Audition and Casting Information

 

Audition Schedule For Company and Silent Sky

 

Audition signups have now closed. If you would like to audition, please contact stage managment.

 

Auditions and Callbacks will be May 6 & 7 from 9am to 10:30pm

Company will start rehearsals Sept 1, and they will be Monday through Friday, and Saturdays. Tech is Sept 24-26, Dress is Sept 28-Oct. 1. Brush up is Oct 8. The production runs Oct. 2-4 and Oct 9-12.

Weekday hours will be 6:30-10:30pm and Saturdays 12-6pm. Sunday will be the day off except for Dress and performance.

Please note any conflicts with these dates on your audition signup sheet.

 

Silent Sky will start rehearsals Sept 1, and they will be Monday through Friday, and Sundays. Tech/Dress is Oct. 5-8. The production runs Oct 9-12.

Weekday hours will be 6:30-10:30pm and Saturdays 12-6pm. Saturday will be the day off except for performance.

Please note any conflicts with these dates on your audition signup sheet.

Auditions and Callbacks will be May 6 & 7 from 9am to 10:30pm

Audition signups have now closed. If you would like to audition, please contact stage managment.

 

 

 

Auditions

AUDITIONS  FOR  COMPANY 

BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM AND GEORGE FURTH

Director – Mickey Tennenbaum 

Music Director – Lauri Young

On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks and even a wedding, his friends explain the pros and cons of taking on a spouse; the habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood. 

As the creative team for the show, we are looking for actors who truly understand Mr. Sondheim’s style and are able to interpret his material in a mature and sophisticated way. Remember his oft-quoted preference for “actors who sing.” We will need excellent musicians whose voices, musical skills, and acting “chops” will help to create a dynamic ensemble.

Callbacks will consist of musical sides and readings from the script.  All callback material will be posted online in a timely manner.

A note from the MD:

Please bring in a 16 bar cut of a song by Stephen Sondheim that demonstrates your general vocal range (S,A,T or B) and your skills as an actor.  As MD, I will be looking for actors who really understand and are able to communicate the style of this brilliant and fascinating music.  Feel free to sing from the show if you are interested in going for a certain character.  As you prepare your material, really do your homework and make clear, bold and spontaneous choices.  Gender bending for the audition is fine but be aware that we will not be doing gender bending for this production because of the labor intensive work required for multiple transpositions.  This will be my sixteenth adventure being the MD for a Sondheim production and every show has been a creative banquet!  Steve is THE.BEST.  HAVE FUN!!

If you have any questions about the auditions or the production, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Mickey and Lauri

 

Character Breakdown

Note on vocal ranges:  The show is dominated by ensemble music more than solos.  The female ensemble music covers a range of G3 to A5. Ideally, I would like every member of the female ensemble to be able to confidently cover parts within that range (with the exception of Joanne).  The male ensemble music covers a range from A2 to A4.  EVERYONE needs to be able to do kicka** harmony.

Robert

The story’s protagonist, he is a keen observer who appears happy but holds pain in his heart. He is the only one of his friends still single.

Gender: Male

Age: 30 to 35

Baritenor, good endurance, able to sustain long soaring phrases at the extremes of the range.  Has the most solo singing in the show.

Sarah

Harry’s hypercritical wife. She is an avid learner of karate and tends to overeat. Open, accepting, and full of love.

Gender: Female

Age: 30 to 40

Soprano-ish

Harry

Sarah’s husband. He is a recovering alcoholic continually falling off the wagon. Believes the advantages of marriage outweigh the disadvantages.

Gender: Male

Age: 35 to 45

Baritenor

Susan

A delicate southern belle. Peter’s wife and ex-wife. Motherly in her affections towards Robert.

Gender: Female

Age: 30 to 40

Soprano

Peter

Susan’s husband. The perfect husband and ex-husband. He is very liberal in his view of relationships.

Gender: Male

Age: 30 to 40

Baritenor

Jenny

Quietly manipulative, simultaneously square and wise. Loves her husband, David, and will indulge him from time to time.

Gender: Female

Age: 30 to 40

Sopranoish

David

Jenny’s husband, he is relaxed and always in control. Believes a man should be married and that the sacrifice of freedom is worth what you get in return.

Gender: Male

Age: 30 to 40

Baritenor

Amy

A frantic neurotic engaged to Paul but terrified of marriage. After a mental breakdown, she finally realizes that Paul is, in fact, her soulmate.

Gender: Female

Age: 25 to 35

Mezzo Sopranoish

Paul

Amy’s fiancĂ©. Mildly clingy, but patient to her neurotic nature. He is fully committed to the idea of marriage and encourages Robert to do the same.

Gender: Male

Age: 30 to 40

Baritenor

Joanne

Acerbic, demanding, and blunt. Too old to be part of the young crowd, but not old enough to be part of the older crowd. Puts on a brassy front that melts when she is alone with her husband.

Gender: Female

Age: 40 to 50

Alto

Larry

Joanne’s husband. He is stoic and centered, but has moments of goofiness. Indulges his wife’s behavior but knows when to put his foot down.

Gender: Male

Age: 45 to 55

Baritenor

Marta

A girlfriend of Robert’s. Intensely modern, who is seeking adventure and excitement in the City.

Gender: Female

Age: 20 to 30

Mezzo Soprano with belt

Kathy

An old girlfriend of Robert’s, who is now considered a good friend. She plans to leave the City for a life of domesticity. Sweet and loving.  Dancer.  (Donna McKechnie played the original role.)

Gender: Female

Age: 25 to 35

Sopranoish

April

A girlfriend of Robert’s. She is a flight attendant who came to New York to live in Radio City. Ditzy and adorable.

Gender: Female

Age: 25 to 35

Mezzo soprano

 

Auditions

Auditions for Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson

Directed by Maria-Ioana Andrei

 

For students auditioning in person:

Auditions – Please prepare a 1-minute dramatic monologue from a contemporary play.

Callbacks – The callback materials link will be provided by stage management. Please come prepared to work the scene and take adjustments from the director. 

 

For students studying abroad at the moment:

Auditions – Please submit a self-tape of your audition here. Before recording, have in mind the following:

  • Tapes should begin with a Slate including your name, year, and what you will be performing. 
  • Tapes should be filmed in a quiet place, in front of a clear background.
  • Tapes should be full-body shots. Attempt to make use of the space you are filming in and make physical choices. 
  • You should dress as if you were attending an in-person audition. 

Check out the Director’s Note for the in-person auditions and be advised that if you get called back, you may receive notes to review via email. 

The deadline for self tapes has now passed. If you would like to submit one, please contact stage management

Callbacks – The callback materials link will be provided by stage management. Please submit a self-tape for the role/s you were called back for, and either pre-record yourself saying the lines of the other characters in the scene or have someone feed them to you off-frame. You should still follow the notes mentioned under the audition instructions. 

 

SYNOPSIS:

When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of the 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

HENRIETTA LEAVITT – Female, in her 30s. Fiercely brilliant, curious, and meticulous. She spills over her own traditionalism and is wildly passionate about her craft. Wears a hearing aid, but takes it off in moments of daydreaming or while working.  

MARGARET LEAVITT – Female, in her 30s. Homebody, creative, and sweet. She is Henrietta’s sister and her anchor into their family. She sings and plays the piano.  

*Students auditioning for this role are not required to know how to play the piano. However, if you do play the instrument, please note it in your audition form or to the Stage Manager.   

PETER SHAW – Male, in his 30s. “The head astronomer’s apprentice … and the man.” He is unintentionally handsome and a bit bumbling. He oversees the women in the Harvard Observatory by doing “rounds” frequently. 

ANNIE CANNON – Female, in her 40s. The leader in the Observatory and an advocate for her colleagues. Although aware of her place in society, she peacefully fights those norms and attempts to break barriers.  She is terse, fiery, and sure, but develops a soft spot for Henrietta. 

WILLIAMINA FLEMING – Female, in her 50s. Smart as a whip and fun, Scottish. The first female to work at the Harvard Observatory. Previously the head astronomer’s (Dr. Pickering) housekeeper – “Pickering got fed up with the boys he was sent and said – really said this – that his housekeeper could do better, so he hired her. And she did better.”

Director’s Note:

Thank you for your interest in Silent Sky. I recommend you read the entire play before coming to auditions/callbacks, and familiarize yourself with the times it is set in and its characters’ place in the 1900s society. You will notice that Lauren Gunderson utilizes a unique and intricate language, full of humor and emotion. Make choices that showcase your interpretation of these particularities, but don’t try to act out the comedy or drama of the text. Keep in mind that these characters portray real people and identify where their complexity derives from. Find inspiration in their honesty and genuineness, and let the words speak for themselves. 

Break a leg!