RAGTIME and COMPANY - NYC EPA
Barrington Stage Company
AUDITION DATE
Feb 21, 2017
9:30 am - 5:30 pm (EST)
Lunch 1 to 2
CONTRACT
LOA Referenced to COST; $550/WEEK
SEEKING
Equity actor/singers for various roles in RAGTIME and COMPANY.
Ragtime
One of the most significant differences between the two versions is in the vocal ranges of the characters, which change pretty substantially to accommodate the difference in orchestration. All performers must be extraordinary singers who act (not actors who sing)
Company
Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical is a brilliant and wildly funny look at relationships. Over a series of dinner parties, dates and conversations with his friends, the perennially single Bobby attempts to understand the pros and cons of marriage - and the meaning of the word commitment.
PREPARATION
Please prepare a brief traditional up-tempo song that shows your range. An accompanist will be provided. Bring headshot and resume stapled together.
LOCATION
Actors' Equity New York Audition Center
165 W 46th St
16th Fl
New York, NY 10036
PERSONNEL
Ragtime
Book By: Terrence McNally
Music by: Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens
Artistic Director: Julianne Boyd
Director: Joe Calarco
Music Director: Darren Cohen
Casting Director: Pat McCorkle
Company
Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Book by: George Furth
Director: Julianne Boyd
Casting Director: Pat McCorkle
OTHER DATES
Ragtime
1st rehearsal: May 30, 1st preview: June 21, Opens: June 24, Closes: July 15
Company
1st rehearsal: July 18, 1st preview: Aug 12, Opens: Aug 13, Closes: Sept 2
OTHER
EPA Procedures are in effect for this 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.
BREAKDOWN
RAGTIME – Principal Roles
MOTHER:
A product of the upper class, she is poised, proper, and beautiful. Underlying this exterior is a passionate fiery spirit and a kind heart. A devoted mother who is awakened by the political events surrounding her, she finds independence and stakes her place in the changing world.
Female, 35-40
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Lyric Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: G up to E5
Back to Before and Journey On
COALHOUSE WALKER JR.:
Sophisticated, romantic, and proud, Coalhouse’s gentle spirit is tested by how he is treated as an African American in the early 20th Century. Confident and stubborn, he is pushed to the point of violence by repeated injustices and a system set up for his failure.
Male, 25-35
Ethnicity: African American
Vocal Range: Baritone with a strong upper range.
Low G to A4
Coalhouse’s Soliloquy, Wheels of a Dream
SARAH:
Her shyness and innocence give way to a deeply emotional and strong willed woman. At first resistant, she falls deeply in love with Coalhouse.
Female, 20-25
Ethnicity: African American
Vocal Range: Lyric Soprano
G up to F5
Your Daddy’s Son, (President)
TATEH:
An artist and loving father, he embodies the determined spirit and ingenuity of the American Jewish Immigrant experience. Bursting with optimism for a better future, he uses his wit and charm to succeed in chasing his American Dream.
Male, 35-45
Ethnicity: Caucasian/Eastern European
Vocal Range: Bari/tenor
A3 up to F5
Gliding and Buffalo Nickel
FATHER:
A wealthy and successful business man, he is resistant to the social and political changes shaking his traditional view of America.
Male, 35-45
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Baritone
A to F5
New Music
YOUNGER BROTHER:
Idealistic and searching for a sense of self, he is inspired by the teachings of the revolutionary Emma Goldman and joins The Coalhouse Gang in the fight for social justice.
Male, 20-30
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Tenor
B up to F5
Night That Goldman Spoke, (He Wanted To Say)
LITTLE BOY:
The son of an upper class New Rochelle family. Precocious and highly observant, he is uniquely prescient about the changing world.
Male, 8-10
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Alto
E to D5
Nothing Like The City, What a Game
LITTLE GIRL:
The earnest and sweet young daughter of TATEH, she is excited by the unlimited opportunity of America.
Female, 8-10
Ethnicity: Eastern European/Caucasian
Vocal Range Mezzo Middle C up to D5 (Practically no solo singing)
Shtetl
COMPANY – Principal Roles
BOBBY
Charming, funny, handsome, and perennially single. Genuinely cares for his friends and his rotating roster of girlfriends but is unable to commit to any of them in a serious way. He sees his friend’s marriages and relationships as unhappy because he fails to realize the nuances and ups and downs of a real adult relationship. Though his reactions range from ambivalence to terror at the thought of getting married, he slowly gains an understanding of what being alone really means by the end of the show. (Vocal Range: Baritone G2 up to G4 )
Male, Age 35 (Vocal Range: Baritone G2 up to G4 )
SARAH
Trying to lose weight and preoccupied with food and her diet. She has taken up karate, which is no substitute. She's a crisply critical woman. Married to Harry.
Female, Age 35-40 (Vocal Range: Mezzo Soprano G#3/Ab3 up to F?5/G?5)
HARRY
Affable and friendly, he is also an alcoholic in self-denial. Married to Sarah.
Male, Age 35-40 (Vocal Range: Baritone A3 up to A5)
SUSAN
A delicate southern belle and a wonderful wife who suffers from fainting spells. Married to Peter but in the midst of “consciously uncoupling.”
Female, Age 30-40 (Vocal Range: Soprano C3 up to G?5/A?5)
PETER
The perfect Ivy League husband, who is perhaps gay and interested in Bobby. Married to Susan and in the midst of an amicable divorce.
Male, Age: 35-40 (Vocal Range: Baritone A2 up to G4)
JENNY
Very middle-class, very conservative. Sweet but square. Married to David.
Female, Age: 35-40 (Vocal Range: Soprano C3 up to A?5/B?5)
DAVID
Very middle-class, very stylish. Relaxed, in control, and perhaps a bit controlling of his wife. Married to Jenny.
Male, Age: 35-40 (Vocal Range: Baritone A2 up to G4)
AMY
A bride-to-be who's been living with her boyfriend and in therapy for years. She's a frantic, neurotic, loving woman. Excellent comedic timing and ability to sing at breakneck speed a must.
Female, Age: 30-35 (Vocal Range: Mezzo Soprano A3 up to G5)
PAUL
Amy's fiancé - coolly loving and patient in contrast to Amy's neurotic nature.
Male, Age: 35-40 (Vocal Range Tenor B3-A4)
JOANNE
A sharp-tongued broad whose drunken scorn for others is matched only by her self-contempt. She is acerbic, funny, brassy, and demanding. Excellent comedic timing and strong belt.
Female, Age: 40-55 (Vocal Range: Alto E3 up to F?5/G?5)
LARRY
Joanne's husband. A wealthy and self aware man. He is stoic, centered, mature and fully accepting of his difficult wife.
Male, Age: 45-55 (Vocal Range: A2 up to G4)
APRIL
A flight attendant from Shaker Heights and one of Bobby’s love interests. She is a bit ditzy but adorable and big hearted.
Female, Age: 25-35 (Vocal range: Mezzo-Soprano B3 up to F?5/G?5)
KATHY
She's lived in New York, but is skipping town to find rural contentment in her home town. One of Bobby’s love interests, she is sweet and vulnerable. Willing to trade passion for pragmatism and pursue her dreams of becoming a wife and mother.
Female, Age 25-35 (Vocal Range: Soprano B3 up to A5)
MARTA
Ecclectic. Funky and funny, she rarely ventures north of 14th Street. Seeking adventure in New York and dating Bobby. Strong belt.
Female, Age: 20-30 (Vocal Range: Mezzo Soprano B3 up to G-5)
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.
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