LES MISERABLES - The Jefferson Performing Arts Society Non Equity Auditions

METAIRIE (LA), October 31, 2014 -

Auditions will be held:

Reservations for auditions are required. To reserve an audition slot go to
www.jpas.org. Questions about auditions should be emailed to
audition@jpas.org. Please no phone calls!

Video submissions for those who are unable to attend in person may be submitted by email to
audition@jpas.org no later than 5 pm on November 22. Email submissions should follow the same guidelines as live auditions, and should include a resume and head shot and a link to a video audition.

What to prepare:

If you are auditioning for a specific character, please see the character descriptions and required audition songs listed below. Also prepare a 60 sec monologue of your choice. We also encourage individuals to prepare a second song to showcase their talents for consideration in future JPAS productions.

If you are auditioning for Ensemble only, please prepare a one-minute audition song of your choice (roughly 32 bars), and an optional 60 sec. monologue of your choice.

An accompanist will be provided. Please bring sheet music for any song that is not in the required list below.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

(All characters are open to any ethnicity)

Jean Valjean: (Male, 35-55) sings to B (high lyric baritone or tenor with strong low notes), a poor peasant who rises to affluence, has great natural nobility and dignity, a powerful figure, ideally a large man with a character of operatic size and passion, the voice needs to have a pop/rock sound or a classical sound of extraordinary textual clarity. Audition song - Bring Him Home

Javert: (Male, 35-55) baritone, sings to G, a policeman who relentlessly hunts Valjean, ideally a large man, the ultimate law and order figure, obsessed, to the point of irrationality, with a rigid and merciless moral code, he too is a character of operatic size and passion, both belt voice and classical can suit this role, but the voice must have a darker quality than Jean Valjean. Audition song - Stars

Thenardier: (Male, 35-55) strong comic character role, a crooked innkeeper, later a petty, amoral thief, greedy, irreverent, selfish, boorish, vulgar, baritone, sings to F sharp. Audition song - Master of the House

Marius: (Male. 20-35) high baritone (sings to A) with a strong bottom (to A), a member of the revolutionary student movement, attractive and romantic, but in a sensitive, 19th-century Byronic way. Audition song - Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Enjolras: (Male, 20-35) high baritone (to G sharp/A), very strong singer, a charismatic political figure, the leader of the revolutionary movement. Audition song - Do You Hear the People Sing?

Fantine: (Female, 20-35) belt up to C, sings to E flat, a poor factory girl, struggling to support her fatherless daughter, later is a pauper, a prostitute, a consumptive, and a ghost, earthy and poignant, although finally defeated by circumstances, she should be slight of build but appear to be strong and a survivor, puts up a valiant fight against the horrors of her life. Audition song - I Dreamed a Dream

Cosette: (Female, 18-35) Fantine's daughter (first seen as and played by a child), delicate, elegant, vulnerable, and beautiful, falls in love with and later marries Marius, soprano (to high C), but requires a light, young floating sound, without heavy vibrato. Audition song - In My Life

Eponine: (Female, 18-35) an enormous and beautiful belt voice (to C in belt; sings to E flat), the daughter of the Thenardiers, but in no way behaves like them, fired by an unrequited love for Marius, small, gamine, hasn't learned to disguise her emotions, wears her heart on her sleeve. Audition song - On My Own

Madame Thenardier: (Female, 35-55) tough, sharp, coarse, boorish, vulgar, strong character comedienne role, belter (G sharp below middle C to D) Audition song - Master of the House

Additionally, the ENSEMBLE plays a key role in Les Miserables. There are many featured roles/solos throughout the show and all are key to driving the piece forward. Characters include: The Students, The Chain Gang, farmers, workers, prostitutes, gentlemen, robbers, and many others. We are looking for over twenty ensemble members and interested in many different physical and vocal types.