FOOTLOOSE AUDITION PACK

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1 FOOTLOOSE AUDITION PACK Dearne Playhouse 12 th, 13 th, 14 th April 2018

2 AUDITION INFORMATION Auditions for CAST Academy s 2018 production of Footloose will be held at the CAST Academy Studios, 9C Sandygate, Wath-Upon-Dearne, S63 7LN on Sunday 24 th September The production will run at the Dearne Playhouse in Goldthorpe on the 12 th, 13 th and 14 th April Auditionees may be considered for multiple roles but will only have one audition. Please choose the materials for the character which you would like to play the most. Auditions will be held in groups and performed in front of the creative team as well as other auditionees. For your audition you will need to prepare a monologue and a song from the material in this pack. Please read through the audition pack carefully to prepare for your audition. SCHEDULE Auditions will start at 10AM on Sunday 24 th September A schedule for the day will be ed to auditionees closer to this date. REHEARSALS Rehearsals for Footloose will be held at the CAST Academy Studios in Wath every Thursday evening from 7PM to 9PM. BOOKING YOUR AUDITION Once you have read through the audition pack carefully, please book in to audition on the CAST Academy website. Below is a link to a form which you need to fill out in order to secure your audition place.

3 FOOTLOOSE STORY ACT ONE Chicago. Any workday of any week. Young people unwind at their favourite dance club where, tonight, they say goodbye to Ren McCormack. Because Ren's father deserted him and his mother, they are being forced to move in with her sister's family in some small town nobody has ever heard of, Bomont, where the spiritual life of the community is carefully monitored by the powerful local minister Reverend Shaw Moore. Ren quickly finds himself at odds with the repressive, stifling atmosphere in Bomont. The only person seemingly unfazed by Reverend Moore's iron-fisted control is his own daughter Ariel. She runs around with the local bad boy Chuck Cranston, who is sure that he's got the preacher's daughter all figured out. At school, Ren discovers an unlikely friend in Willard Hewitt who is unnerved by Ren's restless energy. When Ren is stunned to discover that "no dancing of any kind is allowed at any time anywhere within the town limits of Bomont", Ariel's best friends - Rusty, Urleen and Wendy Jo - pull him aside to explain that this law dates back five years to a car accident that claimed the lives of four Bomont teenagers. In the flood of grief and guilt that followed that tragedy, the Rev. Moore managed to convince the Town Council to ban dancing. The girls warn Ren the climate of fear and suspicion that pervades Bomont is all part of small-town living and, in his first months in town, he discovers just how right they are. When Reverend Moore's wife Vi tries to ease ongoing tensions between her daughter and her husband, Shaw refuses to discuss the unpleasantness. Vi gets unexpected support from Ren's mum Ethel, who empathises with Vi's frustration at having to bite her tongue and bide her time. At the local diner, Ariel's girlfriends bemoan the lack of exciting boys in their lives, and Ariel gets them to join in her fantasy about finding "a guy who amazes me." When Chuck storms in and becomes abusive with Ariel, Ren leaps to her defence. Ren and Ariel find it surprisingly easy to talk but, after Ren walks Ariel home, Shaw demands that she never see Ren again, leading to even further strain within the family. On his way home that same night, Ren is beaten up by a jealous Chuck and his cronies, Travis and Lyle, and the next day, in gym class, when his injuries don't get any sympathy from his coach, Ren's anger and exasperation explode; he vows to "take on this town" and incites a revolution by his classmates: "We're going to throw a dance!" His campaign immediately catches the attention of Reverend Moore and sets the stage for even more conflict to come.

4 ACT TWO Ren drives Ariel, Rusty and Willard a hundred miles outside of Bomont to a western dance hall. There, Willard confesses to Ren that he can't dance; the news devastates Rusty. So, while the Cowboys give Willard his first lesson, Rusty explains to the Cowgirls just what it is she finds appealing about this guy with two left feet. When Ariel arrives home, her defiance provokes Show, and he stops just short of slapping his daughter. Shaw refuses to acknowledge to Vi that his treatment of Ariel has grown severe since the death of their son, who, as it turns out, was one of the four teens killed in that fateful car accident. Vi pleads her daughter's case, but Shaw, as usual, walks away from their confrontation. Meanwhile, Willard and his friends Bickle, Garvin, and Jeter try to prepare Ren for his upcoming confrontation with the Town Council where he'll challenge the local ordinance which bans dancing. When Ren gets discouraged and threatens to abandon the entire campaign, Willard focuses Ren's efforts with the somewhat loopy wisdom that Willard's mother is known for. Ariel arrives, angry and bruised after a fight with Chuck Cranston. She leads Ren to her private hideaway, below the railroad tracks above the river in which her brother Bobby drowned. There they are surprised to discover that their friendship has turned to love. At the long-awaited Town Council meeting, Ren makes his case by quoting passages from a Bible which Ariel has marked for him. When Ren's motion is defeated, he is devastated. Ethel convinces him that Shaw Moore had "fixed" the vote, and she urges him to go speak to the minister. "Otherwise," she warns, "you'll never make peace with this town." Ren finds Shaw in church, and admits to the Reverend that, perhaps, his campaign for a dance had less to do with throwing a party and more to do with finding a renewed sense of purpose in the aftermath of his father's departure. Shaw realises how much the pain of Bobby's death has overshadowed his life - and the lives of everyone in Bomont - and, after a struggle with his conscience, he announces to his parishioners that he has had a change of heart; that, in fact, a dance might be a good idea. After church, Shaw's new found peace of mind allows him to reaffirm his love for Vi. And so, for the first time in years, the young people of Bomont are able to dress up and "tear up this town"; and when Reverend Moore enters with Vi and all the other adults in town, the evening finally becomes, not only a celebration, but also an ecstatic expression of healing.

5 CHARACTERS REN MCCORMACK A teenage boy from Chicago. Ideally, Ren must sing and dance and he must also be witty (good comedic timing). Ren is a cut-up, a joker who enjoys a good time (which is why his pals are upset to find out he s leaving Chicago in the opening number). Lately, though, his fun-loving attitude has taken on a tone of desperation, as he tries too hard to convince the world and himself that his father s desertion hasn t wounded him as deeply as it has. Ariel is the first character to get Ren to talk about that sticky subject. Sharing that intimacy early on becomes the basis for Ren s and Ariel s relationship. Ren s emotional journey starts with his being feisty and flippant in Act 1, continues through his thoughtful argument to the Town Council, and ends with this emotional final confrontation with Reverend Moore. It s a journey from boyhood to maturity. ARIEL MOORE Shaw and Vi s daughter. Ariel is smart. She understands the rules of the different worlds she moves between and, in each situation, she plays her part brilliantly. When she s in her father s presence, for instance, she is buttoned-up and demure; with Chuck, she burns off all her unexpressed, explosive energy with raucous, thrill-seeking behaviour. Ariel loves to laugh with Chuck, here girlfriends and, eventually, with Ren. However her spirits are, quite often, her attempt to keep a lid on the grief she feels about her brother s death and the loss of her once loving relationship with her father. REVERAND SHAW MOORE The minister of Bomont County, and father of a teenage girl (Ariel). The secret to the character of Reverend Moore is that he is charismatic. Charming, even. Shaw has a quick mind, a loving heart and a sense of humour. All of which endear him to his congregation. While trying to be strong for so many people, however, he continues to mourn the death of his son the one person he could not save. Only ARIEL and VI (and eventually Ren) get a glimpse of this private anguish and the flashes of frustration and temper that arise form that. WILLARD HEWITT Ren s friend, a country boy. Willard is not dumb. He is a gentle soul with quick fists, which are his defence against a world that he often has trouble comprehending. Willard just hasn t had anyone come along to puncture his macho belligerence until Ren arrives. After that, the humour in the character of Willard derives from his gradual, innocent and giddy discovery of the new worlds that Ren opens up to him. RUSTY Ariel s best friend. Rusty may come off as sassy and self-assured, but, in many ways she is the most deeply romantic character in the story. She truly believes that she and Willard were meant to be together. However, they are so inept about expressing themselves, that it takes Ren and a little time on the dance floor to ultimately bring that about. URLEEN Ariel s friend. WENDY JO Ariel s friend. VI MOORE Shaw s wife. Despite the loss of her son and the strained relationship with her husband, Vi fully understands what kind of unflagging good humour she must display in order to keep her household and her husband s congregation running smoothly. With her plucky irreverence, she gives us a glimpse of what life with Shaw was like before the tragedy, when theirs was a marriage both passionate and playful. ETHEL MCCORMACK Ren s mother. Where does Ren get his intelligence, his resilience and his sense of humour? From his mother, of course! It s hard for Ethel to be living in her sister s home and abiding by her brother-in-law s rules. However, she never succumbs to the pathos of her situation. After all, she has to be strong for Ren. Their mutual loss (the walking-out of her husband / Ren s father) has brought them closer together. They share a teasing, good-natured relationship.

6 CHARACTERS CONTINUED CHUCK CRANSTON Ariel s hot headed boyfriend. LYLE Chuck s buddy. TRAVIS Chuck s buddy. JETER Ren s friend. BICKLE Ren s friend. GARVIN Ren s friend. LULU WARNICKER Ren s aunt. WES WARNICKER Lulu s husband. COACH ROGER DUNBAR The high school gym teacher. ELEANOR DUNBAR Roger s wife. BETTY BLAST Owner of The Burger Blast restaurant. A COP (male or female) PRINCIPAL HARRY / HARRIET CLARK Principle of the high school. COWBOY BOB / COWGIRL BOBBIE Lead vocalist at the Bar-B-Que restaurant and dance club. COWBOY BOB S BAND TOWNSPEOPLE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

7 CHARACTER VOCALS Character Gender Part Size Vocal Part Ren McCormack Male Lead Tenor Rev. Shaw Moore Male Lead Baritone Ariel Moore Female Lead Mezzo-Soprano Vi Moore Female Supporting Mezzo-Soprano Rusty Female Supporting Soprano Willlard Hewitt Male Supporting Tenor Ethel McCormack Female Supporting Mezzo-Soprano Chuck Cranston Male Supporting Tenor Wendy Jo Female Featured Mezzo-Soprano Urleen Female Featured Soprano Lulu Warnicker Female Featured Spoken Wes Warnicker Male Featured Spoken Roger Dunbar Male Featured Spoken Eleanor Dunbar Female Featured Spoken Lyle Male Featured Tenor Travis Male Featured Tenor A Cop Male Featured Spoken Betty Blast Female Featured Spoken Principal Harry Clark Male Featured Spoken Bickle Male Featured Tenor Jeter Male Featured Tenor Garvin Male Featured Baritone Irene and her Country Kickers Female Featured Mezzo-Soprano Cowboy Bob Male Featured Tenor Townspeople and High School Students Either Gender Ensemble Mixed

8 SONG LIST ACT 1 Footloose Rusty, Wendy Jo, Urleen and Company On Any Sunday - Rev Moore, Ren, Ethel and Company The Girl Gets Around - Chuck, Ariel, Travis, and Lyle I Can't Stand Still - Ren Somebody's Eyes - Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo, and Company Learning To Be Silent Vi, Ethel and Ariel Holding Out For A Hero - Ariel, Rusty, Wendy Jo, and Urleen Somebody s Eyes (Reprise) - Rusty, Wendy Jo, Urleen, Chuck, Lyle and Travis Heaven Help Me - Rev Moore I'm Free/Heaven Help Me - Ren, Rev Moore, and Company ACT 2 Still Rockin' - Cowboy Bob and his band Let's Hear It For The Boy - Rusty and Company Can You Find It In Your Heart - Vi Mama Says - Willard, Bickle, Garvin, Jeter, and Ren Mama Says (Encore) Willard and Boys Almost Paradise - Ren and Ariel Heaven Help Me (Reprise) - Shaw Can You Find It In Your Heart? (Reprise) Rev Moore Footloose (Finale) - Company Megamix - Company

9 AUDITION MONOLOGUES REN Sir, you are already alone! We both are. You and me. We ve both lost somebody. And even though people say they understand, they don t really. I bet you stop a hundred times a day and wonder Why? I do. I wonder why d my Dad leave? Was it something I did? Something I didn t do? Could I have made him stay? Maybe I could bring him back? But I can t. But I don t have to tell you. You know what that s like. So I guess I came to town frustrated and angry, and it felt really good to kick up a fuss. And I know it got people upset, and I m sorry for that. But I m just trying to move on. Cuz I m so tired of looking back. And I can t stand still. REV. MOORE I m standing before you this morning with a very troubled heart. You see, my friends, as you minister, I should be helping you to find the joy in your lives; last night I realized that I haven t been doing that. After all, we all remember that terrible night five years ago when the lives of four young people ended on the Potawney Bridge. Everyone in this community lost someone that night a child, a neighbour, a friend. I Vi and I we lost out son. Ariel lost her brother. Now, someone I got into my head that my loss was the greatest. That my pain was the deepest. And then, last night, someone much younger than that made me realize how tightly I had been holding onto that memory. A memory that has weighed me down as surely as a great stone. And in that moment, I did something I haven t done for a very long time: I laid down my burden. It was a terrifying moment. And it was exhilarating. This morning I offer you the same opportunity. WILLARD If Chuck sees you flirting with Ariel, you are a dead man. That uniform makes you look like a jerk, and it s easier to pick you out. (Ren: You are always picking a fight, aren t you?) Mamma says it s my nature. But look Ariel, I know she s been kissed a lot. And she s on to you like a hog on slop. Ariel likes trouble. And you have definitely proved to everybody in this town that you are T-R-U-B-L. (Ren: What s up with you and Rusty?) Me and Rusty? Beats me. I think she s good-looking and all. But I never know what the hell she s talking about. She talks faster than any girl I ever met. CHUCK Ariel, what the heck s going on? We had a date a half an hour ago. I don t like you making a fool out of me. Shut up Rusty. When I say meet me at eight, what am I talking to myself? Don t tell me to calm down! Don t ever tell me what to do. I know what your friends think of me. And that s crap. I m the best party in this town, baby, and those three dogs oughta be tied up under the porch. Let s go. Get in the truck. ARIEL Ahh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h.! I m answering the train. I m saying, I can t wait for the day when I get onboard and leave Bomont! Try it. (Ren: Where do you wanna go?) College for starters. I ve applied to some places my daddy doesn t even know about. I wanna speak five language and see the world. He wants me to teach English Lit in Baylor County. They don t even speak English in Baylor County. (Ren: I can t picture you as a teacher) Thank you. Neither can I. I ll leave that to my daddy. (Ren: He s a preacher not a teacher) When you re good at it, it s the same thing. And he used to be real good. He used to be so open, so inspiring. I ve seen him give people hope when hope was gone. I ve watched him change lives.

10 AUDITION MONOLOGUES CONTINUED VI No. The accident changed everything. Ever since Bobby s death, you make impossible demands on Ariel. (Rev. Moore: I have not confused Ariel s behaviour with my son s death) He was my son too! Shaw, it s been twenty-one years I ve been a minister s wife, and after all that time, I still feel that you re a wonderful preacher. You can lift a congregation up so high, that have to look down to see heaven. It s the one-on-one where you need a little work. (Shaw: I thought at least you believed in me.) I never stopped. RUSTY Arrgh! So it s not just me, Willard s acting weird? I know we ve been weird since kindergarten, but tonight is different. This is the first time we ve ever left Bomont together. That makes it like a first date. Maybe we don t travel well! Oh, I should ve seen the signs. The whole way up here I had to do all the talking. All he said was, Uh-huh, mmhmmm, uh-huh, mmhmmm. You know what that means, doncha? My baby s in a panic! ETHEL Ren. Up til now, I ve been real proud about keeping my opinion to myself. But, honey, if I don t say something I m gonna bust. (Ren: What s there to say? I lost.) Sweetie, you never had a prayer. Ren, when you got to the part about leaping and laughing and weeping and dancing which I loved, don t get me wrong I was watching the faces of the Town Council. I promised you: Shaw Moore had those votes locked up before he walked in here tonight. (Ren: That pisses me off) Good! Now listen: Reverend Moore said he would reconsider only if someone convinced him there was no danger in your raucous party plans. Make him reconsider. Until you do, you ll never make peace with that man. Or this town. ENSEMBLE ROLE There were these four kids we all grew up with. And they were driving back from a big dance over in Baylor County. Now, maybe it was the rain that night, maybe they were being a little wild but somehow they lost control of the car. It skidded across the bridge, crashed through the railing, and fell thirty-five feet into the Potawney River. Nobody survived. And when the sheriff s office published the autopsy report it claimed there was alcohol and marijuana in their blood. Well! Everybody in town went nuts. And that s when Reverent Moore got so righteous. He started blaming anything and everything - liquor, drugs, rock and roll and dancing. ADULT ROLE And so it was unanimously passed that the price of a dog licence will go from three-dollars and fifty cents to four dollars and twenty five cents. A licenced pet it a happy pet. That takes care of old business. Now let s consider new business. Before we begin, I want to remind all of our young people who have joined us this evening that this meeting is convened to consider official town business. Disturbances will not be tolerated. The floor is now open.

11 AUDITION SONGS MALE ROLES I Can t Stand Still - FEMALE ROLES I Need A Hero - ENSEMBLE Footloose -

Character Breakdown (& Audition Songs) PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS:

Character Breakdown (& Audition Songs) PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: PARKVIEW FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT PRESENTS: A grieving minister outlaws dancing. A grieving son moves from Chicago to the small town of Beaumont. When the minister s daughter s life converges with the grieving