Disney Announces Casting Search For The Next "Ariel"

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 5:39pm

THE LITTLE MERMAID
Casting Search for the next Ariel

Disney on Broadway is casting a new star for our sparkling new musical, THE LITTLE MERMAID.

Seeking an experienced actress/singer/dancer to star as Ariel on Broadway. We encourage women of all cultural backgrounds to attend.

Ariel is a mermaid girl in her late teens, on the verge of maturity. She is a soon-to-be-siren with a frisky sense of fun. An innocent, headstrong and spirited girl overflowing with feelings that are fathoms deep, and daring to dream about a different world, the world above the sea. Must move well, but need not be a trained dancer.

Vocal Range: Soprano with a crystal clear flawless belt to E.

Rehearsals begin: April, 2009
Auditions will be held in the following cities:

Cincinnati - January 18th
Sign-in 12-1 PM
Auditions will take place from 1-8 PM
Vernon Manor Hotel
Belvedere Conference Center
400 Oak Street
Cincinnati, OH 45219

Chicago - January 20th and 21st
Sign in 9-10 AM
Auditions will take place from 10-4 PM
Northwestern University
Cahn Auditorium
600 Emerson
Evansvill, IL 60208

Dallas - January 22nd

Denver - January 23rd and 24th
Sign in 9-10 AM
Auditions will take place 10-6 PM
Denver Center Theatre Company
The Newman Center for Theatre Excellence
Yellow and Green Studios
1101 13th Street
Denver, CO 80204

Los Angeles - January 25th and 26th
Sign in 9-10 AM
Auditions will take place from 10-6 PM
Screenland Studios
10501 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Philadelphia - January 28th
Sign in 9-10 AM
Auditions will take place from 10-5 PM
University of the Arts
Caplan Studio Theatre
211 S. Broad Street, 16th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102


Boston - January 29th and 30th
Sign in 9-10 AM
Auditions will take place from 10-6 PM
The Boston Conservatory
Room A3C
1108 Boylston Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Please prepare a song of your choice that shows off your soprano range.
Please bring sheet music as an accompanist will be provided along with a headshot and resume STAPLED TOGETHER.
All dates and locations are subject to change.
Please check back for specific locations and times.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://disney.go.com/theatre/auditions/#/auditions/arielsearch/

Updated On: 1/15/09 at 05:39 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 6:05pm

I got nervous and thought this was going to be a reality show...

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 6:09pm

Who said it isn't? Dun dun dun!!!

[me2]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 9:14pm

I'm surprised they haven't courted Laura Osnes, who has made it known she'd love to do the role.
Broadway Mouth: Izzy’s First Musical: High School Musical 3 (Part 1, Her Response)

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 9:18pm

ABC must be taping these auditions.

"Crystal clear 'flawless' belt to E"

Who says flawless in a casting call?

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 9:22pm

I'll have to break the bad news to my fourteen-year-old alto sister, who is bent on replacing Sierra Boggess. (I'm actually NOT kidding about this.)

[skb2010]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 9:22pm

I'd totally go if I wasn't too big to wear the costume.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 9:31pm

Why is there not an audition date in New York..?

Odd.

[BroadwayDream1012]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:13pm

As soon as I read the title for this thread my heart skipped a beat when the thought came up that it might be a reality show. Thank heavens it's not!
And I do have to agree...why didn't they contact Laura? I still believe she'd be amazing in the role.

[skb2010]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:15pm

It's Disney. There will definitely be cameras.

[MerMaggieGalinda]

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:17pm

Is it bad that I kind of want to audition for this? Too bad I couldn't make it to any of the cities. I probably wouldn't get too far anyway. And I still have to finish high school.
Updated On: 1/15/09 at 10:17 PM

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 11:33am

They'll probably show it as a little feature on Disney Channel (like the Disney 365 bits) and tell you to come see the new Ariel!

That description is interesting.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 12:02pm

I wouldn't be surprised if bits of it were shown on Disney Channel and in Disney Stores across the country.

And I, also, noticed the lack of a NY audition date. Perhaps this is just a publicity stunt and they're having private/Equity auditions in NYC and the other cities are just for show.

And I wouldn't count Laura Osnes out on this one quite yet.

Updated On: 1/16/09 at 12:02 PM

[mikeyb16]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 1:04pm

I hope Kerry Butler auditions. I really want her to play Ariel she would be brill! :)

[NewYorkYankee2006]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 5:50pm

i think laura osnes would be perfect for the role of ariel as she is pretty, young and in the interview videos she has given ('ask a star' & 'max and laura says goodbye to grease') on broadway.com, she has mentioned that she would like to maybe transfer over to THE LITTLE MERMAID and that people has said to her by the stage door that she has a disney voice so...who knows? maybe she will be cast if they cant find anyone else?

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 6:16pm

No cameras, not enough time.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 6:59pm

mikeyb16, Kerry was the workshop Ariel. Many people prefer her to Sierra. I just think she's too old, and Sierra's voice blows her out of the water.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 1/16/09 at 7:18pm

I love me some Kerry, but I agree.

What is a clear, flawless belt anyways?

[That Girl]

Posted: 1/17/09 at 10:11am

I would love to see Laura in this role-I think she would be perfect.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 12:17pm

Has anyone here been to one of those "open calls"? As more and more time goes by I'm getting convinced that this is not a serious casting call but rather a gimmick to get people interested.

Updated On: 2/3/09 at 12:17 PM

[actormcfamous]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 12:31pm

Eris0303 - a good friend of mine went to an open call a few weeks ago and is headed to New York tomorrow for a round of callbacks this weekend. So while the odds are not very high of getting seen a second time, Disney does appear to be actually taking them seriously.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 12:45pm

No cameras, not enough time.

I'm sure they had the arrangements for the places made long before the open call went out. They likely would have had plenty of time to get cameras in there if they wanted them.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 1:00pm

"Eris0303 - a good friend of mine went to an open call a few weeks ago and is headed to New York tomorrow for a round of callbacks this weekend. So while the odds are not very high of getting seen a second time, Disney does appear to be actually taking them seriously."

I wish your friend all of the best in her callbacks. Has she signed any confidentiality agreement? If not I'm sure there would be people on the board interested in reading about her experiences and what it was like to audition for Disney.

That being said I'm still not 100% convinced. What bugs me the most is the lack of a NYC open audition. Why? To me NYC is the most obvious place to hold an open audition. Casting someone already local to NYC would be the easier thing to do.

I'm still pondering earlier thought that there ARE NYC audtions but they're Private/Equity. Another thought is that even though they said the role is for Broadway I'm wondering if there is, indeed, a tour in the works and their keeping their eyes open for a tour Ariel.

I just think there's a lot more to this than meets the eye.

When is Sierra leaving? Auditions start in April so let's guess the new Ariel's opening night would be May. Is this was something they were planning on airing it would have to be on fairly soon. I would think that we would have heard more buzz about it by now.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 1:07pm

^^I though Sierra had extended until May, so that would make sense.

Disney might just want to find some new talent beyond NYC. They didn't hit too many places and in the long-run would an unknown be cheaper? The Little Mermaid sells tickets based on its name alone (the audience burst into applause the second the orchestra started playing when I saw it), so I don't think they need a name.

That being said, Laura would be a decent choice and probably not too expensive, either. Maybe she got an audition through the NYC Equity auditions I'm sure they had/are having as well. I'm not familiar with Equity rules...can you appear in a Broadway show without an Equity card and use that role to earn an Equity card?

[BillFinn]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 4:15pm

My friend almost got called back. The casting people told her she did everything spectacular. It's her height that got her. 5'10".