FORT WAYNE CIVIC THEATRE – MUSICAL AUDITIONS
Monday, March 2 at 7:00 pm – Arts United Center
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Performed May 1 – May 10, 2015 – Main Stage: Arts United Center
Director – Dr. John Tolley, Choreographer – Gary Lanier, Music Director - Eunice Wadewitz,
Stage Manager – Clara Escosa, Asst. Stage Managers – Bobbi Jo Carroll and Nan Durant
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show's Tony Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. Music and Lyrics by
William Finn, Book by
Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by
Rebecca Feldman, Additional Material by
Jay Reiss. One Act, Book Musical, Rated R
Audition Sign Up: Contact Eunice Wadewitz, Music Director, at
260-422-8641, ext. 226 or
ewadewitz@fwcivic.org
Auditions: MONDAY, March 2 @ 7:00 pm Call Backs: TUESDAY, March 3 @ 7:00 pm
Auditions will be held at the Arts United Center at 303 East Main Street. Enter from the rear of the building, using the glass doors to the Green Room. Please arrive early to check in and fill out an audition form.
Rehearsals: March 16-April 24, Mon.–Fri., 7:00 to 10:00 pm; AND Sundays from 2:00 to 6:00 pm if needed
Tech Sunday Rehearsal: Sunday, April 26 Noon to 5:00 pm & 6:00 to 11:00 pm
Dress Rehearsals: Monday – Thursday, April 27-30 6:00 to 11:00 pm
Performances: May 1-30, Thurs @ 7:30pm, Fri & Sat @ 8:00pm, Sat & Sun @ 2:00pm
Audition Requirements: It is very important that we have ALL CONFLICTS at the time of the audition. We are seeking strong singers/actors. Prepare and memorize one verse of an up-tempo song or ballad which shows off your voice, range, and personality. Standard Broadway show tunes are best. Be sure to bring sheet music (not just lyrics but actual piano music) in the correct key – do not expect the pianist to transpose your music on sight. Have all cuts or repetitions clearly marked. Place your music in a binder or tape the sheets together for the benefit of the accompanist. Pianist is provided. There will be a dance/movement component to the audition.
CHARACTERS: We encourage actors of all ethnicities to audition.
Cast Type: Ensemble Cast - Many featured roles, Ethnic Roles, Showcases trained singers
CARL DAD: Schwarzy's main trainer, the more intense and competitive of Schwarzy's fathers. Normally played by actor playing Leaf. TENOR
CHIP TOLENTINO: An athletic, social, boy scout and champion of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he returns to defend his title, but he finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment. TENOR
DAN DAD: the more laid back and ineffectual of Schwarzy's fathers. Normally played by the actor playing Mitch. TENOR
DOUGLAS PANCH: The Vice Principle. Frustrated with his life, he finds the drive of the young speller’s alien to him. After five years' absence from the Bee, Panch returns as judge. There was an incident at the Twentieth Annual Bee, but he claims to be in a better place now, thanks to a high-fiber diet and Jungian analysis. He is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, but she does not return his affections. SPOKEN
JESUS CHRIST: Deity invoked by a speller in need. Normally played by the actor playing Chip. TENOR
LEAF CONEYBEAR: The second runner-up in his district, Leaf gets into the competition on a lark and finds everything about the bee incredibly amusing. He is home-schooled and comes from a large family of former hippies. He has severe Attention Deficit Disorder and spells words correctly while in a trance. TENOR
LEAF'S MOM: MEZZO-SOPRANO
LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUNENIERRE (SCHWARTZY): Logainne is the youngest and most politically aware speller, often making comments about current political figures. She is driven by internal and external pressure, but above all by a desire to win to make her two fathers proud. She is somewhat of a neat freak, speaks with a lisp, and will be back next year. MEZZO-SOPRANO
MARCY PARK: A recent transfer from Virginia, Marcy placed ninth in last year’s nationals. She speaks six languages, is a member of all-American hockey, a championship rugby player, plays Chopin and Mozart on multiple instruments, sleeps only three hours a night, hides in the bathroom cabinet, and is getting very tired of always winning. She is the poster child for the Over-Achieving Asian, and attends a Catholic school called Our Lady of Intermittent Sorrows. She is also not allowed to cry. MEZZO-SOPRANO
MITCH MAHONEY: The Official Comfort Counselor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the Bee, and hands out juice boxes to losing students. He has no idea how to offer comfort, but does find himself wishing he could find a way to make the kids feel better. TENOR
OLIVE OSTROVSKY: A young newcomer to competitive spelling. Her mother is in an ashram in India, and her father is working late, as usual, but he is trying to come sometime during the bee. Having found comfort in its words and vastness, Olive made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition. She starts enormously shy, and shyly blossoms. MEZZO-SOPRANO
OLIVE's DAD: A fantasy version of Olive's dad coming to the bee from work. Normally played by the actor playing Mitch. TENOR
OLIVE's MOM: A fantasy version of Olive's mom at her Ashram in India. Normally played by the actor playing Rona. MEZZO-SOPRANO
RONA LISA PERETTI: The number-one realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion herself, and the returning moderator. She is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch and his feelings for her. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. MEZZO-SOPRANO
WILLIAM BARFEE: A Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts and is back for vindication. His famous “Magic Foot” method of spelling has boosted him to spelling glory, even though he only has one working nostril and a touchy, bullying personality. He develops a crush on Olive. TENOR
If you would like to serve on the backstage crew for this production, please call Robert at 422-8641 x227.
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