University of Delaware
AUDITION DATE
Sat, Dec 07, 2019
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (EST)
Lunch 1:30 to 2:30
CONTRACT
LOA $914/week (plus Housing when in DE)
SEEKING
Equity actor/singers and actor/singer/musicians for various roles. See breakdown.
The SM position is currently available. See separate notice for submission info.
PREPARATION
Please prepare a song from the Golden age or Contemporary classical. (Think Ragtime, Titanic etc.) Please bring Headshot and resume stapled together.
LOCATION
Ripley-Grier Studios (520)
520 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018-6507
17th FL. 17A, 17B. Check lobby upon arrival for any changes.
PERSONNEL
MUSIC: Xiang Gao LYRICS: Joyce Hill Stoner BOOK: Alan Goodson DIRECTOR: Chongren Fan
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Asher Denburg CASTING DIRECTOR: Stephen DeAngelis
Musical Director Asher Denburg and Casting Director Stephen DeAngelis will be in attendance at EPAs
(neither has authority to hire SMs)
OTHER DATES
Rehearsals begin in NYC January 27 and move to Delaware on February 6. Open: February 15. Close February 16
OTHER
Only if unable to attend the EPA, headshots and resumes may be submitted to Stephen DeAngelis, Stephen DeAngelis Casting, 1776 Broadway, Suite 1410, New York, NY 10019 Attn: Shanghai Sonatas
EPA Procedures are in effect for audition.
An Equity monitor will be provided.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
BREADKWON
BENNY DAO:
Asian Male; 40’s; a Chinese-American virtuoso violinist who takes his art and career very seriously, but has recently become racked with doubt about his choices in life and where he belongs. In America since his late teens to pursue his career, he feels stuck in a vacuum between two cultures—not feeling at home nor entirely accepted in either America or China, which sometimes leads to anger and resentment. His success as a performer has bred in hima certain arrogance, but he is soon humbled by the surprising circumstances in which he finds himself after meeting Mr. Chen. He is serious, focused, disciplined . . . and confused. Baritone/Bari-tenor. Ability to play violin a plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
MR. CHEN:
Asian Male; 80’s; a crusty old violin maker who has imbued the violins he rescued from the Shanghai Ghetto with magical powers that can transport the player back to Shanghai of the 1930’s and 40’s. He is the puppet master of the show and seems to have a kind of hypnotic power over others. Cantankerous, sometimes grouchy, but with a good sense of humor, he laughs heartily at his own jokes. In his youth he studied with the Jewish musicians of the Ghetto and has adopted some of their mannerisms, including peppering his speech with Yiddish words and phrases. He appears malevolent at times but turns out to be just the opposite. Baritone or Tenor. Not a huge singing role but must be able to carry a tune foe ensemble singing.
TAN HUA:
Asian Female; Ming-Kai’s mother’ 40’s. Former star of the Chinese Opera who no longer performs due to the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Ming-Kai’s mother. A regal-looking consummate performer who had reached the pinnacle of perfection in her art, she now accepts her fate with an admirable humility. Scarred by tragedy, she has dedicated herself to her son and his life in music. With a kind and giving nature, she helps the Jewish refugees as best she can. Strong Mezzo (Belt or large mix to Eb). Knowledge of Beijing Opera technique a plus.
MING-KAI:
Asian Male; Seeking adult actor 18+ who can portray early to mid-teens. A precocious teen and Leo’s enthusiastic student of classical violin—a little too enthusiastic at times. Fiercely proud of his parents’ sacrifices, he has thrown himself into his studies with a vengeance and become a friend to the Jewish musicians. Vocal range: Tenor 2 ,high Bb a plus. Ability to play violin a plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
RACHEL:
Caucasian Female; 30’s or 40’s. Jewish refugee from Germany. A passionate classical violinist with a warm-hearted nature, but who can also be temperamental and volatile—a tendency exacerbated by her separation from, and anxiety about, her husband, Leo, who is being held in Dachau. When they are finally reunited, she is determined to overcome the gulf his trauma has created between them. Vocal range: Low Mezzo/Alto with a comfortable F below High C . Ability to play violin a plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
LEO:
Caucasian Male; Rachel’s husband, a classical violinist, 30’s or 40’s. Jewish refugee from Germany. A kind, gentle, thoughtful man who has been deeply traumatized by his experiences in Dachau, where he was forced to play the violin for his captors in order to survive and can now no longer bring himself to play. But he does become Ming-Kai’s teacher, which begins the process of healing and recovery, and leads to his rediscovering his love for music, and for Rachel. Vocal range: Lyric Baritone to a comfortable G. Ability to play violin a plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
SAMMY:
Caucasian Male; early 30’s. Jewish refugee from Germany. A streetwise jazz/classical musician, a denizen of nightclubs and bars, who has a breezy personality and easy-going demeanor. He is the optimist of the group of musicians. He falls deeply in love with Miri, whose death leaves him brokenhearted. Vocal range: Tenor or Lyric Baritone with a light timbre (think Gene Kelly up a tone); Ability to play piano/accordion, cello/upright bass or clarinet plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
ERNST:
Caucasian Male, 40’s or 50’s. Jewish refugee from Austria. An elegant Viennese classical violinist who played with the Vienna Philharmonic. Highly cultured and somewhat arrogant in an amusing sort of way, he turns out to be the most selfless of them all-surprising everyone by deciding to remain in Shanghai after the war and teach music to repay the Chinese people for welcoming him and his fellow Jews and providing them with safe haven. Vocal range: Bari-bass with a strong low A.. Ability to play violin a plus. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
MIRI:
Caucasian Female; 20’s. Jewish refugee from Germany. A fun-loving, enthusiastic young woman trying to enjoy life, despite her plans to become a nurse having been derailed by the Nazis’ rise to power and her flight to Shanghai. She has a real sweetness to her—the type of person it’s impossible not to love. She falls in love with Sammy and they are married, as she does finally become a nurse in the Ghetto, where disease is rampant, but soon succumbs to typhus herself. Vocal range: Mezzo/Soprano.
GHOYA:
Asian Male. Japanese overseer of the Ghetto, 40’s. An irrational, irascible, arrogant buffoon. A clown who can, nevertheless, be dangerous, he controls whether or not Jews can get a pass to leave the Ghetto for work, and he grants or denies these passes for absurd reasons. He loves music and fancies himself a violinist, though he plays terribly, and forces the Jewish refugees—to listen to him play and praise him profusely. He demands the refugees call him “King of the Jews.” Also plays some ensemble roles. Vocal range: Tenor to B. Ability to play violin a plus. All physical types. Please indicate proficiency on resume or in note.
HERMANN:
Caucasian Male: 30’s or 40’s. Jewish refugee. A gossipy street peddler, husband of Lotte. A resourceful pragmatist who can always figure out how to get by. Also plays various ensemble roles. Baritone.
LOTTE:
Caucasian Female; 30’s or 40’s. Jewish refugee. A gossipy street peddler, wife of Hermann. More religious than the other Jews, she tries to maintain some traditions, despite the circumstances. Also plays various ensemble roles. Vocal type: Alto.
LI LI:
Asian Female; 20’s; Taxi dancer. Mei’s friend and roommate, she is naive, flirtatious, and fun-loving, trying to make the most of their difficult situation. Vocal type: Soprano or Alto.
MEI:
Asian Female; 30’s. Taxi dancer. More serious and cynical than Li Li, whom she has taken under her wing and looks after with an almost maternal attitude. She resignedly accepts what she has to do to survive. Vocal type: Soprano or Alto.
====
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to audition.
Videos
