Casting and Auditions

Fairchild Theatre
February 14-23, 2020

In this Tony Award-winning musical, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece…and a rare modern classic.

Synopsis: The story follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch’s curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone’s wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

Audition Requirements:
Please prepare up to 60 seconds of a song by Stephen Sondheim (any show except for Into the Woods).

Bring your sheet music, double-sided, 3-hole punched in a binder. An accompanist will be provided.

Bring 1 photo and resume, stapled together

Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled audition to fill out forms.

Studio 60
March 13-22, 2020

SYNOPSIS: Sort of England 1800s-is, sort of France 1600s-ish, and sort of Salem late-1600s-ish. Valerie helps Claire take a lover. Webster pines for Georgette and is much abused by Mrs. Wolcott. Prudence has accused her lover’s wife of witchcraft. Claire kills Valerie. Webster kills Mrs. Wolcott. Prudence kills Daniel. They all sort of deserve it. Time and space collapse. God guides us through it all.

BONNETS Character Breakdown by playwright w/director additions (11 female-identifying, genderqueer, and/or non-binary actors)

SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES ON CASTING by playwright

The Bonnets: The actors above will all play the Bonnets. The Bonnets exist as an out-of-time prototype, a sort of historical first-hit. They do not have to be a literal manifestation of the main character each actor will play.

On Race: Actors can be any race or ethnicity. The only casting configuration that is not acceptable is one where, in the case of a predominantly white cast, all three murder victims are played by actors of color… or the reverse.

On Gender: This play welcomes female-identifying, genderqueer, and non-binary actors in all roles. The roles of Laurent and Daniel should not be cast with cisgender male actors.

(This would change this play’s conversation about violence in ways that are unintended.)

BONNETS Audition Requirements

A one-minute monologue that features your emotional agility, and the ability to make bold believable choices.

No accents; we won’t use them.
Photo stapled to resume
Completed Audition form; all conflicts listed

Pasant Stage
April 10-19, 2020

A gender-bending, patriarchy smashing, a hilarious new take on the classic tale.  Robin Hood is (and has always been) Maid Marian in disguise, and leads a motley group of Merry Men (few of whom are actually men) against the greedy Prince John.  A comedy both black and blue, this is an athletic tale about love and authenticity found and lost in the forest of Sherwood and the ramparts of Nottingham Castle.

STYLE:  Marian utilizes slightly-heightened text peppered with modern slang; think Mel Brooks/Monty Python mixed with the fully-embodied earnestness of Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood and/or other films from the golden age of Hollywood. 

Audition Requirements:
Please have an approximately one-minute darkly-comedic or serio-comedic monologue, prepared with the style above in mind.  Whether contemporary or classical, make big but authentic physical choices. 

Note: While the show will include dialects, please do not use a British accent unless you are extremely confident in using it.  We will have coaching for the cast and I am confident anyone can get where they need to be by next April. 

Bring 1 photo and resume, stapled together, including any movement experience (movement methodologies, acrobatic skills, stage combat, etc) in the “Training” or “Special Skills” section.

Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your scheduled audition to fill out forms.

Suggestions for material for auditions (but feel free to stray from this list):

Moliere, Wilde, Tom Stoppard, Noel Coward, Paula Vogel, Sarah Ruhl, Charles Busch, Charles Ludlam, other plays by Adam Szymkowicz and playwrights similar to him (Mac Rogers, Liz Duffy Adams, Bekah Brunstetter, Nat Cassidy, Qui Ngyuen, August Schulenburg).

By Adam Szymkowicz 

SODA POP SHOP, a 40 minute new musical for neurodiverse audiences will be casting 5 roles for a tour this SS20.  Rehearsals will be from 10 AM-12 PM on Fridays prior to spring break, beginning January 31, and you must also be available from 7:30 AM -12:00 PM for the following tour dates: March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, & 24.  SODA POP SHOP auditions will be combined with auditions for INTO THE WOODS on November 18th. Please note that there will not be callbacks for SODA POP SHOP. If you wish to audition for SODA POP SHOP, please sign up for an audition slot from 5-7 PM on the 18th.  If you are unable to do so, please contact Dionne O’Dell at odelldio@msu.edu and she will make other arrangements for you.

SODA POP SHOP is a 40-minute musical that was developed specifically for students who are neurodiverse.  It will tour to special education classrooms in the greater Lansing area SS20.  Casting priority will be given to singers and people who can move well, and performers who have some experience with neurodiverse populations.

POND, a faculty initiative led by Dionne O’Dell, will be auditioning actors at the same time as INTO THE WOODS and SODA POP SHOP.  Please fill out a POND information sheet prior to entering auditions if you would like to be considered for the project.  POND is a multi-sensory production that works in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Architecture.  POND will have a rehearsal/workshop May 9- 24, 2020, and will go to the Omaha Common Senses Festival August 24-31, 2020.  If you are being considered for POND, Dionne will reach out to you to discuss further details and schedule. We primarily need musicians, singers, and actors comfortable with working with neurodiverse audiences.  https://arts.umich.edu/news-features/sensory-theater/

Dir: Rob Roznowski

This show will be performed by one actor several times throughout spring at MSU 2/16/20, Williamston Theatre 2/17/20 and at various venues throughout MI in February and March 2020 (not over spring break) as a way to start a conversation within the community for the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.  The show will also be performed at Summer Circle Theatre on 6/12 and 13 as a late-night special program. Those who wish to be considered for this show should read the script before auditions and have a belief in theatre as a tool for social justice.

In The Gun Show, award-winning playwright E. M. Lewis tells the story of America’s relationship with guns through the prism of her own personal experiences. From a farming community in rural Oregon to the big cities of Los Angeles and New York, an actor shares Ms. Lewis’s unique perspective and true stories about America’s most dangerous pastime as if they were his or her own, with brutal honesty and poignant humor. Leaning neither right nor left, The Gun Show jumps into the middle of the gun control debate and asks, “Can we have a conversation about this?” Students are not required to audition or be part of this production.

By E.M. Lewis

(March-April 2020)
Dir: Rob Roznowski

Upper-level actors will be considered for a project that will be created based on the cast and their individual needs. Everything else is unknown other than acting will be the main focus on this project that will challenge actors related to individual goals and subject matter. Who knows what we’ll do, but all I know is that it will be fun and challenging. Rehearsals in March 2020, Performances in April 2020. Students are not required to audition or be part of this production