Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival 2012
– Equity Performer Auditions / PA
Center Valley, PA LOA and SPT (both approval/salary level pending. 2011 minimum weekly salaries: SPT: $538; LOA: $613).
Producing Artistic Dir: Patrick Mulcahy
Assoc Artistic Dir: Dennis Razze
Equity Performer Auditions (Principal/Chorus):
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 Labuda Center for the Performing Arts
9 AM – 12:30PM – Accompanist provided DeSales University Campus
1:30 PM – 5 PM – No accompanist 2755 Station Avenue
Lunch from 12:30 – 1:30. Center Valley, PA
Directions:
www.pashakespeare.org
No appointment necessary. The producer will run all aspects of this call. Equity Performer Audition procedures are not in effect, and no Equity Monitor will be provided.
Please prepare one of the following two audition options:
a) Prepare 32 bars of a song and/or a 90-second monologue that will illuminate your ability to play a role in SWEENEY TODD and/or any of the plays. If singing, attend the morning session and bring sheet music; accompanist provided 9 – 12:30 only.
or
b) Prepare a brief monologue from one of the plays, or a monologue that will illuminate your ability to play one of the roles. Actors interested in the Shakespeare plays should prepare a brief Shakespearean monologue.
Please bring a photo and resume, stapled back-to-back.
2012 season. All dates are in 2012. Positions that will be (or may be) on Equity contracts are listed. All listed positions are available unless otherwise specified.
LOA productions:
SWEENEY TODD Score: Stephen Sondheim. Book: Hugh Wheeler. Dir: Dennis Razze. Choreo: Erin Hurley. Mus Dir: Vincent Trovato. 1st reh: 5/22. Runs 6/15-7/1.
Mrs. Nellie Lovett:
40-50. “A vigorous, slatternly woman in her forties.” Sly and crafty entrepreneur who runs a pie shop and makes meat pies. Has a distinct Cockney accent. Although hard-hearted, she has romantic feelings for Mr. Todd, and displays signs of love and maternal feeling for Toby. Mezzo soprano (F#-E).
Judge Turpin:
50s-60s. Wealthy. Villain of the play. Lusts after young women, and has a cruel, sadistic nature. Bass (E2-F4).
Beadle Bamford:
30-45. Opportunistic and obsequious public official; assistant to the Judge. High tenor up to D5, plus falsetto soprano range (sopranista or “soprano maschio”).
Adolfo Pirelli / Danny O’Higgins:
35-45, an Irishman masquerading as an Italian barber and mountebank, rival to Sweeney Todd. Inflated ego. Mock Italian operatic tenor (up to C5).
Beggar Woman:
35-45. Mad, homeless, with a filthy tongue. Her cries go unheeded. She is comic, tragic, pitiful and repulsive. Her insanity is broken by flashes of insight and unease about the illegal activity playing out behind closed doors. Role for a strong singer who uses both chest and head voice (G below staff-F#).
Anthony Hope:
18-25. Handsome young sailor, befriended by Todd, whom he has rescued during the voyage home. Trusting, optimistic, romantic; prepared to fight for his beliefs. Somewhat innocent of the darker side of society, and naïve to the ulterior motives of others who try to use him for their own needs. Lyric tenor up to F#.
Bird Seller:
25-35. Preferably cast with a strong tenor. Ensemble.
Passerby:
30-40 (“middle-aged”). Cockney dialect needed. Strong singer. Ensemble.
Jonas Fogg:
30-45. Cruel, Dickensian master of Fogg’s Asylum. Strange-looking middle-aged man with angular features. Strong singer. Ensemble.
Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker:
CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. 40-50. “Saturnine … might be a blacksmith or a dockhand.” Brooding, self-absorbed. Chilling presence. Bass-baritone (F#2-F#4).
Running in rep:
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare. Dir: James J. Christy. 1st reh: 6/8. Runs 7/13-8/5.
Production is set in Italy.
Benedick:
30s-40s. Man’s man, playing the confirmed military bachelor. Witty, attractive and more than a little excitable and comic. Must have a confident, easy social aura and a sexual playfulness. Not crucial that he be particularly handsome if he has personal charisma. Adheres to a traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women, but not rigidly. Actor will also play a role (possibly Brick or Gooper, see below) in CAT.
Leonato:
50s-70s. Benign paterfamilias. Up for a good time. Well-meaning, witty, but capable of pretty nasty patriarchal rage when he thinks his honor has been compromised. Adheres to a traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Don Pedro:
40s-50s. Must have a regal bearing as the overlord of Sicily and a distinguished military leader. That said, he possesses an easy social grace, wit and playfulness, and even some vulnerability to Beatrice. But when it comes to honor, he can have a fierce coldness about him. Adheres to a traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Don John:
20s-40s. The lighter “Iago” of the piece, a self-defined villain, who loves to make mischief. Rebelled against his brother’s rule; was defeated, and holds a big grudge. While he must be a bad guy, there could be a bit of absurdity in him. Adheres to a traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women and exploits it. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Claudio:
20s. Somewhat naïve young soldier. Has good social graces and a romantic disposition. His inexperience makes him an easy prey to jealousy. He also adheres to a traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women. When he turns on Hero, we must feel the real heat of his emerging sense of male honor, not the whining of a hurt schoolboy-- an ingénu with some dark power. Actor may play a role in CAT.
Antonio:
50s-60s. Another benign old gentleman, with a good heart. Supports the traditional Italian male code of honor concerning women, but not inflexibly. Could be slightly odd or idiosyncratic. Margaret speaks of the waggling of his head. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Dogberry:
40s-60s. The provincial clown of the piece. Has pretentions to learning and to legal prowess that lead him into endless malapropisms and foolish behavior. Given the setting, the pretentions of an incompetent Italian policeman would be appropriate. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Borachio:
20s-40s. Underling to Don John; almost seems like his keeper, but is open to any scheme with money attached. Also a bit of a ladies’ man, conducting a flirtation/affair with Margaret, whom he employs in a dark scheme to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro. Actor may also play a role in CAT.
Beatrice:
Late 20s-30s. Merry, witty, attractive (not necessarily a knockout, but with a good deal of allure and charisma). Has had some disappointments in the past that cause pretty strong defenses in the matchmaking game—she handles this with consummate wit and charm. Also a person of deep feeling, she is finally capable of unguarded passion, but also possesses a deep loyalty to Hero that awakens a real fury at the mindless male honor code. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
Ursula:
20s-50s. Companion to Hero. Full of high spirits enthusiasm and nosiness. Like Margaret, she enjoys a good trick, and has a hearty bawdy streak. Actor will also play a role in CAT.
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF by Tennessee Williams. Dir: Thomas Ouellette. 1st reh: 6/8. Runs 7/21-8/5.
All characters are Southern. Each actor will also play a role in MUCH ADO.
Brick Pollitt:
Man, 25-35. Handsome, charming. Former athlete, but still in good shape. Heavy drinker; uses liquor to mask self-loathing and doubt. Beloved son of Big Daddy and Big Mama, despite his flaws. Married to Maggie.
Maggie:
23-33. Sensual, self-assured, a fighter. Married to Brick and deeply devoted to him, despite their sexless marriage.
Big Daddy Pollitt:
65. Very Southern. Affectionately dubbed a “Mississippi redneck”. Brash, no-nonsense. A large presence—in every sense. Wealthy plantation owner. Married to Big Mama, father to Gooper and Brick.
Big Mama Pollitt:
63. Very Southern. Large. Earnest, but crude. Breathless and emotional. Sincere. Devoted to -- but cowed by -- her husband, Big Daddy. Mother of Brick and Gooper.
Gooper Pollitt:
Man, 28-38. First-born of Big Daddy and Big Mama, but not the favorite. Desperate and grabbing. Corporate lawyer. Resentful of his parents and Brick. Married to Mae.
Mae Flynn Pollitt:
25-35. Former Southern belle who has not aged well. Entitled and grasping. Married to Gooper; mother to four children, with another on the way.
Dr. Baugh:
Man, 35-55. Kindly and deferential. Family doctor who initially deceives Big Daddy about his health.
Reverend Tooker:
Man, 35-55. Local preacher, eager to be taken care of when Big Daddy passes. Even-tempered and engaging, if self-centered.
SPT productions:
THE TEMPEST by William Shakespeare. Dir: Jim Helsinger. 1st reh: 5/29. Runs 6/22-7/15.
Caliban:
Male, any ethnicity, 20s-40s. A beast/fish/monster on the island. Son of a witch. Athletic, powerful and agile. Seeking actor who can perform both serious classical and comedy. Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.
Miranda:
Woman, 20s. Young. Innocent. Naïve. Tomboyish. Prospero’s daughter. Has never seen a human other than Prospero and Caliban. In love with Ferdinand.
Ariel:
Female or male, 20s (Theatre states that it prefers to cast the role as female). A flying spirit on the Island. A mischief maker. Desires freedom, but loves Prospero like a father. Seeking an acrobat, singer. Prefer actors who are 5'0" or shorter. Actors of all ethnicities encouraged to audition.
Stephano:
Man, 30s-40s. Clown role. A drunken butler. Actor must be good with Shakespeare comedy.
Trinculo:
Man or woman, 30-50, Clown role. A drunken butler. Actor must be good with Shakespeare comedy.
Ferdinand:
Man, 20s, Alonso’s son. In love with Miranda. Young ingénu-type. Athletic build.
Antonio:
Man, 50s. Villain. Prospero’s brother, the usurping Duke of Milan. Power-hungry schemer; will stop at nothing to achieve his ambitions.
Sebastian:
Man, 30s-40s. King’s brother. Another power-hungry schemer. Not a villain yet, but may become one.
Alonso:
Man, 50s. King of Naples. Grieving for the loss of his son.
Prospero:
CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. Man, 50-60. The exiled Duke of Milan. An all-powerful wizard. Miranda’s father. Role for an excellent classical actor with strong verse skills.
Gonzalo:
CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. Man, 60s. Honest. Eternal optimist. Role for a good comic.
KING JOHN by William Shakespeare. Dir TBA. 1st reh: 7/20. Runs 7/25-8/5.
Hubert de Burgh:
30s-40s. Angiers politician. Ordered by John to murder Arthur, but is moved by the boy’s pleading, and sends him into hiding.
Philip the Bastard:
20s-30s. Illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart and Lady Faulconbridge. Named Sir Richard and Plantagenet by King John. Dislikes the hypocrisy of court life, but displays courage in battle and loyalty to England.
Arthur:
Teens-20s. The king’s nephew and rightful heir. Bravely tries to calm both his mother and Hubert, his designated murderer. Dies trying to escape.
King Philip II:
30s-50s. The French king. Backs Arthur’s claim to the English throne, but then makes peace with John, later breaking the truce under threat of excommunication.
Cardinal Pandulph:
50s-60s. Scheming papal envoy. Urges Lewis to invade England, then orders his withdrawal after John bows to papal authority.
Constance:
40s. Arthur’s widowed mother. Becomes hysterical when she realizes her son will be killed.
Queen Eleanor:
50s-70s. King John’s mother. Endorses John’s right to be king, and condones the murder of her grandson.
Blanche:
20s. The king’s niece. Marries the Dauphin.
Ensemble Male:
Track age: 20s-30s. Actor plays an assortment of earls and lords, etc.
King John:
CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. 40s-50s. Vain, cruel and indecisive. Surrenders French territories in exchange for a failed peace agreement, orders his nephew’s murder and defies Rome, before bowing to papal power.
Theatre’s statement: “Equity members of all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to attend.”
Note from Equity: Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will announce Equity auditions to be held in Philadelphia and New York City shortly. Watch for separate notices.
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