The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Auditions - Koorliny Arts Centre

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Presented by the Koorliny Arts Centre and Kwinana Industries Council Music & Lyrics by William Finn Book by Rachel Sheinkin AUDITIONS – SUNDAY, 3rd February 2013 Producer: Koorliny Arts Centre Director: Ryan Taaffe Musical Director: Kate McIntosh Choreographer: Hillary Readings Production Manager: Jon Lambert PRODUCTION INFORMATION Performance Dates: 14/06/13 – 29/06/13 Performance Venue: Main Theatre, Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana Rehearsal Dates: To be confirmed after auditions on cast availability AUDITION INFORMATION Auditions will be on Sunday, 3rd February 2013 at Koorliny Arts Centre. All auditionees are required to make an audition booking by contacting the director, Ryan Taaffe via sms (0425 445 986) or email (ryan@koorliny.com.au). NOTE: This production contains adult contents and themes. Anyone who is under the age of 18 at the time of the audition will need to have their parent or guardian speak with the director before booking an audition time. The audition will consist of a group movement audition at the start of each session and individual auditions immediately after. Audition sessions/groups will be held at the following times: 10.00am, 11:15am, 12:45pm, 2.00pm, and 3:15pm You will need to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your session to fill in forms and have your photo taken. It is strongly advised that you research your character prior to the audition, and incorporate this into the acting and vocal sections of your audition. Acting Audition • Audition scripts will be available on the day. There is no need to prepare anything prior to the audition. • We will provide a partner to work with where necessary. Singing Audition • All auditionees must audition with the songs specified below. Please do not come to your audition with any song other that what has been specified. • Songs must be sung in the correct key; the MD will accompany you for your audition. Please do not sing a capella, or request that the song be transposed. Dancing/Movement Audition • Please wear clothes and footwear suitable for moving. Notes & Tips for Auditionees • Acting and singing auditions will be held together; dancing auditions will be held separately as a group at the start of each audition session. • Dress appropriately in something that you can move, sing and act in. • Do not be afraid to seek clarification of any instruction that you do not understand. • Be punctual and if you are running late, kindly contact Jon Lambert on 9467 7118. CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS All characters are played by adults; the ages below are stage ages only. The character of Douglas Panch is not required to sing or dance. CHIP TOLENTINO (Male) (Also plays JESUS) Character: The reigning spelling champion of Putnam County, relatively athletic and social, he expects things to come easily to him. Lately though, he's been going through some changes, and things are slipping out of his control. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Tenor (low C to high B) Song: ‘My Unfortunate Erection’   DOUGLAS PANCH (Male) Character: Vice Principal of Lake Hemingway Dos Passos Junior High, Panch is frustrated with his life. The drive of the young spellers is alien to him as he has never found anything that important. Stuck in his current job, endlessly awaiting a promotion that isn't coming, he was not happy to get the call that he was needed to substitute at the Bee at the last minute. However, he is eager to do well, mainly to impress the local hostess, Rona. Age: Character age 40+ Vocal type: Non singer, but strong comedic and improvisational skills required. Song: n/a LEAF CONEYBEAR (Male) (Also plays CARL DAD) Character: A second alternate, he never expected to compete here today. Home-schooled with his many siblings, everything about this public Bee is an adventure for him, from meeting the other kids to showing off his homemade clothing, to each moment of unexpected attention. He may have severe Attention Deficit Disorder but delights in his own wandering focus. Leaf doesn't expect to win – or even to spell one word correctly – but he finds absolutely everything incredibly amusing. His mother has made him wear his protective helmet to the Bee. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Baritone (low A to high G, A falsetto) Song: ‘I’m Not That Smart’ LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENNIERE (Female) Character: Younger than most Bee participants, she is driven by internal and external pressure, but above all by a desire to win to make her two fathers (from whom she takes her combined last name) proud. She lisps, is a little uncomfortable in her body, has some tics, but still manages to strike a strong presence with her political awareness and keen sense of justice. Having drilled words for hours a day, she is aware of everything that passes in the room. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Soprano/Mezzo Soprano (low G to high E flat) Song: ‘Woe Is Me’ MARCY PARK (Female) Character: The ultimate over-achiever, Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected and so simply produced. A parochial school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself as a mass of problems but she keeps them to herself. Having moved often because of her parents' work, she knows she can beat the local competition. Her many talents include piano, dance, martial arts and baton twirling. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Mezzo Soprano/Alto (up to E flat) Song: ‘I Speak Six Languages’ MITCH MAHONEY (Male) (Also plays DAN DAD and OLIVE’S FATHER) Character: Mitch appears an odd choice to be the Bee's ‘comfort counsellor’, but it's part of his community service assignment. The outsider, who in a way gets to inhabit the audience perspective, he wonders about the wisdom of putting the kids through this at all. He has no idea how to offer comfort, but does increasingly find himself wishing he could find a way to make the kids feel better about losing, and perhaps place misspelling in wider perspective. Age: 25-45 Vocal type: Tenor/high baritone, up to A (B falsetto) Song: ‘Prayer Of The Comfort Counsellor’ OLIVE OSTROVSKY (Female) Character: A word lover, Olive has a fairly quiet life. An only child with often-absent parents, Olive spends a lot of her time alone. She fills some of that time reading the dictionary; the words bring her comfort, as does the idea of the vastness of the world the book contains. During the first half of the Bee, she often peers into the audience to see if her father, who is delayed at work, has made it yet. She starts enormously shy, and slowly blossoms. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Soprano/high belt (low A to high F sharp) Song: ‘My Friend The Dictionary’ RONA LISA PERETTI (Female) (Also plays OLIVE’S MOTHER in fantasy) Character: Putnam's long-time spelling bee hostess, a local realtor, and 3rd Annual Putnam County Spelling Champion. From her perspective she keeps the Bee running smoothly, upholds protocol, and conveys crucial information to the audience. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. She thinks of this as a complex cerebral sporting event, and she wants the audience to understand every twist and turn. Age: Female, 30-45 Vocal type: Soprano (up to A) Song: ‘The Rules’ (From ‘If you misspell a word’ to ‘Rona’s favourite moment of the Bee’) WILLIAM BARFEE (Male) Character: William has a host of health problems and a lot to prove. Loud and combative as a defensive posture, he is the kid who becomes a bully to avoid being picked on. Still, he's noticed on the spelling circuit for his remarkable technique - spelling words out on the floor with his foot. Taken out of competition last year because of an ill-timed allergic reaction, he's here for vindication. The journey he doesn't expect is one of coming to care about someone else; when he sees outside his own needs for perhaps the first time, it shakes him fundamentally. Age: Character age 10-14. Vocal type: Tenor (low C to high B flat) Song: ‘Magic Foot’