Announcing Seussical Auditions

Posted by : Meleena 04 September 2019

Oh the things you can think, if you’re willing to try…..Be a part of brining the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss to life.

Come out to audition for Midcoast Youth Theater’s production of “Seussical the Musical”

SHOW DATES AND REHEARSAL INFORMATION
Seussical the Musical will be performed on Thursday, January 9th through Sunday, January 12^th, 2020 at Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School. Shows will be at 7:00 PM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and 2:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

Rehearsals will be held at Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church at 84 Main Street in Topsham on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 6:00-9:00 pm and Saturday 2:00-5:00pm. Not everyone will be called to every rehearsal. We try to keep the youngest performers to Friday and Saturday rehearsals, except during the last week before the show when the full cast will be called.

Please contact the Director, Eddie Hatrick, with any questions at eddie.hatrick@midcoastyouththeater.org.

TROUPE FEES
Troupe fees, paid by participants, help to offset some of the production cost. Troupe fees are $100 for the first performer and $80 for every additional performer in a family. Full or partial scholarships are available for those who need them. All information is kept confidential. Please bring a completed troupe fee form to the audition.

Troupe Fee Form

AUDITIONS

Auditions times are broken into separate slots depending on roles desired. Arrive ready to go at the start time of your slot. Everyone who auditions will be included in the show. The Director for this show, Eddie Hatrick, the Music Director, Courtney Babbidge, and the Choreographer KC Andreu, will help everyone who comes to audition to feel comfortable and participate in the process. Please inform them of any special needs ahead of time.

Please print out and bring or be prepared to fill out the audition sheet that will be posted. It requires that you list known scheduling conflicts.

Audition Form

Friday, September 27th

*Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your audition start time to ensure you are ready to begin when the session begins. We encourage you to print and complete the audition and troupe fee form prior to arriving to save time. Forms will be available for completion at auditions.

5:00-6:00PM
ENSEMBLE ROLES: This time slot is reserved for those cast members who are mainly interested in being part of the ensemble, a small or large group of actors who perform on stage together. If you are interested in an ensemble role without vocal or dancing solos and features then the audition process will require a simple check of your vocal range and a group dance movement session. Unless trying out for a supporting or main role, all children in grades K-2 should audition during this time.

If you are interested in an ensemble role with vocal or dancing solos and features, then please join us for the Supporting and Main Roles audition from 6-9 PM.

6:00pm-9:00pm
SUPPORTING AND MAIN ADULT ROLES:

This time slot is reserved for those cast members who are interested in a lead or supporting role as described in the character descriptions. Please note that the age ranges in the descriptions are a guideline. We recognize that someone may be able to play a role much younger or older than their actual age.

Auditions for this group will include a song, dance, and acting portion. Unless your character does not sing any solos, come prepared to sing a song that you have memorized and that showcases your voice. You must sing with accompaniment from our Musical Director on piano and may not sing acapella. You may sing 32 bars or about 1 minute of a song of your choice. You may sing a song from the show, but keep in mind that sometimes the show's own songs are not the best audition songs. Please check with our Musical Director, Courtney Babbidge, if you are not able to supply sheet music for him to play. We will have all of the music from this show. He may already have what you are looking for, can easily access it, or will help make another suggestion. Courtney can be emailed at cbm7b5@yahoo.com.

Please come ready to perform a dance number in small groups taught by our choreographer. Please stretch ahead of time and wear or bring sensible clothing and shoes for movement. Shoes are required in order to dance at auditions.

Acting will be reviewed through cold readings of portions of the script, usually in monologue form. You are encouraged to study those characters you are most interested in. Script material will be provided to you at auditions.

Sunday, September 29^th

1:00PM-2:00pm
ENSEMBLE ROLES: See above description. Note you only need to attend one of the two timeslots to audition.

2:00pm-5:00pm
SUPPORTING AND MAIN ADULT ROLES: see above description. Note you only need to attend one of the two timeslots to audition.

CAST REQUIREMENTS

Cast members must be in Kindergarten and up to audition. If you cannot be present at the audition, please contact the director eddie.hatrick@midcoastyouththeater.org to arrange for a video audition.

Parent Meetings to include all teens and adult cast members will occur for 15 minutes on the first Saturday of the month beginning in November to allow the Seussical Crew and/or MYT Board members to communicate to the cast.

Facebook is our main way of communicating with the entire cast. Every cast member or their parent/guardian needs to have a way to access our private page where pictures and videos from rehearsal and important announcements will be posted. All information about our production will be easily accessed on this page. We strongly encourage everyone to be able to access this page so if you do not have a Facebook account we would ask you to create one just for use during this show. You could delete it afterward.

Vocal ranges are listed for those characters with significant solos. Other characters have a general vocal description. Other parts list no vocal range because the role sings in small groups or with the ensemble.

Character Breakdown

THE CAT IN THE HAT, any gender, adult or teen, vocal range F2-F4

Our story's omniscient narrator, he is fun loving and enjoys rhyming. Pops up throughout the story to help the audience. Wise and attentive. The essence of mischief, fun and imagination. Strong comedic timing required.

JOJO, any gender, age 8-14, vocal range Ab3-C5

The Mayor's son, he is a Who that is always finding trouble. Bright, creative, and inadvertently mischievous. Possesses a wild imagination. Can be played a little awkward, as a loner or as a rambunctious kid.

HORTON THE ELEPHANT, Male, adult or teen, vocal range A2-F2

Our story's main character, he is a compassionate and gentle elephant. Horton is a gentle giant who is steadfast, responsible and always tries to do the right thing for his friends. He is imaginative and kind. Horton's view of the world never changes-he believes in its goodness.

GERTRUDE MCFUZZ, Female, adult or teen, vocal range F3-F5

Gertrude is sweet and timid. Though kind and loyal, she is self-conscious of her shortfalls. She is a bit naïve at times, but always is the voice of reason.

MAYZIE LABIRD, Female, adult or teen, vocal range G3-Eb5

The most beautiful bird in all of the jungle, but oblivious to her self-centered ways, she relies on her talent of manipulation, and intoxicating beauty, to navigate her way through life.

THE SOUR KANGAROO, Female, adult or teen, vocal range F#3-F5

The 'leader' of the jungle. She is loud, brassy, and stubbornly set in her ways. A caring mother, but unabashedly sassy and soulful.

YOUNG KANGAROO, Female, 8-12

She is Sour Kangaroo’s daughter and does whatever her mother does. She is sassy with lots of attitude.

THE WICKERSHAM BROTHERS, male or female, 8 and up, vocal range varies

The Wickersham Brothers are not bad guys! They're simply a lot like kids who tease, play pranks, and get a kick out of making mischief, although often at others' expense. They enjoy hanging around with one another, making music together on the street corner, and playing off one another. Role requires heavy movement.

BIRD GIRLS, female, 12 and up

A clique of pretty, self-centered “back up birds” who do whatever Mayzie does. They act as story tellers picking-up where the Cat left off. Must be strong dancers.

THE WHOS, male and female, all ages

The Whos are a lot like you and me, only so small as to be invisible. They live in fear that their planet is in trouble. Can include Cindy Lou Who, Max the Dog and other individual characters.

THE MAYOR, male or female, teen-adult

The Mayor and the Mayor’s spouse are Whos who are parents trying hard to raise a difficult child in a difficult world. They may get aggravated with JoJo, but they love him dearly and try to do the right thing, even if it turns out to be a mistake.

THE MAYOR’S SPOUSE, male or female, teen-adult

THING 1 & THING 2, male or female

The Cat’s main helpers and an extension of his personality. Essence of mischief, fun and imagination. They assist the Cat in many ways, either playing small roles or causing havoc.

YERTLE THE TURTLE, Male, adult or teen, vocal range baritone/base

The King of the pond and thinks he is more important than he is. He has a sense of entitlement. Presides as the judge at Horton’s trial.

GENERAL GENGUS KHAN SCHMITZ, Male, adult or teen, baritone

A Who General who is bursting with pride at the military academy he runs, and the boys he turns out. He is not mean; he honestly thinks he is doing the right thing and is making the world a better place.

JUNGLE ANIMALS, male or female, 7 and up

Must be strong, expressive dancers. There will be room for individual characters in this group such as:

• The Eagle: precise and fierce

• The Eaglet: a flapper and leaper.

• The Zebra: proud

• The Gazelle: graceful, uses leaps and turns to travel

• The Lizard: slithers

• The Leopard: deliberate

• The Tamarin monkey: frisky

• The Poison Dart Frog: frog like in movements

CITIZENS OF NOOL

They live in the Jungle of Nool. They side with the Sour Kangaroo.