August 20th and August 21st, 2012
Call backs are August 22nd, 7-10pm
Auditions held at the Plaza Academy Fine Arts & Dance Studio at:
221 S. Mill St., Cleburne, TX
Directed by G. Aaron and Milette Siler
Musical Director – Bree Cockerell
Stage Manager – Lindsay Hardisty
All roles are available for Plaza Theatre Company’s upcoming production of RAGTIME. An open audition is being held at Plaza Theatre Company to cast the show on August 20-21, 2012. Auditions are by appointment only.
AUDITION PREPARATION:
Those who choose to audition are asked to come prepared to sing 16 bars of a showtune in the style of the show. An accompanist or CD player will be provided but each auditioner will be asked to provide their own sheet music or backing track. A brief cold reading will also be required at the initial audition. A head shot and resume are requested.
To be considered for a principal role please prepare two contrasting songs, 16 bars each, in the style of the show with one up tempo and one ballad not from RAGTIME. You must bring sheet music or backing track.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
RAGTIME is a story about life in America at the beginning of the 20th century. The show illustrates poignant issues of the day – from immigration, racism and politics to industrialization and social upheaval. Historical figures intermingle with fictional characters. The show focuses on three families – one upper-middle class, white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, once socialist immigrant Jewish and one Harlem Black – whose intersecting lives are influenced by the Ragtime era’s social challenges. These interwoven stories of family, faith, and the desire for social justice are the make the fabric of an America just beginning to rise.
Based on the book “Ragtime” by E. L. Doctorow
Book by Terrance McNally
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
ABOUT THE THEATRE:
Plaza Theatre Company is a 158 seat theatre-in-the-round located at 111 S. Main in Cleburne, TX. The Company produces 10 shows a year usually in the style of family-friendly comedies and musicals. PlazaCo opened in November of 2006 and is currently producing it’s 55th show. The Company has been the proud recipient of over 37 Column Awards including winning “Best Musical” two years running in 2009 and 2010 in addition to recently being named “Best Theatre Group” by the WFAA A-List for 2011. Further information about PlazaCo is available by visiting www.plaza-theatre.com
PRODUCTION INFORMATION:
RAGTIME will open at Plaza Theatre Company on October 12th and play thru November 10th, 2012. The show plays every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30pm with Saturday matinees at 3pm. Rehearsals will commence on August 27th. Double casting of some roles MAY be available to accommodate scheduling.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
(all roles are available)
Principal Roles – 2 women/4 men
Mother: Caucasian, 25 – 40. Graceful and gracious on the surface, a product of the American upper class. Inside, however, there is spirit, compassion, intelligence and fierce independence; the Accidental Feminist. Also has a wonderful, playful relationship with her son and is always amused by him. Maintains a proper and dutiful relationship with her husband and discovers her own womanhood as the play progresses. Voice: Beautiful soprano with a strong belt (to C#). Low G – high F# (optional high B).
Coalhouse: African American man, early 20s – late 30s. A leading man of power, presence, edge, integrity and charisma. Coalhouse has a nobility and a ferocity we discover as his expectations of how he should be treated come into conflict with the reality of the experience of an African American man at the turn of the (20th) century. His final resort to violence is the climax of the story. Voice: Powerful, rich baritone with strong high notes. Low Ab – high A.
Tateh: Caucasian man, 30 – 45. Dynamic, leading/character man. Jewish immigrant. Challenges his old life and seeks a better one for his daughter. Even when it seems he is beaten by society, his innate strength and humor lift him up. Warm, funny, filled with life and passion; tenacious, a survivor and a very clever man. Voice: Baritone with good high notes. Low A – high F#.
Sarah: African American. 18 – 30. Lovely, passionate, headstrong, yet innocent, simple and quite shy. Acts on her emotions without thinking. Strong belter (to D) with a good mix. Voice: Low G – high F#.
Father: Caucasian, 30 – 45. A salesman; a good, proud, upstanding citizen. Represents the traditional views held by many turn-of-the-century Americans. After his return from his trip to the Arctic, he feels alienated from his family and his environment; he is baffled and befuddled by the new world. Voice: Baritone with good high notes: low A – high F#.
Younger Brother: Caucasian, 18 – 25. Idealistic and difficult, he searches for a sense of self. Obsessed with Evelyn Nesbit, he becomes embittered and depressed and soon becomes a Young Revolutionary and joins The Coalhouse Gang to fight injustice. Voice: Strong tenor. Low B – high G#.
Supporting Roles – 2 children/3 women/5 men
ALL SUPPORTING ROLES HAVE SIGNIFICANT SOLO SINGING AND SPOKEN DIALOGUE.
SEEKING STRONG ACTOR/SINGERS
Little Boy: Caucasian. Seeking actor age 8 – 12 to play age 10. Should be between 4’5″ and 4’10”. Precocious, intelligent, observant and curious, the Little Boy is constantly learning about the world around him. He is prescient—seems to know things before they happen. Actor must have excellent diction! Voice: not yet changed. Middle C up to D (full voice).
Little Girl: Eastern European, Caucasian. Seeking actress age 10 – 14 to play age 10 – 12. Character is appealing, fragile, earnest. Voice: Middle C up to C#.
Grandfather: Caucasian, 50s – 60s. Feisty, upper-class old gentleman. Baritone.
Evelyn Nesbit: Caucasian, 20s. Pretty, sexy, self-aware. Needs to be truly funny. The iconic symbol of sex and beauty at the turn of the (20th) century. Soprano.
Houdini: Caucasian, 20s – early 30s. Magician and performer. Sly sense of magic and charisma. Immigrant raised in the Midwest. Baritone.
Henry Ford: Caucasian, 30s – early 40s. Inventor. Lanky. Folksy. Full of himself. Tenor.
J. P. Morgan: Caucasian, late 30s – 50s. Incredibly wealthy financier. Portly. Pompous, blustering. Baritone.
Emma Goldman: Caucasian, early 30s – early 40s. Anarchist and social activist. Earthy, warm, ironic, full-voiced. Alto.
Willie Conklin: Caucasian, late 20s – mid 30s. Fire Chief Conklin acts hostilely toward Coalhouse, and is ultimately forced out of New Rochelle. Must have a certain amount of joviality and humor, with the menace simmering underneath. Baritone.
Booker T. Washington: African American, early 30s – early 40s. Well-educated orator and leader who preaches friendship and cooperation between whites and blacks as essential to the success of blacks in America. Baritone.
Sarah’s Friend: African American, late 20s – mid 30s. Warm, soulful gospel singer/actress who plaintively and ferociously leads the Harlem Ensemble during Sarah’s funeral. Then becomes a domestic to the New Rochelle family.
Ensemble Roles – 11 women / 12 men
A dancing ensemble will be cast from within the ensemble
Women of the ensemble (possible doubling)
Kathleen ( 5 lines, female)
Welfare Official (2 lines, Female)
Brigit/ Baron’s Assistant (5 lines, Female)
Houdini’s Mother/ Mrs. Whitstein (2 lines, Female)
Jury Foreman/ Second Bureaucrat (2 lines, Female)
Reporter/ White Lawyer (4 lines, Female)
Newsboy #1 (2 lines, Young Female)
Newsboy #3 (2 lines, Young Female)
Female Soloist 1/ Harlem Woman ( 7 lines, Female)
Female Soloist 2/ Follower 2 ( 2 lines, Female)
Female Soloist 3 / Follower 3 ( 2 lines, Female)
Men of the ensemble (possible doubling)
Conductor/ Charles S. Whitman (11 lines, Male)
Admiral Peary/ Town Hall Bureaucrat/ Fan 2 (11 lines, Male)
Willie Conklin’s Fireman buddy/ Policeman 1 (10 lines, Male)
Stanford White/ Tateh’s Customer/Baseball Fan 1(9 lines, Male)
Reporter/ Fan 4 (5 lines, Male)
Harry K. Thaw/ Judge/ Umpire (4 lines, Male)
Doctor/ Policeman 2 (2 lines, Male)
Newsboy #2 (2 lines, Young Male)
Matthew Henson/ Clerk/ Fan 3 (5 lines, Male)
Male Soloist 1/ Harlem Man ( 9 lines, Male)
Male Soloist 2/ Coalhouse Follower (9 lines, Male)
Male Soloist 3/ Lawyer/ Follower 1 (4 lines, Male)
