Michigan Stage | Ferndale, MI
Equity actors for roles in WAITRESS (See breakdown).
Please submit your headshot, resume, and performance reel (if possible) to Tim Paré, Artistic Director. If called in for an appointment, please prepare 32-bars of a pop-rock/musical theater selection in the style of WAITRESS. Please no singing from the score. Please bring sheet music in your key. An accompanist will be provided. Please bring a headshot and resume, stapled together.
Deadline: 02/24/2025
Written by Sara Barielles, Jessie Neilson
Based on the film by Adrienne Shelley
Tim Pare, Artistic Director, Director/Choreographer
Maurice Draughn, Music Director
Anna Ebbesen, Audition Accompanist
Nan Luchini, Production Stage Manager
Auditions on 2/26 & 2/27
Callbacks on 2/27 - 2 pm - 5 pm
At Ripley-Grier Studios (520)
First Rehearsal: 06/24/2025
Opening: 07/18/2025
Expected Closing: 07/28/2025
michiganstage.org
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 submit.
WAITRESS
Michigan Stage is a 501(c)3 professional non-profit theater arts organization offering year-round programming in Oakland County and surrounding Metro-Detroit communities. Our mission is to use theater to culturally enhance the quality of life in our region and to boost reading and learning outcomes for students across Michigan through strategic school partnerships.
Our Theater For All initiative presents exciting ways for anyone to engage with live theater, regardless of age, ability, or access, helping community members forge social connections, pursue creative lifestyles, nurture a sense of belonging and pride, and establish pathways to a life enriched by the arts and humanities.
We believe in inclusive casting and encourage all backgrounds to apply.
Jenna: 20s-30s, A soulful waitress in her thirties, pours herself into the pies she makes. Stuck in an unhappy marriage in a small town. Lives paycheck-to-paycheck. Conflicted relationship with her destructive husband. Fantastic pop/rock voice with great range.
Becky: 40s, the oldest waitress at Joe’s Diner, irreverent, irascible, been there, made it back, and somewhere kept her wicked sense of humor. A soulful pop voice with an excellent pop belt.
Dawn: 20s, a waitress at Joe’s Diner, socially awkward, a bit of a nerd, loves an ordered world, she has spent too much time alone watching The History Channel. Eccentric and meticulous, she sets the tables with precision. Excellent pop/rock/folk voice.
Dr. Pomatter: 30s, a gynecologist, genuinely warm, clumsy in manner, recently moved to town from Connecticut. Handsome, endearing, and neurotic. Quirky with a big heart. Impeccable comedic timing and moves well. Strong pop/rock tenor voice required.
Earl: 20s-30s, Jenna’s husband. Peaked in high school, he is almost a talented musician and that “almost” has haunted him his whole life. Publicly Earl is all charm, but privately, Jenna gets the brunt of his unhappiness. Handsome in a gruff way. Narcissism mixed with volatility. Guitar playing a plus.
Ogie: 30s, a charming, irresistible nerd. A tax auditor. An amateur magician. Competitive clog dancer, has all his hair, has a kind smile, loves poetry, Pavarotti, and puzzles. Quirky and persistent with excellent comedic timing. Has an excellent pop/rock tenor/baritenor voice.
Videos
