McCarter Theatre Center 2012-13 Season – EPAs by Appointment
(Princeton, NJ)
LORT C/ LORT B+ (Currently $710/week-Berlind Theatre, $832/week -Matthews Theatre)
Artistic Director: Emily Mann
Associate Producer / Local Casting Director: Adam Immerwahr
Equity Principal Auditions by Appointment
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the McCarter Theatre Center
10 AM – 6 PM 91 University Place
Lunch from 1 - 2. Princeton, NJ
For an appointment, email:
casting@mccarter.org or call (609) 258-6505. AEA members without appointments will be seen as time permits.
Each actor will have 3 minutes. Prepare either: 1) A brief monologue; or 2) A brief musical theater song; or 3) A one minute monologue and 16 bars of a musical theater song. If singing, please bring sheet music.
Please bring a picture and resume, stapled together, with contact information clearly printed on the resume.
Note: Aside from these local NJ EPAs, the theater intends on fulfilling its national EPA requirement with auditions in Philadelphia (to be announced at a later date) rather than in NYC this year.
No roles are understudied.
Note: The theater is interested in seeing actors of all ages and ethnicities, appropriate for a wide range of productions.
VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE
A world premiere play by Christopher Durang, directed by Nicky Martin. Produced in association with Lincoln Center. It’s a lovely day at Vanya and Sonia’s farmhouse in Bucks County, PA. But instead of spending the morning strolling through their cherry orchard, these wacky siblings have their hands full with a prophetic cleaning woman, a neighborhood costume party, and a surprise visit from their movie-star sister Masha and her studly new boy-toy, Spike.
1st rehearsal: August 7, 2012. Runs September 7 – October 7, 2012, with possible one week extension. Berlind Theatre. Equity Principal Auditions have already been held for this production.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Charles Dickens, adaptation by David Thompson.
Directed by Michael Unger with Choreography by Rob Ashford.
1st rehearsal: November 9, 2012. Runs December 2 – December 28, 2012. Matthews Theatre.
Ebenezer Scrooge: 50s-mid 60s. Quintessential curmudgeon, must have superb comic and dramatic range. Beneath the crusty exterior is a man seeking a connection. Involves flying. London Accent. Not posh, not cockney.
Bob Cratchit: 30s. Scrooge’s clerk, Cratchit has been worked to the bone. Once a lively man, he now worries about putting food on the table, but is still filled with hope and humor, despite his difficult existence. Any ethnicity.
Jacob Marley: Late 20s-Late 30s. Scrooge’s partner, an ambitious, practical man, with no sentimentality. Marley is a product of industrial England, he places money and financial stability above all else. Must move well. Any ethnicity.
Fred: 20s. High Baritone. Scrooge's nephew. An optimistic and kind young man. Witty and able to trade barbs with his Uncle. Should be an attractive leading man with a slightly goofy edge. Also plays the undertaker – a leering, creepy, grasping example of the underworld in Victorian England – cockney accent. Funny. Any ethnicity.
Young Scrooge: Early 20s. Scrooge before he is corrupted, a conflicted youth torn between the need for financial security and the desire to connect with other human beings. At this point, he still possesses a sense of fun and humor and, most importantly, he is still redeemable.
Fan / Solicitor 2: 20s. Fan is young and fragile. Scrooge’s devoted sister and Fred’s mother. Solicitor 2 is a giddy but determined young woman, who loves to tease, is good hearted and well-intentioned. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Fezziwig / Solicitor 1 / Laundress: 30s-40s. Mrs. Fezziwig: Ditzy and gabby, warm, convinced she and her daughter are great beauties. A good hearted meddler. In love with her husband and entirely convinced of the goodness of those around her and the bounty of the world. Solicitor 1: A strong woman who works for right. Quick with a joke though hard on those she considers stingy; Laundress: cockney, making what she can out of the despair of others; competitive, funny. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Dilber: 30s-early 40s. Scrooge’s dithering servant. Working class British. Quirky, funny and resigned. Comedienne with heart. A character woman. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Cratchit: 30s. Caring but fiery, she will defend her family at any price. She is the glue that holds her family together. Nurturing, warm, the salt of the earth. Working class London accent.
Lily/Belle: 20s-early 30s. Lily: Fred’s wife is a kind, graceful young woman. Lily always sees the best in people. She is tenacious and refuses to give up on Scrooge because she realizes how much family means to Fred. Belle: Scrooge’s fiancée who leaves him because of his obsession with money. A woman ahead of her time, Belle is fiercely idealistic. There is a sadness about her; she holds people to high standards and has been disappointed. Must sing and move extremely well. Dancer preferred. Chest mix to a D.
Mr. Fezziwig/Old Joe: 50s. Character man. Fezziwig: Young Scrooge’s boss, generous, expansive. Fezziwig is a kind hearted and jolly man, but not a fool. Has integrity. Old Joe: Cockney Pawnshop dealer who trades in stolen goods. Witty and devious, Joe is a distant relative of Dickens’ Fagin with a bawdy sense of humor. Any Ethnicity.
Christmas Present: 30s. Female. African American. Infectious spirit and warmth. Must have a real presence and sense of humor, wit, and mischief. Though maternal and earthy, she is powerful and has an implicit understanding of right and wrong.
A DELICATE BALANCE
By Edward Albee. Directed By Emily Mann.
1st rehearsal: December 18, 2012. Runs January 18 – February 17, 2013. Berlind Theatre.
Agnes and Tobias’ precarious suburban lives are shaken when they find themselves facing unexpected houseguests—who plan to stay indefinitely.
Agnes: Late 50s-Mid 70s. Philosophical, methodical, controlled and controlling. A scathing wife and mother, lacking warmth but with logic firmly on her side. Mindful of social graces, propriety and reciprocation and terribly embarrassed of her sister Claire. Believes no one would really be able to go on without her.
Tobias: Late 50s-Late 70s. Agnes’ husband. A quiet soul who doesn’t like to rock the boat. Sympathetic, careful, probably weary. Tries to pacify everyone but sees everything spinning out of his control. Makes the drinks and soothes the wounds.
Claire: Late 40s-Early 60s. Agnes’ sister. An alcoholic in denial. She is brash, brazen and irreverent. Always ready for a fight, clinging desperately to her freedom even as she feels the suffocating effects of how much she owes to Agnes and Tobias.
Julia: Mid 30s-Early 50s. Agnes’ and Tobias’ daughter. Angular. Embittered, emotional, violently possessive. It chafes her to return home following her fourth failed marriage, but it terrifies her to think that she may be usurped in her own home by Edna and Harry. The child that never quite grew up.
Edna: Late 50s-Early 70s. Harry’s wife. Firm, motherly, decisive. Tries to be gentle, but is unafraid to make big choices and ask hard questions. Edna and Harry are a couple like Agnes and Tobias in many ways. They have developed an inexplicable, overwhelming fear of something they call the ‘darkness’ and have turned to Agnes and Tobias in their time of need.
Harry: Late 50s-Early 70s. Edna’s husband. Quiet, deferential and even shy, he is still hopeful that a longstanding friendship will save him from a terror he cannot name or fix. Unassuming. Edna and Harry are a couple like Agnes and Tobias in many ways. They have developed an inexplicable, overwhelming fear of something they call the ‘darkness’ and have turned to Agnes and Tobias in their time of need.
A WINTER’S TALE
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Rebecca Taichman.
Produced in association with Shakespeare Theater Company.
1st rehearsal: February 26, 2013. Runs April 2 – April 21, 2013. Matthews Theatre.
Princes and princesses, disguised identities, jealous kings, oracles, pickpockets, and one ravenous bear—Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale has some of everything. Tragic, romantic, hilarious and uplifting, this rarely-performed genre-bending masterpiece is one of Shakespeare’s most elegant, haunting, and sumptuous plays. Actors of all ethnicities are highly encouraged to submit. Roles in this production will be played by an ensemble of actors; the doublings listed below are possible tracks and are subject to change. Some roles are cast.
Leontes: 40s-60s. The suspicious Sicilian king. Tortured by the idea that his wife and his best friend are having an affair. Jealous, paranoid, and manipulative. Must possess strong language skills.
Hermione: 30s-50s. Wife of Leontes and queen of Sicilia. Strong and poetic, quick and well-spoken, a woman of nobility and honor. Must possess strong language skills.
Mamillius/Mopsa: Male, 20s-30s. Mamillius: The young prince of Sicilia, son of Leontes and Hermione. Merry, playful and well-loved. Mopsa: A country bumpkin, the girlfriend of the Clown.
Polixenes: 40s-60s. The king of Bohemia, lifelong friend of Leontes. A genuine and virtuous man.
Camillo: 20s-50s. A Sicilian lord. An honest servant.
Antigonus: 30s-50s. Friend to Leontes, but staunch defender of the queen Hermione. Pragmatic. This role is cast.
Cleomenes/Clown: 20s-50s. Cleomenes: A servant of Leontes. Clown: A jester who tells the tale of Antigonus and the bear. An innocent and helpful man. This role is cast.
Dion/Autolycus: 30s-50s. Dion: A servant of Leontes. Autolycus: A wandering and roguish pickpocket. A rascal and an impersonator, character/comic actor.
Emilia/Perdita: early 20s-30s. Emilia: Hermione’s gentlewoman. Perdita: Hermione’s daughter, raised by the old Shepherd, graceful and beautiful, a gentle soul, joyful and obedient.
Paulina/Shepherd: 20s-40s. Paulina: A lady of Sicilia and wife of Antigonus. Bold and fiery, believes strongly in the power of innocence. Shepherd: Coarse, wizened man who loves Perdita as if she were his own daughter.
Mariner/Lords/Florizel: 20s-30s. Mariner: A seaman. Lords: Gentlemen of the kingdom. Florizel: The romantic, passionate and strong-willed young prince of Bohemia, son of Polixenes.
Gaoler/Lords/Dorcas: Male (?) 20s-30s. Gaoler: A singer. Lords: Gentlemen of the kingdom. Dorcas: A country bumpkin, having an affair with the Clown.
INTO THE WOODS
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine.
Directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld.
1st rehearsal: April 5, 2013. Runs May 3–June 2, 2013, with possible one week extension. Berlind Theater.
The forests are not always what they seem in Sondheim’s spellbinding and romantic Into the Woods. Weaving everyone’s favorite fairy tales together, this delightful and witty musical asks: what happensafter happily ever after? Fiasco Theater teams up with McCarter to conjure this enchanting tale into being with whimsy, theatrical invention, and only ten actors and a single piano. Roles in this production will be played by an ensemble of actors; the doublings listed below are possible tracks and are subject to change. Some roles are cast.
Cinderella: 30s. Soprano. A dreamer.
Jack/Steward: 30s. Tenor. Jack: A naïve boy who becomes a man. Steward: Meticulous yet unsuccessful chaperone of Cinderella and her prince.
Baker: 30s. Baritone. Gentle man with a strong moral compass. This role is cast.
Baker’s Wife: 30s. Mezzo. Determined, passionate. This role is cast.
Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince/Florinda: 30s. Baritone. Wolf: Prince: A handsome but hapless man tortured by his inability to capture his princess. Florinda: Cinderella’s cruel stepsister. This role is cast.
Rapunzel’s Prince/Lucinda: 30s. Baritone. Prince: Like his brother, a handsome but hapless man tortured by his inability to capture his princess. Lucinda: Cinderella’s cruel stepsister.
Little Red/Rapunzel: 30s. Mezzo. A curious girl whose selfishness is her downfall.
Mysterious Man: 30s. Baritone. Rather mysterious. Talks in riddles.
Witch: 30s-early 40s. Mezzo. An embittered, vindictive woman. Fiercely protects the people she cares about.
Jack’s Mother/Stepmother/Granny: 30s-early 40s. Mezzo/Soprano. Jack’s Mother: Very practical, and weary of her lot in life. Stepmother: The cruelest of Cinderella’s family. Granny: Has a relentless will to live and a taste for revenge. Rapunzel: An idealistic maiden who wishes to leave her tower.
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