AUDITIONS for major PIPPIN revival - Deaf/Hearing cast mix

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 10:10pm

Auditions for PIPPIN at Mark Taper Forum in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre
PIPPIN Theatre A co-production of CENTER THEATRE GROUP & DEAF WEST THEATRE AEA

Producers: Michael Ritchie (CTG) & Ed Waterstreet (Deaf West) Associate Producer: Ann E. Wareham
Book: Roger O. Hirson
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Director/Choreographer: Jeff Calhoun
Associate Director: Coy Middlebrook
Music Director: Steve Landau
Casting Director: Bonnie Grisan, Erika Sellin First Rehearsal: November 17, 2008 First Preview: January 15, 2009
Open: January 25, 2009
Close: March 15, 2009
LA auditions: September 2008
Pay Rate: LORT A
Location: Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles

SUBMIT HARDCOPY TO: CTG CASTING
601 W TEMPLE ST.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
ATTN: (PIPPIN)

Script is published

Please indicate if submitted actor is not an LA local hire.

OPEN to all types, all ethnicities, and actors with disabilities unless otherwise noted. Non-Union okay.

Note: For this production, we will be hiring both deaf and hearing actors. Where deaf actors are utilized, another member of the cast will speak and sing for them. **ALL HEARING ACTORS MUST LEARN TO SIGN

STORY: A young royal searches for purpose in the chaotic dark ages of France.

SEEKING THE FOLLOWING ROLES FOR HEARING ACTORS:

[ PIPPIN ]
Male. A naïve everyman living in a world that continues to elude his ever-changing philosophies. must look youthful. excellent singer/dancer/actor. Vocal Range: Tenor/High Baritone with strong belted high G, and falsetto high C.

[ LEADING PLAYER ]
Male. A magical storyteller. The head of a troupe of entertainers. Looking for star/theater name with charisma. Excellent singer/actor, dancing a plus. Vocal Range: High Baritone with belted high G #.

[ BERTHE ]
Female 60’s-70’s. Pippin’s grandmother. Warm, strong, and bawdy. Must be strong comic actress and deliver a show stopping song. Vocal Range: Belty mezzo, low F# to A above middle C.

[ FASTRADA ]
Female. 30’s 40’s. Pippin’s step-mother. Devious…crafty, cunning, untrustworthy…but a warm and wonderful mother to Lewis. Strong singer/actress/dancer. Vocal Range: A below middle C to a belty mixed D (9th above middle C).

[ LEWIS ]
Male. Pippin’s half-brother. After Pippin, he is heir to the throne. Addicted to the physical, Lewis loves weight lifting…Lewis loves wrestling…but most of all…Lewis loves Lewis. Must look great without a shirt. Strong singer/dancer/actor. Vocal Range: Baritone or Tenor.

[ CATHERINE ]
Female, 20-30’s. A widow with a small boy and a large estate. A plain, everyday, commonplace, come-what-may, average, ordinary, wonderful girl. Strong singer/dancer/actress. Vocal Range: Low G to a mixed D (9th above middle C), head voice to high G.

ALL THE ENSEMBLE NEED TO BE STRONG SINGER/ACTORS, DANCING A PLUS.

[ ENSEMBLE/LEADING PLAYER UNDERSTUDY/CHARLES’ VOICE ] Male, Vocal Range: Bass/Baritone

[ ENSEMBLE/FASTRADA UNDERSTUDY/ BERTHE UNDERSTUDY ] Female, Vocal Range: Belt low end from low F# to A about middle C, with light mix above to D (9th about middle C).

[ ENSEMBLE/LEWIS UNDERSTUDY ]
Male, Vocal Range: Baritone or Tenor

[ ENSEMBLE/CATHERINE UNDERSTUDY ]
Female, Vocal Range: at least that of Catherine with good strong high soprano to A or Bb.

[ ENSEMBLE/PIPPIN UNDERSTUDY ]
Male/Hearing, Vocal Range: High Tenor

[ ENSEMBLE ]
Male, Vocal Range: Baritone with strong low notes.

[ SWING/MALE ]
Off stage: will swing both deaf and hearing tracks

[ SWING/FEMALE ]
Off stage: will swing both deaf and hearing tracks

SEEKING THE FOLLOWING ROLES FOR DEAF/HARD OF HEARING ACTORS:

[ PIPPIN ]
Male. A naïve everyman living in a world that continues to elude his ever-changing philosophies. Must look youthful.

[ CHARLES ]
Male. King Charlemagne. The most powerful man in the world, next to the Pope. A giant on the battlefield and in the bedroom.–Great comic actor. Must be musical.

[ THEO ]
Male (boy) (double cast) Catherine’s son. A small loveable boy. Age 11-15

[ ENSEMBLE/PIPPIN UNDERSTUDY ]
Male

[ ENSEMBLE/CHARLES UNDERSTUDY ]
Male

[ ENSEMBLE ]
Male

[ ENSEMBLE ]
Female

ROGER O. HIRSON (Book) Prior to writing PIPPIN, Hirson wrote for such programs as THE KRAFT TELEVISION THEATER, GOODYEAR TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE, PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE, and STUDIO ONE. He was twice nominated for Broadway’s Tony Award: in 1967 as co-author of book with Ketti Frings for Best Musical nominee WALKING HAPPY, and in 1973 as Best Book (Musical) for PIPPIN. He went on to write several screenplays, including BRIDGE AT REMAGEN (1969), DEMON SEED (1977), and the teleplay for THE CHRISTMAS CAROL, starring George C. Scott (1984). He is currently retired and living in New York City.

STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Music and Lyrics): has contributed music and/or lyrics to GODSPELL, PIPPIN , THE MAGIC SHOW, THE BAKER’S WIFE, WORKING (which he also adapted and directed), PERSONALS, RAGS, CHILDREN OF EDEN and the current Broadway hit, WICKED. Most recently, he has contributed songs to MIT EVENTYR, a musical about Hans Christian Andersen currently playing in Denmark. He collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on the English texts for Bernstein’s MASS and wrote the title song for the play and movie BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE. For children, he has written a one-act musical, CAPTAIN LOUIE. For films, he collaborated with Alan Menken on the scores for the Disney animated features POCAHONTAS and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated feature THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. He provided music and lyrics for the original television musical, GEPPETTO, and has released two CDs of new songs entitled RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY. Under the auspices of the! ASCAP Foundation, he runs musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles, and is also a member of the Council of the Dramatists’ Guild. Mr. Schwartz is the recipient of three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and a tiny handful of tennis trophies.

JEFF CALHOUN (Director/Choreographer): directed and choreographed the award-winning Deaf West production of Big River (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Best Revival; Drama Desk nomination for Best Director of a Musical; Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle awards for Direction and Choreography). He was a producer as well as director/choreographer for the Broadway production of Brooklyn the Musical. He directed and choreographed the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease! (Tony nomination, Best Choreography) and co-choreographed the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (Tony Award, Best Revival). His Broadway directing debut was Tommy Tune Tonight, and his collaboration with Mr. Tune led to the 1991 Tony for Best Choreography. He provided the musical staging for the hit Broadway musical Grey Gardens and developed the first original ASL musical, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, at the Kirk Douglas Theater. He is the director of both the national and international productions of Disney’s High School Musical: On Tour. Jeff is an Associate Artist at Ford?s Theatre.


Casting notice

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:21pm

I would love to see this hit Broadway! What a great excuse to revive PIPPIN. The Deaf West BIG RIVER revival, also helmed by Jeff Calhoun, was BREATHTAKING! In fact, Michael Arden played Tom Sawyer in that production, so he is totally fluent in American Sign Language. He would be a perfect Pippin, as demonstrated by his performance a few years ago in the PIPPIN World AIDS Day Benefit Concert.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 11:30pm

In fact, Michael Arden played Tom Sawyer in that production, so he is totally fluent in American Sign Language.

Has he been practicing, though? Speaking from experience, ASL is one of the easiest languages to forget without regular practice. So it's not safe to assume just because he played Tom Sawyer in Deaf West's BR he still remembers the language.

That said...wow, I can't wait.