Bergen County Players to Hold Open Auditions for THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL

Bergen County Players will Bring on the Monsters! at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell with open auditions for The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Theatre for Young Audiences Edition) on August 1st, 3rd, 6th and 8th. There are numerous opportunities for actors to shine in multiple roles in this 75-minute family-friendly rock musical. BCP is seeking a multicultural cast of men and women with fantastic singing, acting, and dancing abilities to play main and supporting roles. Adapted from the best-selling young adult novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed mythical adventure.

As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly discovered powers he can't control, a destiny he doesn't want, and a mythology textbook's worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus's master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he must find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed in his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical features an original score by Rob Rokicki and a book by Joe Tracz (who made his Broadway debut with Be More Chill). This musical adaptation first premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in the spring of 2017, where it enjoyed a sold-out, six-week run and ultimately earned three Drama Desk Award nominations, including "Outstanding Musical." A North American National Tour of the production was launched in January 2019 in Chicago and played a total of 32 cities. It opened on Broadway in October 2019 at the Longacre Theatre.

The Lightning Thief was first published in July 2005 and is the first book of the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" pentalogy. The novel has spent over 500 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and even spawned a Hollywood film adaptation back in 2010, as well as a hit television series now running on Disney+.

The entire creative team behind last season's hit holiday musical, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, returns this December for The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Once again, Larry Landsman will direct; Steve Bell will serve as musical director; and Elisabeth Julia will return as choreographer along with Paige Marian as assistant choreographer. Producers are Kathleen Ruland and Michele Roth, with Alyson Cohn serving as Stage Manager.

Open Auditions (in order of arrival):

Little Firehouse Theatre

298 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell, NJ

Thursday, August 1 @ 7:30PM

Saturday August 3 @ 10:30 AM

Tuesday, August 6 @ 7:30PM

Thursday, August 8 @ 7:30PM

Sunday, August 11 @ 10:30AM (Callbacks by invitation only)

Monday August 12 @ 7:30PM (Callbacks by invitation only)

Doors open half an hour prior to the stated audition time. Callbacks by invitation only will include readings from the script and singing a song from the show.

Rehearsals: Rehearsals are scheduled to begin immediately following the audition process. All rehearsals will take place at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell, N.J.

Performances: Public performance dates are December 7th thru December 22nd, 2024 (performances are Friday evenings at 7:30pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 1 & 4pm.

General Requirements: A headshot/picture is appreciated but not required. Those auditioning should either prepare a brief cut of a pop/rock or contemporary musical theater song that shows range, OR choose one (1) of the songs provided at this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VZbLRieXddbKH65vOCmCQMjYyHYvHcEa?usp=sharing

Those making their own selection must provide a backing track, without vocals. No accompanist will be provided. No a cappella auditions please. Those auditioning should also dress comfortably and be prepared to learn a brief dance routine. Sides are also in the above Google Drive folder.

Note: Vocally BCP is not looking for polished or musical theater perfection. We are looking for gritty and gutsy performers (while staying true to the demands of the score) and voices that allow for raw and rebellious emotion to break through.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

PERCY JACKSON - Teen demi-god and son of Poseidon. A kid with a tough exterior but a sensitive heart who spent his whole life defending himself. Fueled by impulse, he must now own his power and go on the offensive to save his mother, the most important thing. Strong pop-rock tenor. Literally never leaves the stage. 17-29 range. Appears young.

ANNABETH CHASE - Teen demi-god and daughter of Athena. Overqualified but unseen. She is over being invisible. Learning to live unapologetically in her brilliance, she is unwilling to hide her black girl magic. She got it from her mama. Embracing the hypervisibility inherent in her identity with expressive hair that will never fit under a hat. Strong pop-rock high belter soprano.17-29 age range. Appears young.

GROVER UNDERWOOD - A happy-go-lucky satyr, like a hippie kid with hooves. A soft spirit. Intuitive and sensitive. Keeping the group motivated and driving forward, he takes the responsibility of friendship very seriously. His empathy and humor disguise the fact that he is working through deep guilt and shame from the past. Hoping to be seen as worthy. On his journey, he discovers he is enough. Doubles as Mr. D (aka Dionysus, God of wine, snarky camp director). Strong folk-pop baritone-tenor range. Comedic, character actor. 17-29 range. Appears young.

LUKE & OTHERS - Son of Hermes, cool camp counselor. Embodies a range of roles including Luke, Gabe Ugliano (Percy's foul stepfather), Ares (God of war, rock star), a Fury, Statue, and Minotaur. Strong pop rock bari-tenor. 17-29 range. Appears young.

SALLY JACKSON & OTHERS - Percy's hard-working mother, The Oracle (a hippie mummy), a Chimera, Silena Beauregard (daughter of Aphrodite), Charon (Ferryperson to the Underworld), Statue, A Fury. Mezzo-Soprano range. Plays older and younger characters.

MR. BRUNNER AKA CHIRON & OTHERS - Embodies a range of roles including Chiron (a wise centaur and part-time Latin teacher), Poseidon (God of the sea, salty beach bum), Hades (god of the dead), Kronos (a voice in a pit), Cyclops, a Camper, Greyhound bus driver, Uber driver, A Fury, Aunty Em aka Medusa and a variety of other characters. Strong pop rock bari-tenor. Plays older and younger characters.

CLARISSE & OTHERS - Embodies a range of roles including Clarisse (tough jock girl, daughter of Ares), Katie Gardner (daughter of Demeter), Mrs. Dodds (a Fury posing as a substitute algebra teacher), Statue, Thalia (daughter of Zeus), Chimera, Bianca (a mysterious girl in 1930's clothes) and a variety of other characters. Strong pop rock soprano with high belt. Mezzo-Soprano Range. 17-29 range. Appears young.

Bergen County Players encourages and is committed to a diverse and inclusive theater experience. Unless otherwise specified, BCP will cast any actor in any role if appropriate, without regard to race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, physicality, or disability. Casting will be character-driven; therefore, actors are encouraged to audition for any roles in which they are interested.

Those interested in more information may contact Larry Landsman at LLandsman1157@gmail.com or go to www.bcplayers.org.

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