Audition Information for ASSASSINS Four Seasons Theatre will present ASSASSINS from December 5-13, 2014 at The Playhouse at Overture in Madison, WI. The production staff includes Director Jessica Lanius and Music Director Erin Crabb. Auditions will take place on Sunday, July 20 from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm with Callbacks that evening from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. How to sign up for an audition: Advance sign up for auditions is required with signups beginning Sunday, July 6, 2014. Email your name, phone number, and preferred audition date audition@fourseasonstheatre.com to make an appointment. Please also indicate the role/s you are interested in. You will receive a confirmation email with your exact time and audition location once your request is received and processed. Video submission for those who are unable to attend in person auditions may be submitted by email to info@fourseasonstheatre.com by 5 pm on Wednesday, July 16. Email submission should follow the same guidelines as in person auditions and should include the calendar with marked conflicts, completed audition form, and a link to a video audition. What to prepare: Please prepare the excerpt/s provided for the character you are auditioning for. Please have your music clearly marked and in a 3-ring binder with pages copied back to back. A professional accompanist will be provided. Schedule: Our first cast meeting will be Sunday, October 5. Rehearsals will start Sunday, November 2 and run through Thursday, December 4 with performances December 5-13 (see draft schedule on page 5) at The Playhouse in Overture. Please bring your calendar to the auditions so you can note any conflicts at that time. Please note that all cast members must be available for all tech week rehearsals Sunday, November 30 through Thursday, August 4. Performances: Friday, December 5 at 7:30 pm Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 pm Sunday, December 7 at 2:00 pm Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 pm TBD Friday, December 11 at 7:30 pm Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 pm Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 pm Casting Decisions: Casting decisions will be made by Sunday, August 3. All actors who are cast in ASSASSINS will receive a personal phone call by 5 pm on Sunday, August 3. In addition, the cast list will be posted on the Four Seasons Theatre website at that time.
ASSASSINS Synopsis & Musical Numbers Assassins is both Stephen Sondheim s dark exploration into the minds of the nine men and women who have attempted to assassinate the President of the United States, and his caustic analysis of the promise and failure of the American Dream. The show uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of these real life assassins, from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald. Given the current political climate, its themes are as relevant today as when the show was first performed. One Act Musical running time 1 hour and 45 minutes "Everybody's Got The Right" Proprietor and Assassins (save Oswald) "The Ballad of Booth" Balladeer and Booth "How I Saved Roosevelt" Proprietor, Zangara and Ensemble "The Gun Song" Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau and Moore "The Ballad of Czolgosz" Balladeer and Ensemble "Unworthy of Your Love" Hinckley and Fromme "The Ballad of Guiteau" Guiteau and Balladeer "Another National Anthem" Balladeer and Assassins (save for Oswald) "November 22, 1963" Assassins "Something Just Broke" Ensemble "Everybody's Got The Right" (Reprise) Assassins
ASSASSINS Character Breakdown CHARACTERS! The Balladeer Tenor C3-G4. Actor is male, over 21; ability to play guitar a plus. The Balladeer is the conscience of America and the champion of the American Dream. He acts as a foil against the assassins and their warped perspectives and actions. The Proprietor Tenor Gb2-F4. Actor is male, 30s or older. The Proprietor is the Grim Reaper, handing out weapons and overseeing the demise of presidents and assassins alike. His power is in his omnipresence and indifference; his characterization requires both dramatic irony and restrained wit. John Wilkes Booth Baritone F2-G4. Actor is mid-20s to 40; tall and distinguished; character will need a genteel Southern accent. A political zealot, Wilkes is the pioneer of American assassination and acts as leader and twisted mentor to the other assassins. The Ballad of Booth and his seduction of Lee Harvey Oswald are two of his pivotal scenes. Leon Czolgosz (pronounced CHOL-gash ) Bass Baritone G#2-G4. Actor is mid-20s to mid-30s; slight of build. Czolgosz was an anarchist who, in killing William McKinley, decided to take matters of governement into his own hands for the sake of the common man. Important scenes include The Gun Song and the meeting with Emma Goldman. Guiseppe Zangara Tenor B2-A4. Actor is mid-20s to 40; a short actor is preferred but not required; MUST use a heavy Italian accent for this character. Zangara blamed capitalists and kings for his medical conditions and attempted an assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt instead killing Mayor Cermak of Chicago. Zangara has a solo on the electric chair in How I Saved Roosevelt. Sara Jane Moore Soprano F3-Eb5. Actress is middle-aged and frumpy. Moore, a former FBI informant five times married, nearly assassinated Gerald Ford in 1975 the second such attempt on his life in three weeks. Moore provides much of the comic relief in the show!and requires an actress with good comic timing. Lynette Squeaky Fromme Mezzo A3-G5. Actress is mid-20s to mid-30s; slender and pretty. Fromme, a flower child and member of Charlie Manson s cult family, attempted an assassination of Gerald Ford in 1975. She is the lunatic foil to Sara Jane Moore s airheadedness in several scenes and sings a duet with John Hinckley. John Hinckley Baritone A2-G4. Actor is early-20s to 30; blond and husky; ability to play guitar a plus. Hinckley used a sociopathic obsession with Jodie Foster as his excuse to attempt an assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. Hinckley s clinical insanity and love-sickness add dramatic weight to this character. His pivotal scene is a duet with Squeaky Fromme. Charles J. Guiteau Tenor A2-Ab4. Actor is 30s to 50s; average in stature; a beard would be helpful but not required. Guiteau was a multi-careered charlatan with delusions of grandeur who assassinated James Garfield in 1882. This intense libertine requires a multi-personality characterization and a flair for the dramatic. His key scene involves a cakewalk to the gallows.
!Samuel Byck Actor is 30s to 50s; heavy set; blue-collar Philly accent required. Byck was disgruntled at government and all it stood for when he attempted to hijack a plane with the intent of crashing it into the Nixon White House. A small vocal role, it requires an actor capable of presenting two dramatic,!page-anda-half monologues. For Byck, please choose from the excerpt that fits your vocal range (tenor, baritone, or bass-baritone). Lee Harvey Oswald Actor is mid-20s to mid-30s; slight to average build; rural Louisiana twang required. Oswald sings in the closing number and requires the dramatic capacity to spar with John Wilkes Booth in the pivotal Book Depository scene. For Oswald, please choose from the excerpt that fits your vocal range (tenor, baritone, bass-baritone). Townspeople Five adults and one child will be required to play a variety of parts as listed below. The townspeople require strong individual voices as they sing How I Saved Roosevelt and the gutwrenching Something Just Broke. Male (40s 50s): FDR song (Bystander #1), Expo (Fairgoer #1), James Blaine, Gerald Ford, Something Just Broke (rich gentleman, pawn broker) Male (40s): FDR song (Husband/Bystander #4), Expo (Fairgoer #2), James Garfield, Secret Service Agent #2, Something Just Broke (office clerk, factory hand, stockbroker, policeman) Male (mid-20 s, athletic build): David Herold (Booth s accomplice), FDR song (Bystander #2), Expo (Fairgoer #3), Secret Service Agent #1, Something Just Broke (farmer, old man, minister)!female (30s): FDR song (Bystander #3), Emma Goldman, Expo (Boy s mother), Something Just Broke (school teacher, lady, waitress, lady)!female (40s): FDR song (Wife/Bystander #5), Expo (Fairgoer #4 - nonspeaking), Something Just Broke (housewife) alto voice preferred.! Young boy (to play 8 yrs. old): Expo (young fairgoer), Moore s son, Something Just Broke (school boy) For Adult Ensemble please prepare an excerpt (from those we ve provided) which fits your vocal range. All are labeled with voice parts (tenor, baritone, bass-baritone, mezzo).
DRAFT Schedule (as of July 1, 2014) Rehearsals: Sunday, October 5 First cast meeting business, costume measurements, etc. Week of November 2 Sunday, November 2 2-5 pm and 6:30-9:30 pm Music Rehearsal Monday, Nov. 2 Thursday, November 5 6:30-9:30 pm Music Rehearsal Week of November 9 Sunday, November 9 2-5 pm and 6:30-9:30 pm Blocking Monday, Nov. 11 Thursday, November 13 6:30-9:30 pm Blocking Week of November 16 Sunday, November 16 2-5 pm and 6:30-9:30 pm Blocking Monday, Nov. 17 Thursday, Nov. 20 6:30-9:30 pm Blocking Week of November 23 Sunday, November 23 2-5 pm and 6:30-9:30 pm Rehearsal Monday, Nov. 24 Tuesday, Nov. 25 6:30-9:30 pm Run Show Week of November 30 Sunday, November 30 10 am to 10 pm Tech Monday, Dec. 1 Thursday, Dec. 4 6:30-9:30 pm Tech Performances Friday, December 5 Saturday, December 6 Sunday, December 7 Thursday, December 11 Friday, December 12 Saturday, December 13 Sunday, December 14 6 pm Cast call; 7:30 pm Show 6 pm call; 7:30 pm Show 12:30 pm call; 2 pm Show 7:30 pm Show TBD possible added performance 6 pm Cast call; 7:30 pm Show 6 pm call; 7:30 pm Show 12:30 pm call; 2 pm Show with Strike to Follow
Please complete this form, attach a recent photo of yourself with a paper clip, and bring it to your audition. - ASSASSINS Name: (Last) (First) (Middle) Street Address: City & State: Zip code: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Email: Parent Name/s (if under 18): Role/s you are auditioning for: Are you interested in Ensemble? Personal Data: Height Weight Hair Color Gender If student, what year? Fr Soph Jr Sr Grad Voice Type (please circle): soprano mezzo soprano alto tenor baritone bass Comfortable Vocal Range: Voice Training & Teacher/s: Dance Training (indicate years): none tap jazz ballet other Dance Teacher/s or Studios: Musical instrument(s) played and for how long: Do you have any experience and/or interest in working behind the scenes? If so, what areas (costume construction, make up, set building, painting, props, etc.)? Experience Outline (Please use the space below to list highlights. Feel free to attach a resume.) Year Show Role Producing Organization/School City/State