The Southwell Opera 2019 Audition Booklet
Audition Arrangements PAC Drama Room/Foyer Tuesday 5th March: 1.05 1.45pm Opera Singing Workshop (Boys) Thursday 7th March: 1.05 1.45pm Opera Singing Workshop (Girls) Tuesday 12th March 3.40 4.40pm Year 7 Boys (+ boarders) 5.00 6.00pm Year 7 Girls (+ boarders) 6.30 7.30pm Year 8 Boys Thursday 14th March 3.40 4.40pm Year 5/6 Boys 5.00 6.00pm Year 5/6 Girls 6.30 7.30pm Year 8 Girls All auditionees must turn up prepared to sing the relevant audition song, learn/perform a dance routine and become one or more characters within the selected audition extracts. Character information, dialogue and song words/music are contained within the audition booklet. Please note that You Tube clips can also be viewed on the Southwell website under Opera. After the auditions, the panel of experts will draw up a list of students for recall on Thursday 21st March between 1 and 5pm. The final cast list will be announced at School Assembly and displayed on the PAC Noticeboard on Friday 29th March. Please note that the panel s judgement is final.
Synopsis Beautiful mermaid Ariel should be a happy girl - she lives in an enchanted undersea country, her father is a King, and she has the most beautiful singing voice. But she is a passionate, headstrong teenager, and wants what she cannot have - to live on land. When she falls in love with a handsome human prince, Ariel is more determined than ever to gain a pair of legs. Her only option is to defy her furious father, and bargain with Ursula the Sea Witch, giving her voice as the price of entry onto dry land. With the help of Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull, and officious court composer Sebastian the crab, Ariel must wordlessly gain Prince Eric's love within three days - or lose her soul to the ambitious witch! Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, and the wildly popular Disney film, this musical staging of The Little Mermaid features a funny and fanciful book by Doug Wright, with the beloved score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater in an expanded but completely faithful form, featuring the rambunctious and persuasive Under the Sea, the romantic expectation of Kiss the Girl, and that anthem to longing and belonging, Part of Your World.
List of Characters PRINCIPALS ARIEL, a mermaid, King Triton s youngest daughter PRINCE ERIC, a human monarch GRIMSBY, guardian of Prince Eric FLOUNDER, a fish, Ariel s best friend SCUTTLE, a seagull, expert in human artefacts KING TRITON, King of the Sea SEBASTIAN, a crab, advisor to King Triton MERSISTERS (AQUATA, ANDRINA, ARISTA, ATINA, ADELLA, ALLANA), daughters of King Triton FLOTSAM, an eel, lackey to Ursula JETSAM, an eel, the other lackey to Ursula URSULA, the Sea Witch, sister of King Triton CHEF LOUIS, the Palace chef, a culinary perfectionist PILOT, helmsman of Prince Eric s ship WINDWARD & LEEWARD, trumpet fish, heralds in King Triton s court GROUPINGS (with potential for solo work) MAIDS, CHEFS, GULLS, SEA CREATURES, SAILORS/ COURTIERS, PRINCESSES, LOST SOULS
Character Descriptions BOYS PRINCE ERIC (playing age 21 years) Prince Eric is the adventurous human monarch who captures Ariel s heart. Charming and sensitive in nature, he has a warm voice and demeanour that evoke his flair for romance. There is also a stubborn side to the Prince, who is determined to do whatever it takes to get what he wants including the girl with the mysterious voice. Must sing, dance and act well. GRIMSBY (playing age 50 years) Grimsby is Prince Eric s prim and proper valet. Rigid in bearing and personality, he is constantly trying to guide Prince Eric toward the throne and a suitable bride fit for a royal marriage. Under his stern demeanour, Grimsby truly is fond of Eric, whom he worries about and attends to as though his own son. Though he has a few small solos, Grimsby needn t be a strong singer this actor should feel free to speak sing his part. FLOUNDER (playing age 12 FISH years) Flounder is Ariel s sincere and sensitive best friend who rarely leaves her side. A spunky fish with a sweet sense of humor, he can be awkward and anxious around his unrequited crush. This actor should be able to sing, act and move well. Must have the cute factor! SCUTTLE (playing age 25 BIRD years) Scuttle is the know-it-all seagull who serves as Ariel s expert on all things human. Garrulous and off-beat, Scuttle s eccentricities are more endearing than aggravating. Even as he makes up ridiculous names and functions for common human objects, his intentions are friendly and his enthusiasm is infectious. Comedic talent required.
Character Descriptions BOYS continued SEBASTIAN (playing age 40 CRAB years) Sebastian is the choirmaster of King Triton s court who has a flair for the dramatic. A meticulous and uptight crab, Sebastian is ever-anxious, whether he s conducting a concert premiere or protecting Ariel from Ursula. When he s performing which is almost always he s undeniably charismatic. His movement should be more fidgety than fluid, and he should be able to perform a broad send-up of a Caribbean accent. Must sing, act and move well. KING TRITON (playing age 50 years) King Triton, King of the Sea and a harried single father to seven girls, struggles to balance his political and paternal powers. A widower, Triton is as fond of his daughters as he is frustrated with their teenage angst. Even when unsure of his parenting technique, he is a tender patriarch who becomes a royal force to be reckoned with when Ariel s safety and happiness is threatened by his sister, the Sea Witch Ursula. Strong actor and singer required. FLOTSAM & JETSAM (playing age 20 EEL years) Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula s sinister lackeys. With devious charm, these electric eels convince Ariel to visit the Sea Witch. Tricky and menacing, they are always lurking about, ready to take advantage of sea inhabitants at their most vulnerable moments. Strong movement skills required.
Character Descriptions GIRLS ARIEL (playing age 16-18 years) Ariel is a strong-willed teenaged mermaid who longs to be human. She possesses a keen curiosity for the world both under and above the sea much to the despair of her father, King Triton. Big-hearted, she s more accepting of and delighted by others differences than most of her fellow merfolk, but she also has a rebellious streak that can get her into trouble. A mezzo soprano with strong top notes, your actress must be able move well in order to clearly convey meaning once Ariel loses her voice. THE MERSISTERS (playing ages 17 23 years) Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, and Allana are the daughters of King Triton and sisters to Ariel. Full of girly personality and sass, each should be distinct in character and look.. All of these characters should sing, dance and act. URSULA (playing age 45 years) Ursula is the tentacled and manipulative Sea Witch who is sister to King Triton. Cunning and calculating, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants and what she wants is Triton s throne. To gain the upper-hand, she utilizes her slick sense of humour, a flash of glamour, and larger-than-life confidence. Ursula should be played by a strong actress with the ability to belt out songs.
Audition Dialogue ARIEL Daddy doesn t understand me! He doesn t even try. I ve never felt at home here. What if home isn t the place where you were born? What if it s a place you have to discover for yourself..i just don t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be so bad. MERSISTERS AQUATA:- If I d had that solo, this would never have happened. ARISTA:- That girl is angling for trouble.. ATINA:- I say, give her the hook! ALLANA:- Fish puns? Aren t we better than that? AQUATA:- Honestly Daddy! You let Ariel get away with everything! URSULA Die? Oh please! This shell is a bauble! A vessel for your voice! Trust me darling your vibrato, your legato, even your belt they ll all be safe n sound in here. You ll have your looks your pretty face and don t underestimate the power of body language! PRINCE ERIC Isn t this perfection Grimsby? Out here where the seas meet the skies, surrounded by nothing but water. These men are free Grimsby truly free. They don t have to answer to anyone but the Sea. I d rather be a sailor than a prince any day. GRIMSBY Milord, please.enough sea-faring! You ve got to get back to court to honour your father s dying wish and take up his crown! You re a prince sire! Not a common sailor -!
Audition Dialogue FLOUNDER Ariel? I d miss you if you were gone. Not in a dopey way. Not in a crazy, hopeless, I m so-in-love-but she-doesn t-know-i m-alive kinda way. Not like that at ALL. Uh I gotta go SCUTTLE Airspeed, check! (glancing down) Altitude, check!(wiggling his feet) Landing gear, check! (a squawk) CLEAR THE RUNWAY! AWK!! Hello Ariel! SEBASTIAN Mornin to y all! I got a special song, just for de occasion! And it s gonna be performed by none odder dan your seven love-lee daughters! I wrote dis little number for my star pupil your youngest Ariel! Such a voice dat child! Notes as clear as ice, pitch as pure as water! You re gonna be a proud Papa, you ll see! KING TRITON Benevolent Merfolk! Creatures of the Deep! Today marks a special anniversary for many years ago on this fateful day I inherited my father s Kingdom and banished the Sea Witch Ursula forever FLOTSAM & JETSAM FLOTSAM:- Oh Mistress of the Deep JETSAM:- Beauty of the Brine.. FLOTSAM:- To think your own flesh and blood JETSAM:- And he double-crossssed you FLOTSAM:- His own sister JETSAM:- Casting you into exile, a life of shame and unceasing solitude!
The Little Mermaid