Auditions
* Teen Summer Musical, Once Upon a Mattress
AUDITIONS: Tues., May 20, 7-10pm, by appointment; to set up an audition, please call 617-361-7024 or email tara@rtwboston.org
CALLBACKS: Wed., May 21, 7pm
AUDITION CLASS: May 15, 7-9pm -- meet the directors, get tips on how to audition, practice your audition, see the cold readings ahead of time! FREE!
PREPARE: All students should prepare 1 song of their choice, plus plan on staying to read from the script. Please have sheet music for your songs!
REHEARSALS: Rehearsals run every day, 4:30-8:30, July 7-25; the final week before the show, the director may hold rehearsals from 9am-3 if needed, please make that time available.
PERFORMANCES: August 1-3, Friday 8pm, Saturday 3pm and 8pm, Sunday 3pm.
CAMP FEE: Each student will be cast in production, a $100 deposit of the $500 program fee is due at the time of auditions. The balance is due the first day of camp, July 7.
SHOW SYNOPSIS: Due to an unhappy curse, King Sextimus is unable to speak. Meanwhile, his terror of a wife, Queen Aggravain, has taken over control of the kingdom. Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she has decreed that only the princess that can pass her test may marry her son. Further, no one else in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless does. Lady Larken and Sir Harry are extremely disturbed by this fact since Lady Larken is now pregnant with Sir Harry's baby. Luckily, Sir Harry is able to find an amazing princess, Winnifred the Woebegone. She instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless, and in the end, is able to pass the Queen's supposedly impassable sensitivity test. When the Queen still tries to prevent the
Prince Dauntless from marrying, he tells her to 'shut up' which ends up breaking the curse on the king. Now able to speak, King Sextimus regains his rightful position as leader of the kingdom, and all is well.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
| Queen Aggravain | female | The loud, talkative woman who really rules the country. She is trying to keep her son, Prince Dauntless, from getting married. | Lead | |
| King Sextimus the Silent | male | A kind, expressive, and playful man who is silent due to a curse placed upon him by a witch before the birth of Dauntless. He likes to chase girls through the corridors of the castle. |
Supporting | |
| Nightengale of Smarkand | female | A royal pet that sings a lullaby to put Winnifred to sleep. | – | cameo |
| Sir Studley | male | A member of the court who dances. | 25 – 45 | cameo |
| Jester | male | An energetic and peppy man who is the King's right-hand man and assists him with every endeavor. The Jester also plots with the Minstrel to spoil the Queen's plans. |
25 – 40 | supporting |
| Princess Winnifred the Woebegone | female | An outspoken, strong, and optimistic princess from the swamp lands. She also wants to get married, but must go through the queen's unfair test as well. |
16 – 25 | lead |
| Sir Harry | male | The macho, romantic knight who decides to leave the kingdom to search for a princess. Harry cannot marry Lady Larken until Prince Dauntless has found a suitable bride. |
25 – 35 | supporting |
| Minstrel | male | The handsome narrator of the story. He becomes smitten with Lady Larken and tries to persuade her to flee to Normandy with him. He and the Jester also join forces to stop the Queen's plans. |
20 – 35 | supporting |
| Prince Dauntless | male | A handsome, young prince who desperately wants to get married, but is prevented by his mother's strict tests that she gives to all potential candidates. |
18 – 27 | lead |
| Lady Larken | female | A beautiful woman who desperately wants to marry Sir Harry because she is pregnant with his baby. She tries to flee the Kingdom after having an argument with Sir Harry, but is convinced by Winnifred to reunite with Sir Harry. |
18 – 27 | supporting |
| Wizard | male | The egotistical, ex-performer who directly serves the Queen. | 60 – 85 | supporting |
| Lady Mabelle | female | A beautiful woman with a french accent. | 25 – 40 | cameo |
| Princess No. 12 | female | A ditsy princess | 16 – 25 | cameo |
| Lady Rowena | female | A lady-in-waiting. | – | cameo |
| Lady Merril | female | A lady-in-waiting. | – | cameo |
| Lady Lucille | female | A lady-in-waiting. | – | cameo |
| Ladies-in-waiting, Knights, Soldiers, Servants, Musicians | N/A | 15 – 60 | chorus | |
| Kitchen Wench | female | A woman chased around the castle by King Sextimus. | – | cameo |
SEASON AUDITIONS!
* 2008-09 Season Auditions: May 27, 7-10pm and May 31st, 1-4pm. Season auditions will be held for anyone interested in a leading role in our 2008-09 productions. Each show will also hold supporting role and ensemble auditions at a later date. Anyone auditioning for a leading role who does not get cast may be invited back for a supporting role at the callback date. Auditionees should prepare a song from the show auditioning for (preferably for the character you're interested in), and a short 2-minute monologue. Anyone auditioning for Miracle on 34th St. need only prepare the monologue. To schedule an audition appointment, call 617-361-7024 or email tara@rtwboston.org
Roles being cast for the season on the above dates include:
Big River --
Huck Finn: A rebellious youth with a love of adventure, age 14-18
Jim: Miss Watson's runaway slave who is searching for his wife and children, age 30-45
King: An escaped convict and con artist pretending to be the son of the last King of France, age 30-60
Duke: An escaped convict and con artist pretending to be the Duke of Bridgewater, age 30-60
Miracle on 34th St. --
Doris Walker: director of Macy's Day parade; a mother who does not believe in fantasy and must juggle her job and homelife, age 30-45
Fred: Doris's neighbor, a charming mad and believer in Santa Claus, age 30-50
Kris Kringle: a jolly older man!
Hansel and Gretel --
Hansel: (mezzo-soprano; trouser role) – A young boy who lives
with his sister and parents in a cottage in the woods. He cleverly
figures out how to escape from the witch.
Gretel: (soprano) – Hansel’s sister. She follows Hansel’s advice to free them both from the evil witch.
Witch: (tenor/mezzo-soprano) – An evil old woman who lives deep in the forest.
She captures Hansel and Gretel, puts a spell on them, and intends to
bake them in her magic oven. (RTW will be hoping to cast a woman in this role)
The King and I --
Anna: A young English widow who has been appointed governess to the children
of the King of Siam. She is business-like and yet, filled with a heart
of compassion, age 30-45
King of Siam: The all-knowing leader of Siam with sixty-seven children who struggles
to conform with tradition yet is fascinated with Western ideas, age 40-60
Lun Tha: A courtier who is in love with Tuptim, age 17-30
Lady Thiang: The King's wise and understanding chief wife. age 30-40
Check back for official announcements regarding the following auditions and dates:
* Big River -- Ensemble and supporting role casting auditions: June 17 and 21
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