Hershey Area Playhouse Announces Auditions for Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Hershey Area Playhouse is holding auditions for their summer musical, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, at the Playhouse, located at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Cherry Drive, Hershey. Adult auditions will be held from 6:30 PM-9:00 PM on Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th. Youth auditions will be held from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM on Saturday, April 27th. Callbacks will be held on Monday, April 29th from 6:30 PM-9:00 PM.
Auditions will include both a singing and acting component. Please be prepared to do a cold reading from the script. We will not be requiring a monologue.
Please prepare 18-32 bars of a musical theatre song of your choice that is not from the show. Please bring sheet music for the accompanist to play. A capella auditions and singing with a music track will not be permitted.
Available roles:
Ariel - lead, mezzo-soprano (Ab3-E5). Ariel is a strong-willed teenaged mermaid who longs to be human. She possesses a keen curiosity for the world both under and above the sea – much to the chagrin of her father, King Triton. Big-hearted, she’s more accepting of and delighted by others’ differences than most of her fellow merfolk, but she also has a rebellious streak that can get her into trouble. Ariel loses her voice in Act 2 and must be able to pantomime well.
Prince Eric - lead, tenor (B2-F#4). Prince Eric is the adventurous human monarch who captures Ariel’s heart. Charming and sensitive in nature, he has a warm voice and demeanor that evokes his flair for romance. There is also a stubborn side to the Prince, who is determined to do whatever it takes to get what he wants – including the girl with the mysterious voice.
Grimsby – supporting role, tenor or baritone (C2-C3, minimal solo singing). Grimsby is Prince Eric’s prim and proper valet. Rigid in bearing and personality, he is constantly trying to guide Prince Eric toward the throne and toward a suitable bride fit for a royal marriage. Under his stern demeanor, Grimsby truly is fond of Eric, whom he worries about and attends to as though he were his own son.
Flounder – supporting role, tenor or mezzo-soprano (A2-G4 or A3-G5). May be cast as an older child or teenager. Flounder is Ariel’s sincere and sensitive best friend who rarely leaves her side. A spunky fish with a sweet sense of humor, but he can also be awkward and anxious.
Scuttle – supporting role, tenor or mezzo-soprano (C3-G4 or C4-G5). Scuttle is the know-it-all seagull who serves as Ariel’s expert on all things human. Garrulous and off-beat, Scuttle’s eccentricities are more endearing than aggravating. Even as he makes up ridiculous names and functions for common human objects, his intentions are friendly and his enthusiasm is infectious.
King Triton – supporting role, baritone (A2-F4). King Triton, King of the Sea and a harried single father to seven girls, struggles to balance his political and paternal powers. A widower, Triton is as fond of his daughters as he is frustrated with their teenage angst. Even when unsure of his parenting technique, he is a tender patriarch who becomes a royal force to be reckoned with when Ariel’s safety and happiness is threatened by his sister, the sea witch Ursula.
Sebastian – supporting role, tenor (Bb3-C5). Sebastian is the choirmaster of King Triton’s court who has a flair for the dramatic. A meticulous and uptight crab, Sebastian is ever-anxious, whether he’s conducting a concert premiere or protecting Ariel from Ursula. When he’s performing – which is almost always – he’s undeniably charismatic.
Flotsam and Jetsam – supporting roles, tenors/altos (B3-A4). Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula’s sinister lackeys. With devious charm, these electric eels convince Ariel to visit the sea witch. Tricky and menacing, they are always lurking about, ready to take advantage of sea inhabitants at their most vulnerable moments.
Ursula – lead, alto (Eb3-C4). Ursula is the tentacled and manipulative sea witch who is sister to King Triton. Cunning and calculating, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants – and what she wants is Triton’s throne. To gain the upper-hand, she utilizes her slick sense of humor, a flash of glamour, and larger-than-life confidence.
Chef Louis – featured role, tenor (Db3-A5). Chef Louis is the melodramatic head chef in the palace. Wild and frenetic, he becomes physically and vocally flustered by Sebastian, who always manages to escape his grasp. Must be able to speak and sing in a French accent.
Aquata/Princess #6 – supporting role, soprano (C4-A5). Will sing Soprano 2 on 4-part harmonies; Soprano 1 on 3-part harmonies. Triton’s oldest daughter. Aquata is a sassy diva who thinks she should have Ariel’s solos. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Andrina/Princess #4 - supporting role, soprano (C4-A5) Will sing Soprano 2 on 4-part and 3-part harmonies. Triton’s second-oldest daughter. The “smartest” mersister. All of the mersisters are sassy. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Arista/Princess #5 - supporting role, alto (C4-D5) Will sing Alto 2 on 4-part harmonies; Alto on 3-part harmonies. Triton’s third-oldest daughter. The “prettiest” mersister. All of the mersisters are sassy. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Atina/Princess #1 - supporting role, alto (C4-D5) Will sing Alto 1 on 4-part harmonies; Alto on 3-part harmonies. Triton’s middle daughter. The brutally-honest mersister. All of the mersisters are sassy. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Adella/Princess #3 - supporting role, mezzo-soprano (C4-G5) Will sing Alto 1 on 4-part harmonies; Soprano 2 on 3-part harmonies. Triton’s third-youngest daughter. Adella believes she was her mother’s favorite daughter. All of the mersisters are sassy. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Allana/Princess #2 - supporting role, soprano (C4-B5) Will sing Soprano 1 on 4-part harmonies. Triton’s second-youngest daughter. The “sweetest” mersister. All of the mersisters are sassy. The actresses cast as the mersisters will also play princesses attempting to attract Prince Eric with their singing in Act 2.
Windward and Leeward – featured roles, any vocal ranges (ensemble singing only). Trumpet fish, Windward and Leeward are the heralds in King Triton’s court.
Pilot – featured role, tenor or baritone (D2-D3, minimal solo singing). The Pilot, the uniformed helmsman of Prince Eric’s ship, is a nautical expert who entertains the sailors with wild tales of the sea. A little too superstitious for Grimsby’s taste, the Pilot nevertheless maintains strict control of his ship and crew even as he sings with a jolly cadence.
Adult/Teen Ensemble – 8-12 adults and teenagers (age 15+) of varying vocal ranges to play gulls, maids, sailors, and sea creatures. Must be able to sing 4-part harmony.
Children’s Ensemble – 6 children ages 7-14 to play sea creatures in “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.” Will sing melody on both songs.
(Casting information adapted from MTI’s The Little Mermaid Production Handbook)
Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney's The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. Ariel, King Triton's youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea.
Performances of Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be July 18-21 and July 25-28, 2019, at the Playhouse. Additional audition information is available on the Playhouse’s website,
www.HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com.
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Hershey Area Playhouse (www.HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing residents of the community with an opportunity to participate in the creation and production of a theatrical experience. Since its inception in 1999, Hershey Area Playhouse has staged dozens of productions at numerous venues around the Hershey area. In April 2007, the Playhouse opened its new permanent home, Hershey Area Playhouse at Country Meadows.
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