The Wizard of Oz Information and Audition Pack AUGUST 2018 Richmond Players
ABOUT RICHMOND PLAYERS Richmond Players is one of Australia s oldest, continuously operating dramatic society. Past productions have included Beauty and the Beast, Gaslight, Oklahoma, The Mousetrap and our sell-out production of The Sound of Music in May 2016. We are presenting The Wizard of Oz in August 2018. Membership Members of the cast of The Wizard of Oz (WoO) will need to be a member of Richmond Players. Membership fees cover insurance and production costs. Costs include: Membership fee: Adults $50 Junior (under 18) $25 Cast WoOz t-shirts will be available to order: $25 PRODUCTION TEAM The production of The Wizard of Oz are: Director Josie Dwyer Musical Director David Catterall Producer Samantha O Hare Choreographer Amber Hook Assistant MD/Orchestra Supervisor/Richmond High Liaison Scott Turner Assistant Director Janelle Grimshaw Stage Manager Andrew McMaster Props Manager John Dwyer Set Design John Grimshaw Any enquiries in relation to the auditions or the production should be emailed to Josie Dwyer at josiedw@live.ie. REHEARSALS Richmond Players hold rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday nights, from approx. 7pm to 10pm. It is anticipated rehearsals for leads will begin April and ensemble rehearsals will begin May. Rehearsals will take place at the Richmond High School MAC Building, where the performances will take place. Bump In/Working Bee will take place on Saturday July 7 and we ask all cast to keep this date free. Sitzprobe will take place Sunday July 29 Dress & Tech Run on Saturday August 3 and Sunday August 4. This is not negotiable! Extra rehearsals may be called on some Sundays and also additional week nights during production week (August 5-10). A promotional date for photography will be advised in due course. 2
Bump out will take place directly following the last performance on Sunday 19 th of August. It is requested that all members of cast and crew over the age of 14 participate in bump out. Cast members younger than 14 years old may leave straight after the show and dressing rooms are emptied. All cast and crew over the age of 18 will be required to provide a Working With Children number and all cast members must be a member BEFORE or AT the first rehearsal. If you are unable to attend a rehearsal, please advise our Producer, Samantha O Hare, as soon as possible on 0433 900575. PERFORMANCES Continuing our collaboration with Richmond High School, which commenced in 2017, The Wizard of Oz will be performed at Richmond High School. There will be 8 performances: Fri Aug 10-8pm Sat Aug 11-2pm & 8pm Sun Aug 12 3pm Fri Aug 17-8pm Sat Aug 18-2pm & 8pm Sun Aug 19 3pm A Charity Preview night may be held on the evening of Wednesday August 8, IF, AND ONLY IF, ALL OTHER SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT!!!! While most costumes will be provided, cast members will need to provide the following: Shoes (black or beige chorus shoes for women) Makeup essentials (eg. foundation, mascara, lipstick, etc ) A team of makeup artists will assist with the makeup for some of the character roles. The Director may ask you to supply other items yourself once rehearsals have commenced. If you are unable to attend all shows, do not audition. If you accept a role, you are entering into a commitment and there are no excuses for nonattendance. These dates are non-negotiable and MUST be attended by all cast and crew members. Actors calls are one and a half hours prior to performances. No songs will be transposed. Auditionees must be prepared to sing in the keys the songs are written in. A commitment is made by every performer to attend all rehearsals, performances, and bumpin/out. If sickness prevails, a phone call needs to be made to the Producer. Performers and crew members are to commit themselves professionally, and with dedication. This ensures a smooth running show, and that fun is had by all. 3
AUDITIONS All auditions will be held at Richmond High School (Drama Building), Lennox St, Richmond. Please note the minimum age for this production is 8 years old. How you need to audition: Leads All lead roles require an individual singing audition and a group movement audition. For the roles of the Tinman and the Apple Trees, this group movement audition will involve tap dancing. The group movement audition will take place on Sunday April 15. Most lead roles will also be asked to do an acting audition. Please book your individual singing audition online at www.richmondplayers.com.au and then turn up to the leads movement audition from 5pm to 6.30pm Sunday April 15. (see below for more information about Individual Singing Auditions) Adult Ensemble People auditioning for the ensemble need only attend an individual singing audition. Please book your audition spot online at www.richmondplayers.com.au. (see below for more information about Individual Singing Auditions) Child Ensemble (ages 8 12) All children interested in being in the child ensemble must attend the Child Ensemble auditions on Sunday April 15 from 3.30pm to 5pm. At this session we will be asking children to sing in a group and also as individuals. Each child auditioning will need to sing an extract from ding dong the witch is dead. We encourage parents to teach their children the lyrics for the audition in advance (if they don t already know it): Ding Dong! The witch is dead Which old witch? The wicked witch. Ding Dong! The wicked witch is dead. Wake up, you sleepy head, Rub your eyes, get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She s gone where the goblins go, Below, below, below, yo ho, Let s open up and sing, And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The Merry-O Sing it high, sing it low Let them know the wicked witch is dead. You can also download the backing practice music to this song. We will be asking children who are auditioning for any featured ensemble roles to sing individually during this audition session 4
(please refer to ROLES section of this Pack for more detail about requirements for Featured Junior Ensemble). You do NOT need to book to attend this audition, just turn up on the day. Featured Dancers (min. age 12) Featured dancers will need to attend a separate Dance audition on Sunday April 15 from 6.30pm to 8pm at Richmond High School gym. You will learn a dance routine and be asked to sing (in a group). Please wear comfortable/dance attire and shoes. You do NOT need to book to attend this audition, just turn up on the day. Individual Singing Auditions Singing auditions will be held in 5 minute time slots across the following days: Thursday April 12: 7pm to 10pm Sunday April 15: 10am to 3pm Monday April 16: 7pm to 10pm Tuesday April 17: 7pm to 10pm Wednesday April 18: from 6pm (callbacks) Auditionees will need to do the following: 1. Visit https://richmondplayers.setmore.com/ and book online a 5 minute timeslot for your individual audition. 2. Download a Word version of the Audition Form (a copy is at the end of this Information Pack). Complete your Audition Form (either inserting into it or attaching a photo/headshot of yourself), print it out and bring it to your audition. 3. Download the backing practice music for the role/s you wish to audition for. 4. If you are auditioning for one of the larger roles, you should also download/familiarise yourself with the Side/s (script extract) for that role/s. This will be used as the acting component of your audition. 5. Don t forget to also come along to the Group Movement Audition on Sunday April 15. You do NOT need to book for this session. A repetiteur will accompany all auditions. For those auditioning for larger roles that need to bring their own music, you can choose to bring sheet music or a USB or phone with a backing track. Leads and Featured Dancers Movement Audition All people auditioning for leads and dancers will need to attend this group session. People auditioning for ensemble do NOT need to attend. The movement auditions are being held on Sunday April 15: Lead dance auditions: 5pm to 6pm Tinman/Tree tap auditions: 6pm to 6.30pm Featured Dancer auditions: 6.30pm to 8pm We require all people interested in a lead role to attend the group audition from 5pm to 6.30pm. 5
Please ensure you wear comfortable clothes and shoes, that you can move in. If you already own them, please wear chorus or jazz shoes. ROLES DOROTHY (Stage Age: 14-18) Dorothy must be a singer, mover and actor. She is pivotal to the show and must build character fast in the first scene. She must also be able to bring an emotional performance and chemistry between the main characters. Teenage girl finding her way on her own journey of self-discovery. Mezzo-Soprano: G3 C5 (E5) Audition Song: Over the Rainbow AUNT EM (Stage Age: 30+) The Aunt of Dorothy and the typical hardworking farmers wife. Loving but strong. Must show some Glinda traits but be her own person. UNCLE HENRY (Stage Age: 30+) Farmer and uncle to Dorothy. SCARECROW (Stage Age: 18+) Dorothys best friend in Oz and this must show! The Scarecrow is acrobatic and must dance with that in mind. Gentle but straight man comedic. (Doesn t realise he is funny) Tenor/Baritone: Bb3-F#4 (Ab5) Audition Songs: If I only had a brain TIN MAN (Stage Age: 18+) Tap dancer preferred. Must move well. Straight man big heart! Tenor/Baritone: Bb3 G4 Audition Songs: If I only had a Heart LION (Stage Age: 18+) A big pussy cat! Must be feline and talk a little like snagglepuss Baritone: Bb3 - F4 Audition Song: If I only had the nerve. 6
GLINDA (Stage Age: 25+) The sweet, gentle good witch of the north. Must show some of the mannerisms of Aunt Em. Mezzo-Soprano: G3 C5 Audition Song: Munchkinland MISS GULCH/WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST (Stage Age: 30+) Horrible as Mrs Gulch, Then Wicked Witch Through and Through. PROFESSOR/OZ (Stage Age: 30-60) A crazy Albert Einstein FEATURED ENSEMBLE (Stage Age: 14+) A mixture of solo or small group parts. These roles are for 3 female trees, 3 crows, 2 Oz men and 2 Oz women Audition Song: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead FEATURED JUNIOR ENSEMBLE A mixture of solo and small group parts in Munchkinland. Must be big voices and bold characters. Audition Song: Ding Dong The Witch is Dead WINKIE GENERAL (Stage age 18+) Acting Audition: Script to be provided at audition NIKKO (Commander of the Monkeys) (Stage Age: 18+) Acrobatic and not scared of heights Acting Audition: Script to be provided at audition FEATURED DANCERS (min. age 12) Dance Audition Featured dancers will take roles including the jitterbugs, as well as being part of the ensemble and some of the monkeys. We are looking for lots of energy! Audition Song: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (sung as a group) at the Featured Dancer audition ADULT ENSEMBLE (Stage Age: 14+) Audition Song: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead 7
AUDITION FORM The Wizard of Oz Please print this out and bring it to your audition Name: Date of birth: Height (cm): Address: Phone (day): Home phone: Mobile: Email: WWCC: ROLE/S AUDITIONING FOR: Will you accept another role or ensemble? YES / NO PAST MUSICAL/THEATRE EXPERIENCE: OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE or TRAINING: Any dates unavailable during rehearsals: I have read and agree to the costs and conditions for this production and I agree for my photo/image to be used for promotional purposes. Signature Date 8