POPEYE'S CIRCUS, A ONE-ACT MUSICAL ADVENTURE - The Actors Gymnasium Evanston, IL Non Equity Auditions

Calling all clowns, musical mischief-makers, and puppeteers!

The Actors Gymnasium is seeking hilarious, physically expressive performers for POPEYE’S CIRCUS, a one-act musical adventure adapted by David Kersnar from the original Thimble Theatre comics by E. C. Segar. Directed by David Kersnar and Max Fabian, this wildly theatrical production brings the beloved world of Popeye to life through clowning, music, puppetry, physical comedy, and circus-inspired spectacle.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for clowns with musical (instrumental and/or vocal) and puppeteering abilities to bring the iconic characters of the original Popeye comics to life!

We're especially interested in performers with:
•Strong clowning skills and a gift for physical comedy.
•Musical abilities, including singing and musical performance.
•Puppeteering skills and an interest in bringing characters to life through movement and manipulation.
•Additional circus skills are a BIG PLUS!

This production features a versatile ensemble, quick character changes, theatrical transformations, and plenty of opportunities for inventive physical storytelling. Performers should be excited to play boldly, collaborate creatively, and embrace the gloriously ridiculous world of Popeye.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
King Blazo
The well-meaning but spectacularly lazy monarch of Spinachnovia. King Blazo would much rather abdicate, retire, and spend his days reading comic books than make a single important decision. Unfortunately, every crisis in the kingdom somehow lands in his lap—usually while he is sitting down. Blazo has a good heart, but his royal instincts are limited to avoiding responsibility and asking, “Can’t somebody else handle this?”

Bluto, AKA Brutus
A massive, broad-bodied baddie with an ego even larger than his shoulders. Bluto craves power, praise, and the kind of reverence normally reserved for gods, dictators, and men who win bar fights. He wants the people of Spinachnovia to fear him, admire him, and preferably applaud whenever he enters a room. Beneath all the bluster is a man desperate to prove that he is more than a brute—which he repeatedly does by behaving like one.

The Sea Hag
The true antagonist of the story. The Sea Hag manipulates her adopted son, Bluto, like a puppeteer working a particularly dim marionette. Her cruelty is fueled by an ancient wound she has never allowed to heal, and she believes the entire world deserves to suffer for what was done to her. Brilliant, theatrical, and terrifyingly patient, the Sea Hag rarely gets her own hands dirty. She would much rather whisper an idea into someone else’s ear and watch the damage spread.

Wimpy
An opportunist, schemer, gambler, and part-time fight fixer who is always looking for a quick buck and a quicker exit. Wimpy can smell a crooked deal from three towns away, provided the deal does not involve paying his own debts. He is constantly trying to turn everyone else’s misfortune into his fortune, but his hamburger addiction ensures that every dollar he makes disappears almost immediately. Wimpy is living proof that a man can be both financially creative and permanently broke.

Olive Oyl
The heart and moral center of the story. Olive has an enormous heart, a fierce sense of justice, and a short fuse that can be measured in milliseconds. A devoted pacifist, she refuses to believe that violence is the answer—although through bad luck, righteous indignation, and an extraordinary talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, she frequently ends up at the center of the fray. Olive may not throw the first punch, but she is perfectly capable of making everyone feel guilty for throwing it.

Popeye
The hero of the story: a rough-edged sailor with a heart of gold, fists of iron, and a vocabulary that frequently takes scenic routes around the English language. Popeye believes most problems can be solved by punching the right person, though he is often surprised when this approach creates additional problems. He is brave, loyal, stubborn, tenderhearted, and burdened with more flaws than he can comfortably fit into one sailor suit. Popeye is afraid of no one—except spirits, ghosts, and anything that goes bump in the night. Music also puts him in a foul mood, particularly when it sounds emotional. Despite his temper and his fists, Popeye’s greatest strength is that he cannot stand by while someone weaker is being mistreated.

HOW TO AUDITION
Submit a hilarious clown video, no longer than 3 minutes!
Show us your comic imagination, physical expressiveness, musicality, puppeteering, or any other special skills that make you a uniquely entertaining performer. Make us laugh!
Auditions due October 31st. Please fill out the Google Form and send your video submission in the form here: https://forms.gle/ZjMj5YFeYnUVuFN9A

CALLBACKS
November 8th and 9th — By invitation only
If selected for callbacks, you will be asked to read sides from the script and sing a song from the show.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE (rehearsal time blocks subject to change)
December 26 – January 3: Workshops (daytime)
January 4 – February 12: Rehearsals (Thursdays/Fridays evening; Saturdays/Sundays daytime)
February 13 – February 25: Technical and dress rehearsals (Thursdays/Fridays evening; Saturdays/Sundays daytime)
February 26 – March 28: Performances (Saturdays 4pm & 7pm, Sundays 3pm)

STIPEND
$3,000

ABOUT THE SHOW
Welcome to Spinichnovia, a kingdom where the circus has replaced war and every disagreement is settled with a spectacular circus contest! Featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto (aka Brutus), the Sea Hag, Wimpy, and a colorful cast of characters, this musical adventure is packed with outrageous comedy, larger-than-life personalities, and theatrical surprises.
The production uses a flexible ensemble, transformable objects, and puppets—including Sweet Pea, Goat, Alice the Goon, and Poopdeck Pappy—to create a whole world of comic adventure.
Got a funny bone, a musical streak, and a flair for the absurd? We want to see what you've got!
Come clown around with us!