Upcoming Theater Auditions in the Nashville Area 7/27/17

Looking for a challenging role or to embark upon a new onstage adventure? Here is the latest audition information to come to the BroadwayWorld Nashville newsdesk.

July 30 and 31 Carrie the Musical at Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro, directed by Matthew Hayes Hunter

Time: Sunday, July 30 at 2 p.m. and Monday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m. at The Center for the Arts, 110 W. College Street, Murfreesboro. Callbacks, by invitation only, will be held Tuesday, August 1, at 6:30 p.m.

Carrie The Musical is directed by Matthew Hayes Hunter, with musical direction by Emily Dennis and choreography by Tosha Marie Pendergrast.

Those auditioning only need to attend one of the audition dates, and should bring a prepared song in the style of the show, 16-32 bars, with sheet music in the correct key. An accompanist will be provided, but will not transpose. Please, no a capella or tracks. Sheet music only. Be prepared to dance in clothing you can move in (or bring a change of clothes for the dance call.) Ladies, please bring both tennis shoes/flats and heels you can dance in. If you would like to audition, but cannot make either of the audition dates, you may submit a video audition to CarrieTheMusicalCFTA@gmail.com (Video submissions should contain your name, age, height, all roles for which you wish to be considered/would accept, 16-32 bars of a song in the style of the show, and a dance demonstration. Please limit videos to less than 5 minutes.) Please direct any audition questions to CarrieTheMusicalCFTA@gmail.com

July 31 and August 1 Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific at The Larry Keeton Theatre, Donelson, directed by Jeffrey Ellis

Time: 6:30 p.m. both nights, with callbacks (if needed) on Wednesday, August 2 at 6:30 p.m. Performance dates: October 12-28. Please prepare 32 bars of a Broadway showtune (similar to, but not including anything from, the South Pacific score). Be prepared to read from the script and to dance! Questions? Email jeffreyellisnashville@gmail.com or call (615) 300-2513.

Directed by Jeffrey Ellis, with musical direction by Noah Rice, choreography by Tosha Pendergrast and stage managed by Suzanne Spooner-Faulk.

ehearsals for RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC begin with a read-thru on Monday, September 4, at 6:30 p.m. Music rehearsals follow that week at The Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike. Rehearsals will be held Monday through Thursday nights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., with Saturday rehearsals from noon to 4 p.m. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be released as soon as the show is cast.

The show runs October 12 through October 28 at The Larry Keeton Theatre - THREE WEEKENDS - with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (curtain at 7 p.m.; call time 6 p.m.) with two Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (call time is 1 p.m.)

South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot of the musical is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, would send a strong progressive message on racism.

The plot centers on an American nurse stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II, who falls in love with a middle-aged expatriate French plantation owner but struggles to accept his mixed-race children. A secondary romance, between a U.S. lieutenant and a young Tonkinese woman, explores his fears of the social consequences should he marry his Asian sweetheart. The issue of racial prejudice is candidly explored throughout the musical, most controversially in the lieutenant's song, "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught". Supporting characters, including a comic petty officer and the Tonkinese girl's mother, help to tie the stories together. Because he lacked military knowledge, Hammerstein had difficulty writing that part of the script; the director of the original production, Logan, assisted him and received credit as co-writer of the book.

The original Broadway production enjoyed immense critical and box-office success, became the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point (behind Rodgers and Hammerstein's earlier Oklahoma! (1943)), and has remained popular ever since. After they signed Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin as the leads, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote several of the songs with the particular talents of their stars in mind. The piece won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Especially in the Southern U.S., its racial theme provoked controversy, for which its authors were unapologetic. Several of its songs, including "Bali Ha'i", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening", "There Is Nothing Like a Dame", "Happy Talk", "Younger Than Springtime", and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy", have become popular standards.

The production won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Libretto, and it is the only musical production to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories. Its original cast album was the bestselling record of the 1940s, and other recordings of the show have also been popular. The show has enjoyed many successful revivals and tours, spawning a 1958 film and television adaptations. The 2008 Broadway revival, a critical success, ran for 996 performances and won seven Tonys, including Best Musical Revival.

Set against the dramatic background of an idyllic South Pacific island during WWII, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific intertwines the themes of romance, duty, and prejudice to create a story that is all at once hilarious, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Based on the anecdotes of a real-life U.S. Navy commander who was stationed on an island, the musical follows two intercultural love stories: Nellie, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with Emile, a French plantation owner on the island who has two children from his late Polynesian wife; at the same time, U.S. Lieutenant Cable falls for a beautiful island native named Liat. Both Americans find themselves struggling to reconcile their own cultural prejudices with their amorous feelings, all the while under the dark cloud of a war that is coming ever closer to their island paradise.

The inspiration for South Pacific was the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener, which was published in 1946. Michener was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in the South Pacific during WWII. The book is a collection of short stories based on his own experiences and stories told to him by his comrades. Two of the stories in particular were intertwined to create the main plot lines for South Pacific: one, "Fo' Dolla'," created the roles of Bloody Mary, Liat, and Lieutenant Cable; another, "Our Heroine," inspired the story of Emile and Nellie.

August 1 Evil Dead: The Musical at Music Valley Events Center, Nashville, directed by Seth Limbaugh

Time: 6 p.m. Performance Dates: October 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 31 & November 3, 4, and 5.

Audition Requirements: Please arrive with sheet music or a backing track with 90 seconds of a song in the style of the show. Auditions will also consist of a short choreography audition, and a cold read of select script portions, so please wear appropriate attire to dance in. This show will contain the "Splatter Zone". If you're unfamiliar with the show, the cast (and audience) get sprayed/covered in fake blood throughout the entire show.

Based on Sam Raimi's 80s cult classic films, Evil Dead tells the tale of five college kids who travel to a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force. And although it may sound like a horror, it's not! The songs are hilariously campy and the show is bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. Evil Dead: The Musical unearths the old familiar story: boy and friends take a weekend getaway at abandoned cabin, boy expects to get lucky, boy unleashes ancient evil spirit, friends turn into Candarian Demons, boy fights until dawn to survive. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, "camp" takes on a whole new meaning with uproarious numbers like "All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons," "Look Who's Evil Now" and "Do the Necronomicon."

August 13 and 14 Rumors, Pull-Tight Players Theatre, Franklin, directed by Iain Macpherson

Sunday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m. and Monday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Pull-Tight Players Theatre, 112 Second Avenue South, Franklin. Show Dates: October 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22 (matinee), 26, 27, 28. Roles for five men and five women, ages 30 and up.

Come prepared to do cold readings from the script. Headshots and resume are acceptable but not required.

For further information call director Iain Macpherson at (615) 794-8518 or email isjmacpherson@aol.com.

August 13, 14 and 15 The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Circle Players, Nashville, directed by Tim Larson

Circle Players will hold open auditions for the Nashville theatre premier of the lushly-scored retelling of Victor Hugo's epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero. Includes songs from the Disney animated feature film. Large Cast; All roles available; All ethnicities encouraged to audition; Strong singers encouraged to audition; Ages 16 and older.

PLEASE REGISTER via online link: http://www.circleplayers.net/auditions

Audition Requirements Prepare 16-32 bars of classical or Broadway song in the style of the show. Bring sheet music for accompanist or instrumental CD. (We will provide CD player.) Headshot and resume requested.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.circleplayers.net/auditions

Directed by Tim Larson, with music direction by John Kennerly and choreography by Patricia Peoples

August 14 and 15 Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jr., Robertson County Players, Springfield.

Time: Monday and Tuesday, August 14 and 15 at 3:30 p.m. at Springfield Middle School Auditorium. Performance dates: September 28-October 7.

Roles will be played by children up to age 17. Be prepared to sing, dance and read from the script. Rehearsal schedule will be available at auditions. Show dates are currently scheduled for September 28-30, October 5-7 at 7 p.m. with daytime shows on October 2 and 3 exclusively for school children. Keep checking the RCP Facebook page and website (robertsoncountyplayers.org) for updated information.

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