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Breakdown
Preparation Instructions
For Plays please prepare either: 1) two contrasting monologues or 2) a side from the play for which you would like to be considered. Indicate which show and character you would like to read for when submitting. A reader will be provided for your audition.
For Musicals please prepare two contrasting sets of 16 bars of a musical theatre song. An accompanist will be provided; please bring sheet music.
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2016-17 SEASON
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, THE CHALK GARDEN, TIGER STYLE, THE WHO AND THE WHAT, and RIPCORD
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SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Book by James Lapine Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine
Dir: Peter DuBois
Boston University Theatre – Mainstage, LORT B+
1st reh: 8/16/16. Runs: 9/9 – 10/9/16 (possible extension to 10/16)
Time: Act I - 1884 to 1886. Act II - 1984
Place: Act I – an island in the Seine just outside Paris and George’s studio. Act II – an American art museum and on the island
Seeking:
GEORGE SEURAT:
25-40. Act 1: An artist obsessed with his work at the cost of his personal life. Act 2: Seurat’s burnt-out descendant and inventor-sculpture searching for his purpose. Vocal range: Ab4 – G#2. Tenor.
DOT / MARIE:
20-40. [DOT] - George’s headstrong, discontent mistress and occasional model. [MARIE] - George’s elderly wheelchair-bound grandmother. Vocal range: D5 – E3. Mezzo-Soprano.
OLD LADY / BLAIR DANIELS:
60-80. [OLD LADY] - George’s mother. A cranky and rather demanding fixture in the park. Finds solace in nostalgia. [BLAIR DANIELS] - an art critic. Vocal range: Eb5 – F#3. Mezzo-Soprano.
NURSE / MRS./ HARRIET PAWLING:
40-60. [NURSE] - The Old Lady’s attendant. Calming and assertive. [MRS.] - part of an American couple, married to Mr. [HARRIET PAWLING] - a patron of the arts. Vocal range: F4 – G3. Mezzo-Soprano.
JULES / BOB GREENBERG:
25-45. [JULES] - a rival artist. Callous, critical, shallow. Pursues his cook Frieda. [BOB GREENBERG] - a museum director. Vocal range: F4 – G2. Baritone.
YVONNE / NAOMI EISEN:
25-35. [YVONNE] - Jules’ pampered wife. Snippy and snooty. [NAOMI EISEN] - a composer. Vocal range: Eb5 – E3. Mezzo-Soprano.
LOUISE / BOY:
8-12. [LOUISE] - The spoilt, neglected daughter of Jules and Yvonne. And [BOY] Vocal range: Eb5 – G3. Mezzo-Soprano.
BOATMAN / DENNIS:
35-60. [BOATMAN] - A surly blue-collared laborer. Simple-minded and slovenly. [DENNIS] - a technician. Vocal range: Eb4 – Eb2. Baritone.
FRANZ / LEE RANDOLPH:
30-50. [FRANZ] - Jules’ disgruntled coachman and Frieda’s husband. Yearns for the Nurse. [LEE RANDOLPH] - the museum’s publicist. Vocal range: G4 – B2. Baritone.
FRIEDA / YOUNG MAN/ BETTY:
35-55. [FRIEDA] - Jules and Yvonne’s cook and Franz’s wife. Caring, positive surrogate nanny to Louise. Pursued by Jules. [YOUNG MAN] and [BETTY] - an artist. Vocal range: F5 – G3. Soprano.
SOLDIER / ALEX:
20-35. [SOLDIER] - A French military man. Polite and a gentleman. [ALEX] - an artist. Vocal range: F4 – A2. Baritone.
MR. / CHARLES REDMOND:
[MR] - Part of an American couple, married to Mrs. [CHARLES REDMOND] - a visiting curator. Vocal range: D#4 – Eb2. Baritone.
LOUIS / MAN/ BILLY WEBSTER:
35-55. [LOUIS] - A baker. Kind, friendly, and very popular, but a bit dull. [MAN] and [BILLY WEBSTER] - Harriet’s friend. Vocal range: A4 – B2. Baritone.
CELESTE #1 / ELAINE:
18-30. [CELESTE #1] - A young, gossipy, flirtatious shopgirl. [ELAINE] - George’s former wife. Vocal range: G5 – A3. Soprano.
CELESTE #2 / A PHOTOGRAPHER:
18-30. [CELESTE #2] - Another young, gossipy, flirtatious shopgirl. And [A PHOTOGRAPHER] Vocal range: Eb5 – G3. Soprano.
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THE CHALK GARDEN
by Enid Bagnold
By Enid Bagnold
Dir: Maria Aitken
Boston University Theatre – Mainstage, LORT B+
1st reh: 10/18/16. Runs: 11/11 – 12/11/16 (possible extension to 12/18)
Time: 1956
Place: A Manor house which border a Village Green in a in a village in Sussex. The soil is lime and chalk. The village is by the sea.
Seeking:
MRS. ST. MAUGHAM:
Role CAT. Female, 50s-70s. The Lady of the House. Charming, Elegant, Demanding, and Spiteful. Ruthless and matter of fact in giving her opinions and beliefs. Underneath her tart and dismissive put downs, is a lonely person who clings to her granddaughter LAUREL.
*Note this role has been cast; auditioning performers may be considered as possible replacements, should any become necessary
LAUREL:
Female, 14-20s. The charge and granddaughter of MRS. ST. MAUGHAM. Extremely intelligent and talented in deducing situations, a regular investigator. Highly strung. Quick witted. Mischievous. Perhaps a little disturbed. Knows how to work the room to her advantage. In trying to figure out her own demons, LARUEL’s fascination in figuring out MISS MADRIGALS’s past helps her reconcile her own insecurities.
OLIVIA:
Female, 30s-40s. The estranged daughter of MRS. ST. MAUGHAM, and mother of LAUREL. Currently remarried and pregnant. Her ideology on love, responsibility, and raising a child completely differ from her mother’s. She desperately wants to know LAUREL before it is too late. Loving in motives and definite action.
MISS MADRIGAL:
Female, 40-50s. LAUREL’s companion with a dark past behind her. An enigmatic and contained woman. Neat and non-committal in dress. Stoic and ever-vigilant. She is a solidary individual with an inner strength that is very apparent. A woman that holds an air of mystery. Caught between the present and her haunted past.
MAITLAND:
Male, 40-50s. The manservant. Eager to please. Carries the weight of the household on his back, as well as the interim Caretaker of LAUREL. Constantly being pushed to the limit of his patience and can be volatile with the never ending barrage of requests, corrections, and criticisms from MRS. ST. MAUGHAM. He is the crime obsessed, cohort of LAUREL.
THE JUDGE:
Male, 50s-70s. An old friend of MAUGHAM, who is also an esteemed court judge. Empathetic and somewhat world-weary. He is a man, whose judgement can raise a person or condemn them. Which weighs on him. His arrival sparks the illumination of MISS MADRIGAL’s past. He aims to make the just and right decision, always.
NURSE:
Female, 30s-60s. Nurse to the household’s former butler, PINKBELL. Stiff, reproachful and acidic in delivery.
SECOND APPLICANT:
Female, 30s-50s. An Applicant for LAUREL’s companion. Bird-like and nervous in nature. She is always a-flutter. Eager to please. All nerves.
THIRD APPLICANT:
Female, 30s-50s. An Applicant for LAUREL’s companion. Full of herself and life. Dramatic in nature. Nosey, with high standards.
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TIGER STYLE!
By Michael Lew
Dir: Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Virginia Wimberly Theatre, LORT C
1st reh: 9/20/16. Runs: 10/14 – 11/13/16. (possible extension to 11/19)
Time: Now
Place: Irvine, America. And also the Shenzen Special Economic Zone, China.
Seeking:
RUSS THE BUS/REGGIE/CUSTOMS GUY:
Male, Caucasian. 30s. [RUSS THE BUS] - ALBERT’s dude-bro co-worker. A professional slacker. Irreverent. Care-free and lazy. [REGGIE] - JENNIFER’s freeloader boyfriend. A musician, who installs sound systems. An aimless commitaphobe. His dignity is a little bruised by JENNIFER’s accomplishments. [CUSTOMS GUY] - He is an A-typical rule keeper airport official. HE is paid to make snap judgments about travelers entering the United States. Has the inflated confidence of a mediocre white male. Somewhat condescending and racist.
The following roles have been CAST. Actors may be considered for possible replacements
*ALBERT CHEN:
Role CAST. Male, Asian, late 20s – early 30s. ALBERT is a smart, but stunted computer programmer for a medical software company. A reluctant leader. Hot headed, arrogant, and easily angered when confronted by others. He is struggling with his sister JENNIFER to find where he stands between American culture and Asian.
*JENNIFER CHEN:
Role CAST. Female, Asian. late 20s - 30s. JENNIFER is a professional clinical oncologist with perfect dentistry. Smart, competitive, determined, and very intense. She strongly believes IQ and goals are everything, which makes her hesitant to deal with the messiness of emotions. Hates change, of any kind. She is neither self-aware nor self-actualized. Bonded with her brother, ALBERT, in the journey to find where they fit in.
*TZI CHUAN/MELVIN/DAD/GENERAL LEE:
Role CAST. Male, Asian. 40s – 60s. [TZI CHUAN] - A Communist Party official posing as an older, crazy Chinese man. He is tactless and inquisitive. He is oddly sage, as well as a huge fan of punny Bureaucrat jokes. Also plays [MELVIN] - ALBERT’s point-blank straight forward boss. Direct. Cold. Un-forgiving. He is out of touch with his employees working dynamics. He practices subjective decision-making. And, [DAD - An engineer by way of laundry people. A survivalist. Reasonable and practical. He practices tough love to his children JENNIFER and ALBERT. Gave his children every possible opportunity for education and advancement. [GENERAL LEE] - Hard, domineering Communist Party official. Master of Chinese double-speak, the “humble brag.”
*THERAPIST/MOM/COUSIN CHEN/MATCHMAKER:
Role CAST. Female, Asian. 40s – 60s. [THERAPIST] - Experienced professional. Very in touch with her feelings. Sweet, abiding, and really wants to make a difference. Is there to genuinely listen and help JENNIFER, until she pulls her into her insecurity spiral and gives the stone cold facts. [MOM] - A chemist by way of cabbage people. UCLA professor. A bit sneaky, underhanded, and obsessive about her children upbringing – in a caring, concerned way. Tortured her children with love into overachieving. [COUSIN CHEN] - DAD’s sister’s daughter. Chinese-born. Honest and street smart. Willing to make great sacrifices for family. Direct and truthful in speech. [MATCHMAKER] - Clinical, detached, and official. A true bureaucratic professional.
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THE WHO AND THE WHAT
By Ayad Akhtar
Dir: M. Bevin O’Gara
Virginia Wimberly Theatre, LORT C
1st reh: 3/7/17. Runs: 3/31- 4/30/17 (possible extension to 5/6)
Time: Now
Seeking:
ZARINA:
Female, Late 20s-30s. South-Asian origin, American born. A novelist. Gimlet-gazed, lovely, though her appearance is already lightly worn from worry. Passionate, headstrong, and brilliant. Slowly getting over recent heartache, and through it struggling to figure out where she fits in the Islamic religion and herself; as a person and a woman. The end goal of someday finishing her book is what is keeping her afloat.
MAHWISH:
Female, Early to Late 20s. South-Asian origin, American born. Light and carefree. Even lovelier than her sister ZARINA – a real knockout. A rule follower. Happy living in a bubble. A bit of a pushover. MAHWISH is worried about losing her boyfriend before it is too late, needs ZARINA to stop hiding away from love and find a man to settle down with so she can do the same.
AFZAL:
Male, Late 50s. South-Asian origin. ZARINA and MAHWISH’s gregarious, larger-than-life father. A widower. Caring but overbearing. Sentimental with a temper. Used to being the boss. Noticeable Indo-Pak accent. Blunt. Above all he desires a good future for both of his girls, where they are protected, looked after, happy and safe.
ELI:
Male, 30. White. A Muslim convert. Not particularly handsome, but very soulful. A passionate do-gooder. Dignified, restrained, and intelligent. Loyal. Community Organizer. The imam of a local mosque. Struggling to turn his righteous rag into active love
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RIPCORD
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Dir: Jessica Stone
Virginia Wimberly Theatre, LORT C
1st reh: 5/2/17. Runs: 5/26 – 6/25/17 (possible extension to 7/8)
Time: Now
Place: Mostly a double room at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility in suburban New Jersey.
Seeking:
ABBY BINDER:
Female, 60s-80s. She is a blunt, no nonsense, stern resident at Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. She uses her biting humor to prohibit people from getting close to her. Her past has left her with a simmering bitterness. Roommate with MARIYLN, and wants the room to herself, and will get it by any means necessary.
MARILYN DUNNE:
Female, 60s-80s. ABBY’s chipper chatterbox roommate at Bristol Place Senior Living. A warm and pleasant personality, she always means the best. Her strength lies in her ability to always keep her chipper cool, even in the extreme situations. Ultimately she is looking for a friend.
BENJAMIN:
Male, 30s-40s. The estranged son of ABBY. Reculsive and shy. Rough around the edges. A former addict who has relapse many times. He is trying to make a better life, and comes to make amends with his mother. Also Plays, LEWIS: MARILYN’s son who is also a Sky diving instructor. Knowlegdable and lively. And CLOWN: an actor in a haunted house who plays an evil clown that tries to steal and eat a baby.
SCOTTY:
Male, 20s-30s. A bright, dedicated, and committed resident aide at Bristol Place Senior Living. An aspiring actor. He is trying to do his job to the best of his ability, and make MARILYN and ABBY happy. But will not shy away from putting his foot down with MARILYN when needed.
COLLEEN/WOMAN IN WHITE:
Female, 30s-40s. [COLLEEN] - The bright, sunny, light-hearted, perky, quirky, caring daughter of MARILYN and wife of DEREK. High Energy like her mother but with more fierceness. Will go to extreme lengths to help her mother win the room, and to gain a friend. [WOMAN IN WHITE] - An actress in a haunted house who is trying to save her baby from the CLOWN.
DEREK/ZOMBIE BUTLER/MASKED MAN:
Male, 30s-40s. [DEREK] - COLLEEN’s other half, literally and figuratively. More realistic and reserved than his wife. Always caucious, and worried. [ZOMBIE BUTLER] - An actor who is leading the haunted house tour. And also plays [MASKED MAN].
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