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Breakdown
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
LOA PRODUCTIONS
LES MISERABLES
music: Claude-Michel Schonberg
lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer
book: Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil
Dir: Dennis Razze
Choreo: Stephen Casey
Music Dir: J. Bennett Durham.
1st reh: 5/19. Runs 6/10-6/28
JEAN VALJEAN
40s-60. Hero. Stronger than other men, physically robust. Mature; paternal. Ability to change is greatest asset. Great humanity, compassion. Vocally demanding. Range: Tenor - Low G#3 to High B5
JAVERT
40s-60. Inspector, antagonist. Appears to be the villain, but not an evil man. Profound sense of duty. Sees everything in black & white; unswerving in pursuit of justice. Stern, foreboding, lacking in compassion. Must have very strong, hard-edged presence & voice. Strong singer/actor. Range: Low F3 to High F#5
THENARDIER
40s-60s. True villain & comic relief. Amoral & an opportunist. Wicked sense of humor. Delights in cheating, robbing, fraud, blackmail. Tough, greedy, brutal, stupid, crafty, yet irresistible. Strong character role. Doesn't have to be a great singer. Range: G#3 to G5
ENJOLRAS
late 20s, student leader; old soul. Handsome, brave, daring, very mature for his age. Thinker & man of action. Charismatic, confident. Dominates physically & vocally on barricade. Strong, confident presence & voice. Range: Tenor or High Baritone - A3 to G#5
MARIUS
20s. Handsome romantic hero. Impulsive, awkward, naïve, but matures. Lovely lyrical voice with contemporary edge. Range: B flat 3 to A Flat 5
BISHOP OF DIGNE
50s or 60s. Saves Valjean with his compassion. Strong supporting role. Needs very lyric, compassionate, soothing voice. (should understudy Valjean or Javert). Range: A3 to E5
FANTINE
mid-20s-mid-30s. Beautiful, abandoned, left to fend for herself & daughter Cosette. Rejected by society; forced thru circumstances to become prostitute. Brave woman defeated by life; clinging to dignity. Requires mature actress capable of & comfortable with raw, exposed emotions. Goes from wistful to bitter to heartbroken to shouting at God, all in one song. Physical & emotional pain needs to be very real. Vocal Range: D3-E flat 5
COSETTE
18. Fantine's daughter. Intelligent, inquiring, personable girl. Adopted by Jean Valjean, lives comfortable, if secluded life. Strong willed; loving. Falls instantly in love with Marius. Excellent singer with lovely, lyrical soprano voice. Vocal range: B flat 3 to C6
EPONINE
18. Daughter of the Thenardiers. Young, streetwise, tough, also sensitive, lonely. Hopelessly in love with Marius, knowing he will never love her. Bravely follows Marius to the barricades in hope they will die there together. Strong singing/acting. Range: F3 to E5
MADAME THENARDIER
30s-50s. Drunk, coarse, vulgar wife of Thenardier. They are partners in crime. Unhappy in her existence without knowing why. Greedy, evil, larger than life. Mean, nasty to Little Cosette. Strong character actress. Range: G#3 to D5
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HENRY V
by William Shakespeare
Dir: Matt Pfeiffer.
1st reh: 6/5. Runs 7/18-8/2. In rep with THE FOREIGNER.
Most actors will also play a role in THE FOREIGNER. Musical ability & stage combat experience a plus for all roles.
Seeking:
Henry
20-30s. Previous experience with Shakespeare & stage combat a must. Earnest man who faces 1st major crisis in his leadership. Must transcend perception he’s an untested leader & guide his nation & army in battle against France. Compassionate, wise, beyond his years. Above all, has firm belief that his journey is in God’s hands.
Exeter
Male 50s-60s. Henry’s uncle. Strong, loyal lord, soldier. Henry’s most trusted advisor. Gifted statesman, with strong balance of wit, fortitude.
Westmorland
Male 40s-60s. Trusted advisor, military leader for King Henry. More measured in approach. Chooses very wisely when to be heard. At times more dubious about his army’s chances in the war
Bedford
Male 20s-40s. Combination of Bedford, Clarence, Gloucester, York & Warwick. Younger lord; is inexperienced in ways of war. Loyal/trusted ally to Henry. Nobility & bravery are evident on battlefield.
Canterbury/Scroop/Fluellen
Male 40s-50s. Fluellen: loyal/proud Welsh soldier, (Welsh accent). Often comic relief. Brave; powerful warrior. Canterbury: manipulative, clever priest who can see all angles of opportunity. Has steadfast belief in Henry & is prepared to do everything to ensure King’s success. Scroop: Conspirator; attempts to betray King Henry.
Ely/Pistol
Male 40s-50s. Pistol: braggart & liar with big mouth. Loyal to his Bardolph & Nym. Flawed man, broken by war. Ely: wealthy, powerful clergyman, who plays 2nd fiddle to Canterbury.
Cambridge/Constable/Williams
Male 30s-40s. Constable: pragmatic but proud leader for France. Strong field captain for French army. Williams: Soldier in Henry’s army. Young in age; older in spirit. Suspicious of King & this war; not afraid to speak his truth. Cambridge: Conspirator; attempts to betray King Henry.
Bardolph/King of France
Male 40s-60s. Bardolph: drunken but lovable thief. Follows lead of Nym & Pistol, but lacks knack for staying out of trouble. Wistful about old adventures with young Prince Hal. King of France; wise King; yearns to be free of England; has been defeated by them many times before. Wary of war; understands consequences of inaction.
Nym/Dauphin
Male 20s-30s. Dauphin: arrogant, foolish Prince; sees war as opportunity to prove mettle as leader & warrior. No interest in debate; inclined to hyperbole & action. Nym: knife-wielding lovable thief; wants respect above all. Willing to engage in a fight, but still a follower; not leader.
Quickly/Alice
Female 50s-60s. Quickly: old tavern/brothel owner; watched world change many times. Survivor; grieves for past & prays for future. Alice: Katherine's maid. Teaches Katherine English. Kind & supportive presence; wise to rest of world & its ways.
Katherine/Boy
Female 20s-30s. Musical ability & stage combat a plus. Boy: Sensitive; impressionable. Youngest to observe the war; tries to process & learn from all he sees. Katherine: Young, inexperienced Princess of France. Pawn in the peace agreement; has enough sense to play the game. No say in her future; she’s passionate & skilled enough to come to her own conclusions about what lies ahead & how to control it.
The following roles are CAST.
Chorus/Montjoy/Harfleur/et. al.
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THE FOREIGNER
by Larry Shue
Dir: Jim Helsinger.
1st reh: 6/5. Runs 7/10-8/2. In rep with HENRY V.
NOTE: Most or all actors will also play a role in HENRY V.
“Froggy” LeSueur
Male 40s. British Army explosives instructor, visiting nearby Army base. Cockney accent! Seems well-fed, flushed with spirit of adventure & right at home.
Charlie Baker
35-40s. Froggy’s best friend, however, completely different in personality. Has British accent, but not Cockney.
Betty Meeks
Late 50s-70s. Owns Fishing Lodge Resort; native of the South; good-hearted; used to hard work; wise in some ways, not so quick in others.
Rev. David Marshall Lee
late 20s-30s. Regular fella-humorous, open. Appears a good young man to have on our side. Friendly, open face. Neither the stereotypically pallid, remote young divinity student, nor the hearty, backslapping evangelist. Nice guy with dark side.
Catherine Simms
Late 20s-30s. David’s fiancée. Kind of a general all- around good’ gal; has her opinions; not afraid to share them.
Owen Musser
30s-40s. Smarmy redneck. Friend of David’s. ''Psychologists tell us to beware of a man with 2 tattoos. One he may have gotten drunk or on a dare, but two means he went back. Owen is a two-tattoo man.”
Ellard Simms
Male, teens- 20s. Catherine’s younger brother; not the brightest. “There doesn’t, we must admit, seem to be much to Ellard. Is a lumpy, overgrown, backward youth”
SPT PRODUCTIONS
SPT production:
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
by Mark Brown
Director: Russell Treyz.
1st reh: 5/26. Runs 6/17 -7/12. May extend to 7/16
Phileas Fogg: (30-50) A very particular Englishman - lives by an exacting schedule and code of honor and expects the same of all others. Very stuffy at the beginning, becomes somewhat human by the end.
Aouda: (20-40) A charming woman from India who learns to dare to speak up and have her own mind. This actress also plays several male roles (an English butler, a newspaper reporter, a priest, a monkey, and a panther)
The following roles are CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible replacements, should any become necessary.
Sir Francis Cromarty (30-50): A pompous English Army Field Officer: Also plays at least 17 other roles including a female English housekeeper. This role is a tour de force of quick changes and zany characters. It needs a superb comedian/comic.
Detective Fix (25-55): An English Detective from the Clouseau school of detectives. Somewhat a pompous fool. He also plays 7 other roles with rapid changes between them: A snobbish English club member; an Indian priest; a mature Indian Elephant Owner; a young Parsi elephant driver; a flamboyant English court clerk; and an American Frontier train conductor.
Passpartout (25-50): a French valet/butler who wishes to live the simple life but is caught up in the whirlwind of Fog’s journey. Also briefly plays an English Club member. Must be charming, vulnerable, and ebullient.
All actors also create sound effects and re-arrange simple furniture pieces to create settings and atmosphere.
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PERICLES
by William Shakespeare
No director – Elizabethan-style, brief rehearsal model.
1st reh: 7/17. Runs 7/22-8/2
Pericles: (30s-40s) Prince of Tyre, a decent and innocent man who confronts a series of misfortunes. A classic hero figure capable of great depth of feeling and melancholy.
Helicanus: (30s-40s) A lord of Tyre who rules in Pericles’s absence. Loyal and a good man.
Simonides: (50s-60s) The “good” King of Pentapolis, he allows his daughter Thaisa to marry Pericles.
Cleon: (40s-60s) Governor of Tarsus. Ruled by his wife, Dionyza. Accepts blame that is not his due.
Lysimachus: (30s-50s) Governor of Mytilene. Meets Marina in a brothel and is persuaded to honor her virginity.
Cerimon: (40s-60s) A kindly physician, he saves Thaisa’s life after she is thrown into the sea. A model of charity.
Dionyza: (40s-60s) Wife of Cleon. Jealous and envious, she conspires to have Marina murdered for overshadowing her daughter.
Thaisa: (30s-40s) Daughter of Simonides. Forthright and good.
Marina: (16-24) Daughter of Pericles and Thaisa. Raised as a royal but kidnapped and sold to a brothel. An angel of mercy and a healing presence.
Bawd: (40s-60s) Pander’s wife. Runs the brothel in Mytilene.
Some actors will play multiple roles.
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