Maurer Productions OnStage, Inc. Presents Children’s Letters to God (A Full‐Length Musical) Audition Information Auditions Saturday, October 24, 10 am to 6 pm Sunday, October 25, 12 noon to 6 pm Callbacks, if needed: Wednesday, October 28, 7 pm to 9 pm Show Dates Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 8, 9, 10; 15, 16, 17, 2010 Possible school shows on Thursday, January 14, 2010 in the morning Auditions by Appointment: Sign up online at www.mponstage.com/auditions, or By Email at [email protected], or By Telephone at (609) 882‐2292 NOTE: Walk‐ins will be seen on a time‐available basis. Without an appointment, there may be a long wait to audition, and there is no guarantee you will be able to audition. Auditions for Children’s Letters to God Index 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction Audition Information What You Need to Know About the Audition Audition Form Calendar for Conflicts Musical Numbers Audition Scenes Auditions for Children’s Letters to God Introduction Maurer Productions OnStage, the company that brought you It’s a Wonderful Life; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; and the multi‐Perry Award‐nominated shows Singin’ in the Rain, Driving Miss Daisy, and Man of La Mancha, is holding open auditions for its upcoming production of Children’s Letters to God on Saturday, October 24, from 10 am to 6 pm and on Sunday, October 25, from 12 noon to 6 pm. MPOnStage will produce this family musical comedy which was inspired by the international bestseller of the same name. It follows the lives of five young friends as they voice beliefs, desires, questions and doubts common to all people but most disarmingly expressed by children. Sixteen tuneful songs and assorted scenes (some based on actual letters) explore timeless issues such as sibling rivalry, divorce, holidays, loss of a beloved pet, the trials of being unathletic, and first love. This entertaining show carries a universal message which crosses the boundaries of age, geography, and religion. As in the best‐selling book, the musical is not specifically religious in nature. It's about kids and various events in their lives that lead them to ask a lot of questions ‐‐ some funny, some serious, some surprising. This production will be presented at Kelsey Theatre on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College. The show will include five (5) speaking and singing roles and will be directed and choreographed by Jane Coult. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (609) 882‐2292. Audition Information Auditions: Children’s Letters to God Date and Time: Saturday, 10/24/2009, 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday, 10/25/2009, 12 noon to 6 pm Company: Maurer Productions OnStage, Inc. Director and Choreographer: Musical Director: Stage Manager: Producers: Producer/Marketing: Jane Coult Israel (Buzz) Herman Jeff Cantor John and Diana Maurer Dan Maurer NOTE: The ages for the characters listed below and elsewhere in these pages represent the general age of the actor can “play” on stage. (For example, a girl is 18, but can pass for 15.) Character Joanna Age 13 Kicker 9 Brett 13 Iris 11 Theo 11 Description Bright, responsible, and romantic, she is often forced to take care of her intrusive little brother, Kicker, who at times drives everyone crazy. She’s in the same class as Brett, on whom she has her heart set. Joanna’s brother; imaginative; questions everything; often feels powerless because he’s the youngest and the smallest in the group. A doubter, sometimes a tad cocky to cover his insecurity; parents divorced. His prized possession is a baseball cap covered with a variety of pins from special places, which he wears at all times. Passionately in love with her pet turtle, Arnold. Tends to over dramatize herself and has a secret crush on Brett. About to celebrate his 12th birthday. Totally inept physically, but is happy that he is not as physically inept as Kicker. Would fervently like to be an athlete/hero. Wears glasses. For group scenes and chorus singing. Ensemble 4 roles, male 10 to 12 or female All auditioners must be at least 9 years of age to audition. Call (609) 882‐2292 or email [email protected] with any questions. What You Need to Know for the Audition 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. You can now use our online audition sign‐up site to schedule your audition. Go to www.mponstage.com/auditions; choose Children’s Letters to God and sign up for an available slot. If you can’t access the website or if you have any problems signing up, you can still call (609) 882‐2292 or email at [email protected] to schedule an audition time. If all audition slots are full and you wish to audition for the show, please call and we will try to set up another time for you to audition. All actors are required to audition with at least 16 bars from an upbeat musical theater‐style song. It can be from the show, if you prefer. A pianist will be available. Bring two copies of the sheet music. Everyone auditioning will be required to undergo a dance audition. The routine will be simple moves. It is strongly advised that you wear appropriate shoes for dancing and comfortable clothing that is neither baggy nor too tight. Actors must sign up for a specific slot on the audition schedule and arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of your audition slot. The audition process may last 30 to 60 minutes. During that time, the actors, whether singly or in a group, will be asked to sing, act, and dance and fill out paperwork.* There are two ways to complete the paperworexk you will need to do to audition: a) MP OnStage CastMe 1‐2‐3 System: You can now upload your resume and headshot, as well as any additional information you feel would be appropriate and helpful, into the MPOnStage Cast Me 1‐2‐3 system. This can save you the time and expense of downloading and filling out forms, having headshots printed, and copying resumes. The only thing you will have to bring with you once you have created your profile on the Cast Me system is your sheet music and the calendar for your conflicts during the rehearsal/run period. The MP OnStage Cast‐Me 1‐2‐3 site is located at www.mponstage.com/registration. b) Alternate method: Download the audition packet from our website, print out the forms, complete them at home and bring them with you to the audition. Blank forms will also be available at the audition. If you don’t fill out the audition form before arriving, be prepared to list all scheduling conflicts from October 24, 2009 through January 14, 2010. Please be careful to include all holidays, work, family commitments, vacations, etc. We work very hard to schedule rehearsals around the conflicts of the cast, so please be honest and thorough about your conflicts. If you do not upload your headshot (or recent photo) and your resume into the CastMe 1‐2‐3 System, please bring one copy of each to the audition. The paper headshot and resume will not be returned. Rehearsals will begin about November 1. You should expect up to three rehearsals per week, two evenings and one weekend afternoon. Since this is an ensemble cast, the individuals cast as the five leads should expect to attend every rehearsal. Ensemble people will be needed less often. Call sheets will be made available to the case to tell you which rehearsals you will need to attend. All cast members should plan to be available daily evenings for the two weeks before the show open. All cast members and their parents are requested to assist with load in and load out. Load‐in occurs on the Sunday evening (January 3) before opening night, and load‐out occurs after the Sunday afternoon performance (January 17) on the second weekend of performances. Maurer Productions Onstage, Inc. ______________ www.mponstage.com Do not write on this line Children’s Letters to God Audition Form PERSONAL Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone: _______________________ Work Phone: _______________________ Cell Phone: _____________________ Email Address #1: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Email Address #2: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Sex ________________________ Age Range: _________________________ Date of Birth:__________________________ Height: _____________________ Photo is Attached: Yes No ROLE What Role(s) are You Auditioning For?______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ SKILLS Voice: (Circle One) Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass Vocal Range: ______________________________________ Years of Formal Voice Study: ________ Years of Formal Acting Study: ________ Years of Formal Dance Study: ________ How Do You Rate Your Dance Skills: ______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Are You Currently Studying Acting, Singing, or Dancing? If so, where/with whom?___________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do You Read Music? Yes No Have You Studied an Instrument: Yes No List Special Skills [e.g., juggling, magic, unicycle riding, play band instrument, gymnastics (cartwheels, walkovers, etc.)]:S _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Background My Resume is Attached: Yes No (If no resume, see below) My Acting, Singing and Dancing Experience Includes (List Shows, roles, dates, etc.): _________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ List All Conflicts on the Following Calendars Please list all your scheduling conflicts on the following calendars for October 24 through January 17th. (This should include holidays, work, family commitments, & etc.) We try our best to create rehearsal schedules based on cast availability, so it is important that you be thorough and accurate! October Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat - - - - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Auditions 25 26 27 28 Auditions 29 30 31 Callbacks November Sun 1 Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 - - - - - ReadThrough December Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat - - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 - - January 2010 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat - - - - - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Performance 7pm Performance 2pm & 7pm Load In 10 11 12 13 Performance 7pm 14 15 16 School show 10am Performance 7pm Performance 2pm & 7pm 18 19 20 21 22 23 24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30 17 Performance 7pm Children’s Letters to God Musical Numbers Prologue/Questions, Questions ............................. Company Thirteen ......................................................................... Brett Arnold ........................................................ Iris and Company Like Everybody Else ................................ Theo and Company Questions for the Rain .............................. Iris and Company Ants .............................................................................. Kicker A Simple Holiday Song ........................................... Company Six Hours as a Princess ............................................... Joanna As an Only Child ....................................... Kicker and Joanna When I Am in Charge ............................................. Company Daydreams: I Will Not Dream in Class ................... Joanna and Iris Daydreams—Part One ............................... Company Are You Happy With Me? .......................... Company Wyoming ........................................................... Brett Daydreams—Part Two ............................... Company Kicker Brown ................................................................. Theo Silly Old Hat ................................................................... Brett How Come? ............................................................ Company I Know .................................................................... Company Children’s Letters to God Audition Readings Joanna, 13—Bright, responsible, and romantic, she is often forced to take care of her intrusive little brother, Kicker, who at times drives everyone crazy. She’s in the same class as Brett, on whom she has her heart set. Joanna Reading #1 (Looking around) KICKER BROWN! Your room is a mess! You better clean it up fast, or mom says you can’t go to Theo’s birthday party. Start picking up, Kicker! . . . No, I’m not the boss of you, but I’m bigger than you. . . . It is a mess. . . . Okay, munchkin, we’ll do it together. . . . Hey, what are you doing with my binoculars? Where you spying on me and Brett? . . . . Kiiiiiiick‐er? You were, weren’t you? .(Kicker leaves the room yelling to Mom for help.) . . . . Dear God, it must be hard for you to love everybody in the world. I only have one little brother and I can’t do it. Joanna Reading #2 I love the Big Dipper—because when you look at the stars in it, they seem like they must be…friends. And if they could talk…I bet they’d say how great it is to…to always be together, forever, to be part of the same famous shape that people have been looking at since the beginning of time…but, actually, each one of those stars is millions and skadillions of light years apart, so they don’t even know they form a pattern, they don’t even know they’re like, like . . . Yeah, like us! Brett? See that star?, The one right above the water tank on top of that building? . . . I wished on it. . . . What did I wish? It’s a secret. . . . . NO! You can’t tell anybody, or else it won’t come true. Brett? The first night . . . when you’re in Wyoming? Go outside and look up in the sky for the Big Dipper. Like, at 8 o’clock sharp, okay? Back here, it will be 10 o’clock, because of the time difference . . . Anyway we’ll all come out, and we’ll be looking at the Big Dipper right when you are, see…and we’ll be, like, connected. So you’ll know we’re thinking of you. We’ll really do it. We promise! Kicker, 9—Joanna’s brother‐‐imaginative, questions everything‐‐often feels powerless because he’s the youngest and the smallest in the group. Kicker Reading #1 Dear God, my sister Joanna thinks she’s God. Boy, is she wrong! (To his older sister) I don’t have to clean up my room. You’re not the boss of me! . . . Yeah, you’re bigger than me, but it’s too hard to do it alone. (Pleading) You have to help. . . . No, I didn’t take your binoculars. No, I wasn’t spying on you. . . . Ummmmm, I forget . . . . (Running out of the room) MOM! JOANNA MESSED UP MY ROOM! Kicker Reading #2 Where are you guys going? . . . To Theo’s birthday party? Great! Me, too! (Cookie Monster voice) Chocolate cake! Me love it! . . . . High five, Brett! (To someone else) He can’t even do a high‐five. What a geek! . . . Yeah, it’s mean, but everybody says he’s a geek. . . .(To Brett) I’m sorry you’re a geek. . . . I’m sorry. . . . Arnold’s dead? Really? Dead? Wow! How can you tell? . . . . I never saw anything dead before—except an ant. Dear God, what’s it like when you die? I just want to know. I don’t want to do it. Brett, 13—A doubter, sometimes a tad cocky to cover his insecurity, parents divorced. His prized possession is a baseball cap covered with a variety of pins from several places, which he wears all the time. Brett Reading #1 (Performing a yo‐yo trick, spinning a basketball or some show‐offy‐type trick) Want me to teach you how to do this? It’s a great thing to know. You doubt it? That’s because you’re not a guy. Guys just naturally know how to do cool stuff like this. My dad taught it to me before he…moved away. . . . . What are you looking at? What about my hat? NEVER touch my hat! . . . Sorry I yelled at you. It’s just . . . that’s all I’m gonna say. Brett Reading #2 (Enters with a flashlight) Yo! Sorry I’m late . . . I got held up. Y’know, tearful mom and all. Yes, Kicker, I’m sure Joanna did say she was gonna kill me if I didn’t show up. That’s why I came. . . . . Yeah, it is beautiful out tonight. Except I’m not gonna be together with you guys for a long time. . . . Which star? Oh, yeah, now I see it. You wished on it? What did you wish? A secret? Come on. You can tell me! What will looking at the Big Dipper at 8 o’clock on my first night in Wyoming prove? Oh, you’ll look at it at the same time here? 10 o’clock? Oh yeah, time difference . . . Yeah . . . we’ll be connected, seeing it together. Will you guys really do it? . . . .Dear God, if you do all the things everybody says you do, you must be pretty busy. So here’s my question: When is the best time I can talk to you? They say you are always listening, but when will you be listening over Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Iris, 11—Passionately in love with her pet turtle, Arnold. Tends to over dramatize herself and has a secret crush on Brett. Iris Reading #1 Theo, I just came to tell you that I am not coming to your party! I’m leaving because your dumb invitation says, “No Turtles Allowed.” I’m allowed? Too bad. Because if Arnold is not allowed, then I’m leaving. . . . Birthdays are for people, not pets? Which shows how little you know, since it’s a fact of nature that Arnold is more than just a pet! . . . Arnold can stay? Good. Cut a piece of cake for Arnold. Arnold hasn’t been himself lately. He needs a treat. Iris Reading #2 Arnold’s not moving. I think he’s . . . dead! . . . If we live after we die, why do we have to die then? It’s not fair! If I was God I would let everybody’s turtle live forever! . . . Dear God . . . Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t you just keep the ones you got now? . . .Brett, D’you need a ride? . . . Are you sure? . . . Sure you don’t want to come with us? . . . Am I okay about Arnold? Yeah . . . thanks for asking . . . that’s really sweet . . .well, bye, Brett. (She runs to the “car,” suddenly losing it.) Mommy . . .! Arnold . . . diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied! Theo, 11—About to celebrate his 12th birthday. Totally inept physically, but is hapy that he is not as physically inept as Kicker. Would fervently like to be an athlete/hero. Wears glasses. Theo Reading #1 (Opening a present) A baseball mitt? Thanks, but I stink at baseball! . . . You’ll teach me? Really? . . . (To others) I just got a treat! Brett’s gonna be my baseball coach! Thanks, Dude! . . . It’s okay, I’m a geek . . . I wish…I didn’t drop a fly ball every single time…and I could go on my rollerblades without falling over…and not have this stupid baby face so I look about five years old…I wish I could be like everybody else. Theo Reading #2 Dear God, I don’t think you were listening when I asked you to make me a better player. I’m sending my picture so you’ll know who I am. Theo! . . . Hey Brett, will you coach me now? . . .What about my “Birthday Bonus”? Remember? You said? . . . (Brett tosses a ball at Theo and he catches it!) OOOOOooohhhh! (Brett tosses the ball again and Theo catches it again!) Awesome! And after we’re done, can I help you with your…stuff? . . . Why not? . . . . You’re moving? Where to?