THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE and AUSTEN'S PRIDE - Ridgefield CT EPA
ACT of Connecticut
**This EPA will now be for both SPELLING BEE and also AUSTEN'S PRIDE**
AUDITION DATE
Thu, Jan 10, 2019
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (EST)
APPOINTMENTS
For appointments please email casting@actofct.org.
CONTRACT
SPT Tier 5; $425 Per week plus pension and health
SEEKING
Adult Equity actor/singers (18+) for various roles. See breakdown
PREPARATION
For SPELLING BEE, please a brief song in the style of the show.
For AUSTEN'S PRIDE, please prepare a brief legit ballad from a classic Broadway musical (Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, etc). Please no contemporary musical theatre or pop/rock.
LOCATION
ACT of Connecticut
36 Old Quarry Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
PERSONNEL
Music and Lyrics: William Finn
Book: Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by: Rebecca Feldman
Artistic Director: Daniel C. Levine (in attendance)
Executive Producer: Katie Diamond (in attendance)
Director: Michelle Tattenbaum
Music Supervisor: Bryan Perri
Choreographer: Ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Musical Director: Katya Stanislavskaya
Casting: Binder Casting/Justin Bohon, CSA
OTHER DATES
First Rehearsal: May 6, 2019
First Preview: May 30, 2019
Opening: June 1, 2019
Closing: June 23, 2019
*POSSIBLE ONE WEEK EXTENSION
**Performances are Thursday-Sunday
OTHER
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of audition.
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 attend every audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
BREAKDOWN
[RONA LISA PERETTI]
female, late 20s – late 30s, soprano, with a very strong mix. Putnam County’s longtime spelling bee host and also the number one realtor in the County. A former Spelling Bee Champion herself, she loves children but can be stern when necessary. Her interest in the competition is unflagging. This role requires excellent improvisational skills. Strong movement ability is a plus. (Also plays Olive’s Mom) *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGLAS PANCH]
male, 30s - 40s, baritone. Frustrated with life and awaiting a promotion, he returns to the Bee as substitute judge after a five year absence due to an “incident” at the 20th Annual Bee. Though he finds the young spellers alien to him, he starts the day eager to redeem himself for past mistakes. Also, he is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, but she doesn’t return his affections. Requires excellent improvisational skills. Strong movement ability a plus. *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[MITCH MAHONEY]
male, late 20s – 30s, baritenor who can riff well. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service as a “comfort counselor” at the Bee. He’s a tough guy who seems utterly unlikely to be at a spelling bee, or in a musical. Strong movement ability a plus. (Also plays Dan Dad & Olive’s Dad) *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[CHIP TOLENTINO]
male, 18+ to play preteen, tenor. The reigning spelling champion, he expects things to come easy to him. Athletic, social, and a boy scout, he returns to defend his title, but he finds he’s been going through some weird changes that he did not expect. Strong movement ability a plus. (Also plays Jesus) *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[LEAF CONEYBEAR]
male, 18+ to play preteen, tenor. A second alternate with a severe inferiority complex, he deals with life by finidng things amusing rather than stressful. Homeschooled and from a large family, he has severe Attention Deficit Disorder but somehow achieves a trancelike state that allows him to spell words correctly. Strong movement ability a plus. (Also plays Carl Dad) *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENIERRE]
female, 18+ to play preteen, alto/belter. The youngest speller, she is incredibly political, keenly aware of her surroundings, and driven by internal and external pressure. She wants to win to make her fathers proud. She is also somewhat of a neat freak and has a lisp. Strong movement ability a plus. *Seeking actors of all ethnicities to play this role.
[MARCY PARK]
female, 18+ to play preteen, soprano/belter. A recent transfer student who attends Catholic school, Marcy is a quintessential overachiever and comes from a family where excellence is expected. She speaks six languages, is athletic, and plays multiple instruments among her other talents. She keeps her problems to herself and is not allowed to cry. Strong movement ability a plus. *Seeking an Asian actor for this role.
[OLIVE OSTROVSKY]
female, 18+ to play preteen, soprano/high mixed belt to an F. A newcomer to competitive spelling, Olive loves words and spends time alone reading her friend, the dictionary. She’s alone at the Bee, as her mother is in an ashram in India, and her father is working late, as usual. Words bring her comfort and are exciting to her. She starts out enormously shy and begins to blossom. Strong movement ability a plus. *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
[WILLIAM BARFEE]
male, 18+ to play preteen, baritone. A finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts and is back for vindication. Friendship surprises him today as he relies on his “Magic Foot” method of spelling that boosted him to spelling glory (even though he only has one working nostril and a touchy personality). Strong movement ability a plus. *Seeking actors of all ethnicities for this role.
AUSTIN'S PRIDE
Book, Music & Lyrics: Lindsay Warren Baker & Amanda Jacobs
Director: Igor Goldin
Music Supervisor: Kevin Stites
Choreographer: Andrew Palermo
Casting: Wojcik | Seay Casting (AUSTEN'S PRIDE)
1st Rehearsal: on or about March 5th, 2019 (some in NYC, some CT)
1st preview: March 28th
Opening: March 30th
Closing: April 14th (possible extension until 4/20/19)
As the compelling love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy unfolds, Austen learns to see both the story and herself in a new light.
All candidates must act and sing well in a legit style and should be strong movers. Standard British dialect required.
Please note: ACTIVELY SEEKING A DIVERSE CAST! ACTORS OF ALL ETHNICITIES
ENCOURAGED TO AUDITION
JANE AUSTEN: mid 30’s to mid 40’s. Witty, clever and thoughtful with a touch of snarkiness. As a recently published female author in Regency- era England, she is ahead of her time. Over the course of the story telling, Austen also assumes the role of
MRS. REYNOLDS (Darcy’s housekeeper). Mezzo-belter. (G3 to F5)
Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Seeking strong actress with strong voice
ELIZABETH BENNET: mid 20’s to early 30’s, The Bennet’s second oldest daughter. A non-traditional beauty. Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters. She has a lively, playful disposition, which delights in anything ridiculous. She is good-humored and has a quick-wit. Soprano with belt. (A3 to G5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
CASSANDRA AUSTEN/ CHARLOTTE LUCAS: mid 30’s to mid 40’s, Jane Austen’s sister. Protective and practical. Austen’s most trusted confidante. Over the course of the story telling, she assumes the roles of CHARLOTTE LUCAS. CHARLOTTE: Elizabeth’s best friend, of average beauty, modest, sensible and intelligent. Mezzo-belter. (A3 to E5)
Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
MRS. BENNET/LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH: late 40’s to early 50’s. MRS. BENNET: a high-strung mother of the five Bennet daughters. Once a young woman of youth, beauty and good humor; now a wife and mother of mean understanding, little
information and uncertain temper. The business of her life is to get her daughters married; its solace is visiting and news. LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH: authoritative and self-important with striking features, Darcy’s aunt. Soprano with belt. (C4 to A5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
JANE BENNET: mid 20’s to early 30’s, the Bennet’s eldest daughter, extremely beautiful and lovely with a fair complexion. A kind and gentle soul. She never sees a fault in any body. All the world is good and agreeable in her eyes. She has never spoken ill of a human being in her life. Soprano. (A-flat3 to E5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
MARY BENNET/GEORGIANA DARCY: MARY: early 20’s, the only plain one in the family, she has worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments. She enjoys singing and playing the piano but is delightfully unaware of her lack of skill. Puritanical in nature. NOTE: Actress is NOT required to play piano. GEORGIANA DARCY: 16,
Mr. Darcy’s sister. She is gentle and graceful. There is sense and good humor in her face and her manners are perfectly unassuming and kind. She is a girl not a woman. Mezzo belter. (A3 to E5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
LYDIA BENNET: Early 20’s with strong dance skills. The Bennet’s youngest daughter. Beautiful and well-endowed at an early age. She loves to laugh and loves to gossip. Also self-willed and careless. Soprano with belt. (A3 to G5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
KITTY BENNET early to mid 20’s. KITTY: 17, She is the typical middle child that is always fighting for attention to be noticed. Somewhat silly and fretful, though is less temperamental than Lydia. Soprano with belt. (G3 to E5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
CAROLINE BINGLEY/ MRS. GARDINER: CAROLINE: mid 20’s to early 30’s. Bingley’s sister. Fashionable, conceited and proud. MRS. GARDNER: Elizabeth’s elegant, amiable, warm and gracious aunt. Actress must have a strong sense
of comedy. Soprano. (B3-G5) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
FITZWILLIAM DARCY: late 20’s to mid 30’s. Tall, dark, handsome, and extremely wealthy. At first he appears to be aloof and above it all but is also kind and generous to those he is responsible for. Baritone. (A2-G#4) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
MR. BENNET: late 40’s to early 50’s. Elizabeth’s father, a country gentleman with an odd mixture of quick wit, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice. Baritone. (A2-E3). Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
CHARLES BINGLEY mid 20’s to early 30’s. BINGLEY: a good-looking wealthy bachelor; easy going and friendly. Darcy’s best friend. He has a quirky sense of humor. Seeking a strong mover. Tenor. (E#3- A4) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
GEORGE WICKHAM: mid 20’s to mid 30’s. Extremely attractive and sexy soldier (grew up with Darcy); Seeking a strong mover. Bari-tenor. (C3-G4) Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
MR. COLLINS/MR. GARDINER: late 20’s to early 30’s. A clergyman; He is falsely entitled and will not take no for an answer. Strong comic skills and physical comedy talent is a plus. Tenor. (D3-A4). This actor will also play MR. GARDINER (Mrs. Bennet’s friendly brother, Elizabeth’s uncle).
Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role.
www.AustensPrideAMusical.com
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 audition.
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