NYMF 2011 SEASON **Updated** Equity Principal Auditions - NYMF Auditions

New York Musical Theatre Festival 2011

Equity Principal Auditions

Thursday, July 14, 2011

GHOSTLIGHT

Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

THE LAST WORD

OUTLAWS

All productions will use the NYMF Special Agreement:

Rehearsal stipend: $500; $27 per performance; pension fund payment.

The 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival will run from 9/26-10/16, at various venues in NYC.

Most shows will have six perfs each (perf dates for each show TBA).

Equity Principal Auditions:

Thursday, July 14, 2011 Actors' Equity Association Audition Center

9:30 AM - 5:30 PM 165 West 46th Street, 2nd Floor

Lunch from 1 - 2. New York City

Please prepare 32 bars of a musical theatre selection: either something specifically appropriate for any of the shows, or a general selection that shows off your range. Bring sheet music in the correct key; accompanist is provided, but may not transpose.

Please bring FOUR COPIES of your stapled-together picture and resume.

Notes from Equity: Each production listed below will be represented at this call by a separate individual with casting authority (i.e. the authority to effectively recommend a performer for a callback or casting).

GHOSTLIGHT Producers: Everybody’s Sweetheart Productions, LLC; NYMF. Book/Score/Dirs: Matthew Martin and Tim Realbuto. Choreo: Michael Kidney. Mus Dir TBA. GM: Elvin Roytman, Massimine/Roytman/Presentations.

Tells the true story of “Ziegfeld Follies” girl Olive Thomas, her rise to fame, and the events that led to her mysterious death at age 25.

Note: Music is an homage to the Golden Age of Broadway, with a slight contemporary edge (no pop/rock please).

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr:

Late 40s. The iron-fisted theatrical legend we have always heard about. Here he is portrayed with all of his flaws and insecurities on display. Very strong actor/singer needed. Baritone with belt to G.

Billie Burke:

Late 20s/early 30s. Ziegfeld’s beautiful, scorned wife. Not at all the Hollywood character actress the world has labeled her. Very strong actress/singer needed. Low G to belted Db.

Fanny Brice:

Late 20s. The first lady of the “Follies”. Funny, sarcastic, but also the voice of reason for Olive. Impeccable comic timing and Brooklyn/Jewish accent a must. Strong actress/singer needed. Belt to C, head voice to Eb. Movement required.

Molly Cook:

Late 20s/early 30s. The only fictitious character. Fellow chorus girl who befriends Olive. Jealous of Olive’s success and romantic life, she is the catalyst for the events that unfold within the secrets inside the “Follies”. Very strong actress needed. Alto with sweet upper register. Movement required.

Jack Pickford:

Early 20s. Brother of Mary Pickford. Silent film star who eventually becomes Olive’s husband. Handsome, doting, boyish and charming. He is Olive’s escape, but ultimately not her solution. Strong actor needed. Very strong singer. High baritone to F#, strong head voice.

Olive Thomas:

CAST. Seeking possible understudy. Early 20s. Beautiful rising starlet (not your typical ingénue). Center of the story. Must have the optimism of a wide-eyed child and the ability to mature into a jaded, broken woman. Very strong actress/singer needed. Movement a plus. Belt to high Eb, G flat in head voice.

If unable to attend, send pictures/resume as an attachment to
ghostlight.nymf.submissions@gmail.com

Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, A Musical. Prod: Lindsay Warren Baker & Amanda Jacobs. Book/Music/Lyrics: Lindsay Warren Baker & Amanda Jacobs. Dir: Igor Goldin. Choreo: Jeffry Denman. Mus Dir TBA. CD: Michael Cassara, CSA.

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy's romance comes to life with fresh eyes as Jane Austen revisits her unpublished manuscript, “First Impressions”. As Austen transforms their story into what will ultimately become her masterpiece, both the author and her characters struggle to learn the joy of second chances. Supported by a classical score with modern influences.

All must sing well, and should be strong movers. Standard British dialect required.

Jane Austen:

Mid - late 30s. Witty, clever and thoughtful, with a touch of snarkiness. As a recently published female author in Regency-era England, she is ahead of her time. Mezzo-belter with strong dance skills.

Elizabeth Bennet:

Early 20s. Non-traditional beauty: small and athletic with large, dark eyes. Good-humored, has a quick wit. Loves books and the outdoors. Soprano with belt.

Fitzwilliam Darcy:

Mid - late 20s. Tall, dark, handsome. Extremely wealthy. Snobby and shy, but also kind and generous to those he is responsible to. Baritone.

Mrs. Bennet / Lady Catherine de Bourgh:

Mrs. Bennet: Early 40s. High-strung mother of five daughters. Fading beauty who loves to gossip. Lady Catherine: Mid 40s. Authoritative and self-important. Striking features. Darcy’s aunt. Soprano with belt.

Mr. Bennet:

Early 50s. Elizabeth’s father, a country gentleman with an odd mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve and caprice. His principal enjoyments arise from the countryside and books. Bass-baritone.

Jane Bennet:

Early 20s. The Bennets’ eldest daughter. Extremely beautiful and lovely, with a fair complexion. Kind and gentle soul. Soprano.

Lydia Bennet:

Seeking actress 18+ to play 15. Lydia is the Bennets’ youngest daughter. Beautiful and well-endowed at an early age. Loves to laugh and loves to gossip. Also self-willed and careless. Soprano with belt (doubles vocally as ensemble). Strong dance skills.

Charles Bingley / Dream Soldier:

Bingley: Early - mid 20s. Good-looking, wealthy bachelor; easygoing and friendly. Darcy’s best friend. Dream Soldier: One of Lydia’s fantasy singing and dancing soldiers. Tenor.

Caroline Bingley:

Early 20s. Bingley’s sister. Fashionable, conceited and proud. Soprano (doubles vocally as ensemble).

Charlotte Lucas:

Mid - late 20s. Elizabeth’s best friend. Of average beauty. Modest, sensible and intelligent. Mezzo-belter (doubles vocally as ensemble).

Mary Bennet / Anne de Bourgh:

Mary: 19. A great reader and philosophizer. Enjoys playing the piano, but is technical without musicality (NOTE: Actress is NOT required to play; keyboard in pit will double). As the middle child, she is the most homely and the most overlooked/ignored of the Bennet sisters. Anne: 25. Thin, small, pale and sickly. Mezzo-belter (doubles vocally as ensemble).

Kitty Bennet / Georgiana Darcy:

Seeking actress 18+ to play mid-teens. Kitty: 17. Lydia’s sidekick. Silly and fretful. Georgiana: 16. Darcy’s young sister. Gentle and graceful. Soprano with belt (doubles vocally as ensemble).

If unable to attend, submit to Michael Cassara Casting, 333 W. 39th Street - Suite #601A, New York, NY 10018, ATTN: NYMF/Pride.

www.pride-prejudice-musical.com

www.nymf.org/janeaustensprideandprejudice

THE LAST WORD A New Musical. Producer: Suellen Vance. Score: Kevin Ray. Book: K. Ray & Josh Sohn. Additional Story: S. Vance. Dir/Choreo: Christopher Windom. Mus Dir TBD. Casting: Jamibeth Margolis, CSA. 1st reh: 8/29/11.

Follows a family of musicians during the rise and fall of the Central Avenue jazz scene in 1940s Los Angeles. Loosely based on the biblical story of Cain and Abel.

Joe:

African American man, 25-40. Father of Jim and Bill, husband of Martha. Chicago jazz trumpet player who moves his family to Los Angeles in search of work in the music industry, and becomes dejected as he is unable to realize his dream. Initially hopeful, but becomes bitter. Passes his dreams of success in music on to his sons. Charming, boisterous. Short fuse. R&B Al Green-esque tenor/baritone; must sing to G. Supporting.

Martha:

African American woman, 25-40. Mother of Bill and Jim, dutiful wife of Joe. Intensely religious and hopeful, but skeptical about uprooting the family to Los Angeles. Stands behind her husband, and is a loving, supportive mother, but becomes withdrawn and introverted in the face of tragedy. Jennifer Holliday-esque alto/belt to C. Supporting.

Bill:

African American man, 20s. Older son of Joe and Martha. Tenor saxophone player. Receives approval of his father and of the jazz community by being a traditional, conservative player. Reserved, mild-mannered, smug. R&B tenor – Donny Hathaway type – must sing to G. Lead.

Jim:

African American man, 20s. Younger son of Joe and Martha. Wildly creative, tortured alto saxophone player who craves the acceptance of his father, and becomes jealous of his older brother. Loose cannon, volatile. R&B tenor – Carl Anderson type – must sing to A. Lead.

Jennifer:

Caucasian woman, 20s. Hollywood actress/jazz singer, fascinated by the African American jazz scene on Central Avenue. Love interest of Bill and Jim. Spunky hipster, mercurial, adventure-seeking. Confused. Must be able to sing in the style of Annie Ross – alto/belt (belt to F). Lead.

Club Owner:

African American man, 30-50s. Pragmatic yet cantankerous owner of the jazz club where the brothers play. Tells the story of the two brothers through flashback from 1933 - 1956. Engaging, business-minded. Ben Vereen-type R&B tenor; must sing to G. Lead.

If unable to attend, send picture/resume to Jamibeth Margolis Casting, 676A Ninth Ave #126, New York, NY 10036, Attn: The Last Word.

www.thelastwordmusical.com

OUTLAWS Line Producer/GM: Eve Rybnick. Music: Alastair William King & Perry Liu. Lyrics: P. Liu. Book: P. Liu, Joe Calarco & A. W. King. Dir/Choreo: Jenn Rapp. Mus Dir: Chris Blisset.

A media sensation before his time, Billy the Kid was one of the Wild West’s most infamous outlaws. He, Pat Garrett and their young gang live a rebellious carefree life, but that quickly changes after Billy draws his gun. On the run, these ‘kids’ must learn to grow up… the hard way. Driven by a heart-pounding rock score, this edgy musical spins a tale of youth and friendship, fame and violence in America.

Note from casting personnel: “All characters [are] 15-21 years of age. We aren’t looking for age accuracy but the ability to convey youth and adolescent energy through acting, spirit, looks.”

Billy:

Caucasian male. Quiet, guarded and intense, but sometimes can’t hide the little boy inside when he speaks. Acts on instinct and in bursts of explosive action. Rock tenor.

Pat:

Caucasian male. Worldly, a practical planner. A leader who knows what he wants and isn’t shy about getting it. Rock baritone.

Celsa:

Hispanic female. Tough and streetwise. Discontented with her life, she drinks and smokes to forget, and uses sex to get what she wants. Mezzo soprano with belt up to Eb. Must be comfortable speaking Spanish.

Chavez:

Hispanic male. Joker, laid back, always trying to get the better of his friend Charlie. High rock baritone/tenor. Must be comfortable speaking Spanish.

Charlie:

Male, any ethnic background. Angry, loud and tough with a temper. High rock baritone/tenor.

Tom:

Male, any ethnic background. The runt of the liter. Awkward, uncoordinated, naïve. High rock baritone/tenor.

If unable to attend EPA, please send picture/resume to
outlawsnymf@gmail.com

All of the information above is subject to change. Check “Casting Call” or the Equity Audition Center bulletin boards frequently for updates. See separate casting notices for more NYMF 2011 EPAs.

Michael Cassara Casting is the resident casting office for the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival, and will be coordinating days of Equity Principal Auditions for multiple shows on July 12, 14 and 26. An Equity Chorus Call will be held on July 13. Individual shows will be using their own casting practices; please read breakdowns for details. General festival submissions (not for a specific show) may be sent to Michael Cassara Casting, 333 W. 39th Street – Suite #601A, New York, NY 10018, Attn: NYMF.

Note to non-Equity performers from Michael Cassara Casting:

“Due to the high turnout of Equity members for these combined EPA days, it is unlikely we will be able to see EMC or [other] non-Equity performers. A non-Equity open call will be held in July – and details will be available on
facebook.com/michaelcassaracasting and
michaelcassara.net – as the time draws closer.”