characters Details: CARLENE TRAVIS: 50s no nonsense gal with dry wit, known as the Black Widow because her 3 husbands have all died mysterious deaths.
NITA MOONEY: 50s very sweet and simple country woman, has worthless son still at home that is always in trouble with the law. Lives vicariously through romance novels.
MAVIS FLOWERS: 65 brusque but likable, her husband neglects and ignore her.
CRYSTAL HART: 50s daffy and lovable, plays piano and rewrites Christmas carols to fit every occasion. Also wears a costume for every occasion.
SUGAR LEE THOMPKINS: 50s vivacious and energetic owner of "Spa Dee Da", heroine of the play.
BUNNY SUTHERLAND: 50s upscale socialile, snide and arrogant arch nemisis of Sugar Lee
BOBBY DWAYNE DILLAHUNT: 50s rugged good looks with self-deprecating sense of humor, and charming manner. Carpenter handyman. Suger Lee's high school sweetheart.
PORTER PADGETT: 50s works for the post office, still lives at home with his mother. Very Tim Conway like.
Hammond Community Theatre
(888) 928-6648
Valparaiso, IN
OKLAHOMA!
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by RIchard Rodgers
When: Monday, 2/27: Open call*
Tuesday, 2/28: Open call*
Wednesday, 2/29: Dance call (some auditionees will be asked to return for the
dance call)
Thursday, 3/1: Callbacks (if needed)
Time: 7 - 10 pm
Where: Memorial Opera House, 104 W. Indiana St., Valparaiso, Indiana
Directors: Colleen Archer and John Peluso
Music Director: Chris Stalbaum
Vocal Director: John Peluso
Choreographer: Drew Nellessen
Assistant Choreographer: Cami Kern
Stage Manager: Natalie Klobuchar
Executive Producer: Brian Schafer
Performance Dates:June 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 8pm and June 3 and 10 at 2pm.
SYNOPSIS: Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. This musical epitomized the development of the "book musical", a musical play where the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story with serious dramatic goals that are able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter.
This show is a lot of high-energy fun, but also has some very dark themes based on a difficult time in American history. This will not be the hokey, silly, over-the-top Oklahoma that theatre people love to hate. These are real people with authentic stories of the time, and this production will bring them to life.
AUDITION NOTES: *Open Call: We are looking for 25 men and women ages 16 and up. Please bring prepared sheet music in your key (16-32 bars, please) of a relevant musical theatre song that best showcases your vocal ability. We are looking for a dance ensemble and a vocal ensemble, but all those auditioning for the ensemble will be required to sing a prepared song.
DIRECTORS NOTES: We will have a read through/sing through and a few rehearsals for the larger dance numbers and dialect work with the principals in March, but will start a regular rehearsal schedule (Monday-Thursday, 7-10pm) the first week of April.
Some of the many recognizable songs include: Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’, Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I Cain’t Say No, Many a New Day, People Will Say We’re in Love, The Farmer and the Cowmen, and, of course, Oklahoma!
ROLES INCLUDE:
Principal Women:
Laurey Williams; soprano, 18-28. Aunt Eller's niece, feisty and independent, yet dreams of romance.
Aunt Eller; mezzo, 40-60. Laurey's aunt, a strong-willed and capable matriarch of the community.
Ado Annie Carnes; mezzo, 18-30. A flirtatious, fickle young woman, always enthusiastic about whomever she is with at the moment.
Principal Men:
Curly; baritone, 22-35. A rugged and self-assured cowboy in love with Laurey.
Will Parker; tenor, 25-35. A naïve but hopeful young man, eager to win the hand of Ado Annie.
Jud Fry; baritone, 25-40. A hired hand on Aunt Eller's ranch; a mysterious and dangerous loner.
Ali Hakim; baritone, 30-45. A Persian peddler, enamored with women, but unwilling to settle down.
There are several other supporting roles, and a large (and well-integrated) ensemble! All roles are OPEN.
Memorial Opera House
219-548-9137
PORTAGE, IN
OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS
When: Monday, March 5 & Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Portage Yacht Club
1370 State Highway 249 Portage, IN
Performance Dates: June 1, 2, 8,9,15,16 at 8:00 p.m.
June 3, 10, 17 at 2:00 p.m.
Director: Stanlee K Hodsden
Set: Jerry Herzog
Lighting Design: Keith Loefler
Costumes: Leslie Evans
SYNOPSIS:
Over the River is a play about real people. Senior citizens married for 66 years and as devoted to each other as if it were year one. Nick, a young advertising executive, struggles to find the right moment to announce a great career move to his paternal and maternal grandparents. It is not an easy choice for Nick, whose entire life has been spent in the bosom of this family. His grandparents on both sides have been lifelong friends and neighbors for whom Sunday dinner is a sacred ritual spent in the house of Aida and Frank, with grandparents Emma and Nunzio as guests. When Nick summons up the courage to tell his family that the new position is in Seattle -- across the country from this ancestral home – the stage is set for their ingenious counterplan in the form of an appetizing dinner guest, Caitlin O’Hare. The tug between new frontiers and traditional roles plays itself out against the background of love, laughter and lasagna….
Portage Community Theatre
(219) 759-1408
Hammond, IN
THE 39 STEPS
a suspense comedy
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From the novel by John Buchan
From the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Lmt.
And an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
When: March 10 & March 12
Time: Saturday - 1pm & Monday - 7pm
Where: Towle Theater
5205 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, IN
Director: Jeff Casey
Performance Dates: May 4-6, 10-12, 18-20, 2012
SYNOPSIS:
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theater! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!
AUDITION NOTES:
Nothing to prepare. Audition cuttings will be available online at the Towle website in early February.
Basic character descriptions would include one dashing leading man 30’s-50’s, one fem-fatale leading lady mid 20’s-50’s (who actually plays 3 roles), must be a chameleon in regards to look and acting ability and 2 men any age (although open to women) who play dozens of characters throughout the show, some with-in seconds of one another. In the script these 2 roles are called Clowns – not just from the comedic perspective, but in that what they are doing is very, very difficult and only accomplished successfully through tons and tons of work yet it appears to be effortless.
The key to this show is a keen sense of timing and incredible versatility, in addition a strong reference to the style of the film – not just Hitchcock’s 1935 version, but the genre as a whole is important. It is one of the most brilliant adaptations from film to stage in that it maintains the entire story, but does not attempt to re-create the film – rather it recreates the film using stage device, technical savvy and pure talent.
The rehearsals will be exhausting, the process will be challenging and the outcome will be an incredible show. Anyone interested in this type of production should audition. The 39 Steps perfect show for ingénue and character actor alike – actors with Improv skills and/or an openness to a highly defined and collaborative process are strongly encouraged to audition.
ROLES INCLUDE:
Richard Hannay:
British. 30’s-50’s. Seeking an actor comfortable with the style and able to convey the quality of a 1930's leading man. The sort that wore the pencil moustache with charm, attractive, but not rakish, pleasantly handsome.
Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret:
20’s-50’s. Seeking actress capable of presenting three versions of Hitchcock leading lady. Must have British and Scottish dialect.
Clown 1 and Clown 2:
Seeking two actors who will play many roles at breakneck speed, operating as a team and with a flair both for dialect and for rapidly paced dialogue. Exceptional comic timing and improvisational ability.
Towle Theatre
219-937-8780
BEVERLY SHORES, IN
1776
Directed by George Maslankowksi
When:Saturday & Sunday, March 24 & 25, 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: First Congregational Church, MC, or TBD
Performance Dates:June 29 - July 1, 6 - 8. 13 - 17, 2012
Synopsis:
Casting Requirements:
Characters Details:
Dunes Summer Theatre
219-879-7509
BEVERLY SHORES, IN
The Women
Directed by George Maslankowksi
When:Saturday & Sunday, April 21 & 22, 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: First Congregational Church, MC, or TBD
Performance Dates:August 31 - September 2, 7 - 9, 14 - 16, 2012
Synopsis:
Casting Requirements:
Characters Details:
Dunes Summer Theatre
219-879-7509
HAMMOND, IN
SOCIAL SECURITY
by Andrew Bergman
Directed by Andrea Creasbaum and TBD
When: April 22 at 5pm and April 23 at 7pm, 2012
Where: Beatniks On Conkey, 418 Conkey Street, Hammond, IN
Performance Dates:June 23 - July 1, 2012
Synopsis: This is a real, honest to goodness hit Broadway comedy, as in the Good Old Days. Written by one of Hollywood's top comedy screenwriters and directed by the great Mike Nichols, this hilarious comedy starred Marlo Thomas and Ron Silver as a married couple who are art dealers. Their domestic tranquility is shattered upon the arrival of the wife's goody goody nerd of a sister, her uptight CPA husband and her Archetypal Jewish Mother. They are there to try to save their college student daughter from the horrors of living only for sex. The comic sparks really begin to fly when the mother hits it off with the elderly minimalist artist who is the art dealer's best client!
Casting Requirements:Need 2 couples (middle age) and their Mother and One elderly Gent.
Characters Details:
Beatnik's on Conkey
219-852-0848
Hammond, IN
NEXT TO NORMAL
a rock musical
Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Music by Tom Kitt
When: April 21, 22, 28 & 29
Time: Saturday & Sunday at 1pm
Where: Towle Theater
5205 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, IN
Director: Jeff Casey
Musical Director: Josh Stierley
Performance Dates: July 6-8, 13-15, 19-22, 2012
SYNOPSIS:
The most talked about new show Next to Normal - the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushes Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone). With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life. In 2009, Next to Normal was nominated for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical and won the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
AUDITION NOTES:
Please prepare 32 bars of a contemporary Broadway or Pop/Rock song. Please have sheet music in the correct key. No a cappella or taped music will be permitted.
First and foremost we need 6 amazing vocalists. While the style of the show is clearly defined in the music and characters, we are not looking to replicate the incredible work by the award winning Broadway or touring cast. Please do not audition and attempt to sound just like (fill in the blank). I am more interested in putting our own stamp on this contemporary classic. The most important element beyond the vocals is the ability to bring pure honesty and vulnerability to your performance.
The adults; 1 woman and 2 men can range in age from 30’s-50, the teen-age characters; 1 woman and 2 men that play 16-18 could be as old as mid 20’s assuming they look younger. The soundtrack is somewhat deceiving; there are only 6 people in the show, so throughout the show the background vocals are being performed by the leads – it is very vocally demanding. This is truly an ensemble piece. Please know your voice and its abilities and limits before you audition. Just because you can sing the shit out of the material doesn’t necessarily mean you can maintain that level of quality over the course of multiple performances, multiple weekends; reference Ms. Alice Ripley herself who originated the role of Diana and won the Tony Award, now a few years later, she can barely sing at all.
Lastly for both shows rest assured that all roles are open, unlike the first show of our season, which was pre-cast for 2 roles and audition by invitation for 2 roles. We welcome everyone to join us!
ROLES INCLUDE:
Diana:
30’s-50’s, any ethnicity. Sexy, sharp, funny, often on edge, always interesting. A delusional bipolar depressive who’s been on various medications for more than fifteen years, she can be distant and forlorn one moment and alert and blazingly alive the next. Quick to laugh, quick to anger and full of spark and contradictions. Strong belt with comfortable soprano mix.
Dan:
30’s-50’s, any ethnicity. Diana’s husband. Kind, gentle, strong, patient, long-suffering. An architect and family man, he’s diligent and faithful and always struggles to stay positive and in control, even at the cost of expressing his own emotions. Adores his wife, who’s filled with the fire he wishes he had. Wry, self-effacing humor. Tenor with strong characteristic voice.
Gabe:
Actor plays age 18. Character can be any ethnicity. Diana and Dan’s son. Dashing, bright, witty, kind, athletic; everything a mother would want. Sometimes snarky and sarcastic, sometimes deadly serious, with a healthy sense of play but a gravity that belies his years. Strong rock tenor with falsetto.
Natalie:
Actress plays age 16. Character can be any ethnicity. Diana and Dan’s daughter. Bright, determined, energetic; an overachiever. Responds to the dysfunction in her highly imperfect family by being as perfect as she can be. Tightly wound, and desperate to please and to keep the peace, but not without a sense of humor about her circumstances. Strong mezzo belt.
Henry:
Actor plays age 17. Character can be any ethnicity. Natalie’s boyfriend. A mellow musician, Gen-Y genius and coffee-shop philosopher. Soulfully funny, with a scruffy charm and a floppy style, he’s unassuming and unpretentious but perceptive, thoughtful and compassionate. Baritenor.
Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine:
Man, 30s – 50s, any ethnicity. Up-and-coming psychiatrist, committed to alternative methods and holistic healing. Assured, confident, quietly intense, piercingly insightful. Buttoned-down doctor with a rock-star soul. Baritone.
Towle Theatre
219-937-8780
HIGHLAND, IN
A CENTURY OF MUSIC
Director: Stephanie Naumoff
Choreographer: Katie Solina
Music Director: Jeff Otto
When: May 10 & 11, 7 pm
Where:
Performance Dates:August 3 - 5, 10 - 12, 2012 at 8 pm
Audition Notes: Bring your favorite tune (with CD or sheet music)
Show off your dance moves and singing ability.
Ages 18 & Up
Synopsis:
Casting Requirements:
Characters Details:
Highland Parks Performimg Arts Group
219-838-0114
HIGHLAND, IN
SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS
Director: Stephanie Naumoff
When: May 12, 7 pm
Where:
Performance Dates:July 28 & 29, 2012 at 3 pm
Audition Notes: This will be mainly for Theater Camp Kids, but we will open it up for anyone.
Synopsis:
Casting Requirements: Ages 13 -18
Characters Details:
Highland Parks Performimg Arts Group
219-838-0114
HAMMOND, IN
DANCING A T LUGHNASA
By Brian Friel
Directed by Andy Leahy
When: Friday, June 8, 7 - 10 pm, Sunday,June 10, 6 - 9 pm
Where: Beatniks On Conkey, 418 Conkey Street, Hammond, IN
Performance Dates: August 17 - 29, 2012
Synopsis:
This extraordinary play is the story of five unmarried sisters eking out their lives in a small village in Ireland in l936. We meet them at the time of the festival of Lughnasa, which celebrates the pagan god of the harvest with drunken revelry and dancing. Their spare existence is interrupted by brief, colorful bursts of music from the radio, their only link to the romance and hope of the world at large. The action of the play is told through the memory of the illegitimate son of one of the sisters as he remembers the five women who raised him, his mother and four maiden aunts. He is only seven in 1936, the year his elderly uncle, a priest, returns after serving for twenty-five years as a missionary in a Ugandan leper colony. For the young boy, two other disturbances occur that summer. The sisters acquire their first radio, whose music transforms them from correct Catholic women to shrieking, stomping banshees in their own kitchen. And he meets his father for the first time, a charming Welsh drifter who strolls up the lane and sweeps his mother away in an elegant dance across the fields. From these small events spring the cracks that destroy the foundation of the family forever. Widely regarded as Brian Friel's masterpiece, this haunting play is Friel's tribute to the spirit and valor of the past.
Casting Requirements:
Characters Details:
Michael, young man
Kate, 40, schoolteacher
Maggie, 38, housekeeper
Agnes, 35, knitter
Rose, 32, knitter
Christ, 26, Michael’s mother
Gerry, 33, Michael’s father
Jack, 53, missionary priest
Hammond Community Theatre
(888) 928-6648
Hammond, IN
LEAVING IOWA
By Tim Clue and Spike Manton
When: July 21 & 23
Time: Saturday - 1pm & Monday - 7pm
Where: Towle Theater
5205 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, IN
Director: John E. Buranosky
Performance Dates: September 7-9, 14-16, 20-23, 2012
SYNOPSIS:
It is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of his or her youth.
AUDITION NOTES:
Nothing to prepare. Audition cuttings will be available online at the Towle website in early July.
ROLES INCLUDE:
Don Browning: 30’s-40’s. Successful Boston reporter – too busy to attend his father’s funeral three years ago. Must also play young Don in flashbacks – whiny, complaining, and antagonizing his big sister in the back seat of the car, as children have done since the dawn of the automotive age. He is the driver of the play in a gentle inviting way.
Dad: 50’s-60’s. He’s a quiet ghost who, in his urn, is Don’s passenger on his journey. Flashbacks show him as Dad the teacher, planning the family vacations around every educational and historical highlight of the American road. He never bought into the fun -- more commercial – attractions along the way, which left the kids begging to stop at “Ghost Caverns” and motels with a pool! He was the ultimate father; the loving boss of the family.
Mom: 50’s – 60’s – Don’s mom past and present. In flashbacks, always there – the ever-calming
influence on Dad and the kids – the ultimate peacemaker on these family road trips – to a point.
Currently, still “mothering”, but becoming a little flighty as she ages. Mom feels very guilty for having left Dad in his urn forgotten in the basement for the last three years.
Sis: 30’s – 40’s -- Don’s older sister, past and present. In flashbacks, “Sweet Pea”, as Dad called her, is the typical big sister – overbearing, teasing, sneaky – always baiting Don until he struck back and got blamed for causing the ruckus. The two were always united in their efforts to influence Dad on the vacation plans. In present day, Sis is controlling, somewhat critical, but obviously loves her family.
Man: Is a Comic Character who will play a wide variety of roles adding to the comic effect. Must play all the male characters Don encounters on his road trip – in flashbacks and present day vignettes: farmer with silo, Don’s grandfather, grocery store clerk, Don’s Uncle, farmer with a hoe, Amish peddler at flea market, Civic War performer, Dan’s childhood friend (now a professor), mechanic, park ranger, unhappy old man, stoic waiter with a mullet, hog farmer.
Woman: Same only female. Is a Comic Character who will play a wide variety of roles adding to the comic effect. Characters encountered: farmer’s wife with silo, Don’s grandmother, Don’s aunt, Amish peddler, museum assistant, mechanic, woman in hotel, talkative waitress, hog farmer’s wife.
Towle Theatre
219-937-8780
HAMMOND, IN
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE
by F. Andrew Leslie
from the novel by Shirley Jackson
Directed by Don Taylor
When: August 19th at 5pm and August 20th at 7pm
Where: Beatniks On Conkey, 418 Conkey Street, Hammond, IN
Performance Dates:October 19 - 28, 2012
Synopsis: A chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of "psychically receptive" people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and "contained ill will." Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research in supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and to draw forth the mysterious powers that it is alleged to possess—powers which have brought madness and death to those who have lived therein in the past
Casting Requirements: 3 men, 4 women: 7 total
Characters Details:
Beatnik's on Conkey
219-852-0848
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