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PRODUCTION
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Auditions for the Midwest Premiere of
HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING
By Will Arbery
Directed by Rick Dines
When: Monday & Tuesday, April 19 & 20, 2021, 6:30pm
Where: SCT Operations Center, 2025 E Chestnut Expressway Suite D
Rehearsals: begin May 2, 2021
Performances: June 4-6, 10-13, 2021
Those auditioning will are asked to fill out an audition form in advance. Click here to access audition form.
Those auditioning will be asked to read from the play. Sides can be downloaded here:
| hotft_audition_sides.pdf |
About the play: Four friends remain as a late-night backyard party winds down in Wyoming, shortly before the 2017 solar eclipse. As they wait for the arrival of their mentor and newly appointed president of their small conservative Catholic college, secret passions and fears surface, revealing their troubled place in a divided country. Set on a chilly night in the middle of America, Will Arbery's haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity, speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself. Heroes of the Fourth Turning was a 2020 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play and Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.
Roles (2 men, 3 women):
Note on casting, from the playwright: This play is, in part, about whiteness and the way it operates in America. Each character is implicated. That’s not to say that certain roles (particularly Justin and Kevin) can’t be cast in a way that evokes “passing” or assimilation, but bear in mind that this is a white environment, and these characters are speaking to each other accordingly.
Roles (2 men, 3 women):
- Justin (mid to late 30’s) an ex-Marine sniper; bearded; quiet, intense, strong, religious; a hunter; plays the guitar and sings (but not 'musical theatre').
- Emily (mid-20’s) warm, kind-hearted, funny; suffers from severe chronic illness; Gina's daughter; worked in pro-life Catholic charities.
- Kevin (late 20’s-early 30’s) from Oklahoma; works at a Catholic textbook company; tortured, self-loathing, funny, alcoholic.
- Teresa (late 20’s-early 30’s) from Connecticut; a conservative journalist and columnist; fierce, brilliant, confident, acerbic. Right-wing. Nationalist.
- Gina (mid-60’s) new president of a small conservative Catholic college; both warm and cold, casual and formal; extremely intelligent and charismatic. Could have been president of the country; had eight children and taught the whole time.
Note on casting, from the playwright: This play is, in part, about whiteness and the way it operates in America. Each character is implicated. That’s not to say that certain roles (particularly Justin and Kevin) can’t be cast in a way that evokes “passing” or assimilation, but bear in mind that this is a white environment, and these characters are speaking to each other accordingly.
Auditions for the Missouri Premiere of
DESPERATE MEASURES
Book and Lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Music by David Friedman
Directed by Jeffrey Mindock
Music Directed by Alex Huff
When: Sunday & Monday, April 25th & 26th, 2021, 6: 30pm
Callbacks: If needed, Wed, April 28th, 2021
Where: SCT Operations Center, 2025 E Chestnut Expressway Ste D
Rehearsals: begin June 27, 2021
Performances: August 13-15, 19-22, 2021
Prepare: Those auditioning will be asked to sing a one-minute selection in the style of the show highlighting the depth of the performers range. Shakespearean monologues are encouraged, but not required. Those auditioning will also be asked to fill out an online audition form in advance. The link to the audition form can be found HERE.
About the play: When the dangerously handsome Johnny Blood’s life is on the line, he must put his fate into the hands of a colorful cast of characters including a mysterious sheriff, an eccentric priest, a narcissistic governor, a saloon girl gone good, and a nun out of the habit. Together, they face uncharted territory as laws are broken and hearts are won. Before the sun sets, will they be able to rise up and pull off the greatest act yet, or will Johnny be left hanging?
The show is based on William Shakespeare's comedy Measure for Measure. The plot and casting is streamlined with equivalents only for Angelo (Governor Otto Von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber), Isabella (Susanna/Sister Mary Jo), Claudio (Johnny Blood), Duke Vincentio (Sheriff), a composite of Juliet and Mariana (Bella Rose), and a drunken priest (Friar Peter is the clergyman with the most lines in Shakespeare's play, at seven), and is set in Arizona Territory at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The 2017 Original Off-Broadway York Theatre production won several awards, including Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical and for Outstanding Lyrics: the Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, and Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical.
From the director: Although Desperate Measures is a full-length musical comedy, we will utilize traditional Shakespearean techniques to dissect the text and tell this story. However, with that in mind, Shakespearean scholars are not required in the making of this play! Each role requires a comedic artist who can sing and dance. Looking for disciplined individuals excited to take on a new challenging story to tell and want to have fun doing it. All roles are open to all adult ages.
Roles (4-6 men, 2-4 women):
All named roles must hold harmonies on their own.
Casting Note: SCT’s production is looking for 2-4 ensemble members, men and women, to serve as “Shakespearean fairies” that will play a large part in the storytelling of the piece.
From the playwright: Desperate Measures is a six-person Western musical with dialog in rhymed couplets. If that sounds daunting or pretentious, it isn’t. The characters all speak in verse with the same accents and vocabulary they would in real life. … The other important thing to remember is, since the lines are written in iambic pentameter, you can’t paraphrase or add syllables.
DESPERATE MEASURES
Book and Lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Music by David Friedman
Directed by Jeffrey Mindock
Music Directed by Alex Huff
When: Sunday & Monday, April 25th & 26th, 2021, 6: 30pm
Callbacks: If needed, Wed, April 28th, 2021
Where: SCT Operations Center, 2025 E Chestnut Expressway Ste D
Rehearsals: begin June 27, 2021
Performances: August 13-15, 19-22, 2021
Prepare: Those auditioning will be asked to sing a one-minute selection in the style of the show highlighting the depth of the performers range. Shakespearean monologues are encouraged, but not required. Those auditioning will also be asked to fill out an online audition form in advance. The link to the audition form can be found HERE.
About the play: When the dangerously handsome Johnny Blood’s life is on the line, he must put his fate into the hands of a colorful cast of characters including a mysterious sheriff, an eccentric priest, a narcissistic governor, a saloon girl gone good, and a nun out of the habit. Together, they face uncharted territory as laws are broken and hearts are won. Before the sun sets, will they be able to rise up and pull off the greatest act yet, or will Johnny be left hanging?
The show is based on William Shakespeare's comedy Measure for Measure. The plot and casting is streamlined with equivalents only for Angelo (Governor Otto Von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber), Isabella (Susanna/Sister Mary Jo), Claudio (Johnny Blood), Duke Vincentio (Sheriff), a composite of Juliet and Mariana (Bella Rose), and a drunken priest (Friar Peter is the clergyman with the most lines in Shakespeare's play, at seven), and is set in Arizona Territory at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The 2017 Original Off-Broadway York Theatre production won several awards, including Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical and for Outstanding Lyrics: the Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, and Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical.
From the director: Although Desperate Measures is a full-length musical comedy, we will utilize traditional Shakespearean techniques to dissect the text and tell this story. However, with that in mind, Shakespearean scholars are not required in the making of this play! Each role requires a comedic artist who can sing and dance. Looking for disciplined individuals excited to take on a new challenging story to tell and want to have fun doing it. All roles are open to all adult ages.
Roles (4-6 men, 2-4 women):
All named roles must hold harmonies on their own.
- Johnny Blood – a hot-headed young cowboy, traditional male ingenue with a simple glint in his eye, contemporary tenor to high B.
- Father Morse – Franciscan priest, Irish, baritone; also plays Big Swede in opening number and Bartender in saloon.
- Sheriff Martin Green – the epitome of the law, a voice of empathy and reason, the classic Western cowboy, “a man of the people”, baritone up to an F.
- Susanna aka Sister Mary Jo – honest, innocent, shy, resolute, a novice nun and Johnny’s sister; soprano with a gorgeous mix.
- Governor von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber – the villain of the play, a less than favorable character that everyone loves to hate, baritone with low A.
- Bella Rose – silly, sexy, and knows how to tell a joke, a saloon girl in love with Johnny, high belter.
Casting Note: SCT’s production is looking for 2-4 ensemble members, men and women, to serve as “Shakespearean fairies” that will play a large part in the storytelling of the piece.
From the playwright: Desperate Measures is a six-person Western musical with dialog in rhymed couplets. If that sounds daunting or pretentious, it isn’t. The characters all speak in verse with the same accents and vocabulary they would in real life. … The other important thing to remember is, since the lines are written in iambic pentameter, you can’t paraphrase or add syllables.
SCT Sings B'Way Rock 2
Music Directed by Alex Huff
When: Sunday, May 2, 2021, 3:00pm
Where: SCT Operations Center, 2025 E Chestnut Expressway Suite D
Rehearsals: begin June 20, 2021
Performance: July 11, 2021
To audition, please prepare a pop/rock song that has appeared in a musical. You may audition in person or send a video submission prior to the in person audition date. Those auditioning are asked to fill out an audition form in advance. Click here to access audition form.
Rehearsals will be coordinated around actor's schedules June 20-July 9. There is a mandatory reherasal with the band July 10 at 2pm. Soundcheck will be at 4pm on July 11th with the performance at 6:30pm.
About the Show: After a very successful One-Night-Only performance in October 2020, we're bringing it back! Utilizing Mother’s Brewing Company’s amazing back lawn, the concert will feature music from musicals with pop/rock scores like Hair, Rent and The Rocky Horror Show to more current shows like Mamma Mia! and Beautiful. The 90-minute concert features local vocal artists and musicians led by SCT Resident Music Director Alex Huff. Springfield Contemporary Theatre and Mother’s Brewing Company are working together to ensure safety and social distancing protocols are maintained.
Music Directed by Alex Huff
When: Sunday, May 2, 2021, 3:00pm
Where: SCT Operations Center, 2025 E Chestnut Expressway Suite D
Rehearsals: begin June 20, 2021
Performance: July 11, 2021
To audition, please prepare a pop/rock song that has appeared in a musical. You may audition in person or send a video submission prior to the in person audition date. Those auditioning are asked to fill out an audition form in advance. Click here to access audition form.
Rehearsals will be coordinated around actor's schedules June 20-July 9. There is a mandatory reherasal with the band July 10 at 2pm. Soundcheck will be at 4pm on July 11th with the performance at 6:30pm.
About the Show: After a very successful One-Night-Only performance in October 2020, we're bringing it back! Utilizing Mother’s Brewing Company’s amazing back lawn, the concert will feature music from musicals with pop/rock scores like Hair, Rent and The Rocky Horror Show to more current shows like Mamma Mia! and Beautiful. The 90-minute concert features local vocal artists and musicians led by SCT Resident Music Director Alex Huff. Springfield Contemporary Theatre and Mother’s Brewing Company are working together to ensure safety and social distancing protocols are maintained.
Audition details subject to change.