Auditions at Riverwalk Theatre
Upcoming Auditions
**If you're interested in auditioning for any show you can print and fill out the Audition Form to the right or obtain one when you arrive at auditions.
The Little Prince
Auditions February 23 - 25 at the Hannah Community Center Follies
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Goldman Ken Beachler, Director John Dale Smith, Music Director Karyn Perry, Choreographer SHOW DATES: May 31 to June 10, 2012 There are 31 roles for singer/actors, plus 6 to 8 showgirls/ghosts, and an additional 10-12 singers in the ensemble. OPEN AUDITIONS - Friday, March 23 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 2001 E. Grand River at Wood Road, Lansing Those auditioning should be prepared to read from the script, sing a musical theater song (32 measures only) and wear appropriate clothing & shoes for dance/movement auditions. (Dance audition routine will be posted online in advance.) We will audition groups of ten at a time. CALL-BACK AUDITIONS - Tuesday, March 27 at 6 p.m. and Wednesday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. at RIVERWALK THEATRE Those invited for CALL BACKS (by phone and/or e-mail) should be prepared to sing a selection from FOLLIES (32 measures only). We plan to post three songs each for men & women online. DANCE REHEARSALS will begin Monday, April 2. MUSIC REHEARSALS will begin Monday, April 16. Our Dance Rehearsal Schedule will normally be Sunday afternoons & Wednesday evenings, with possible Saturday afternoon dance rehearsals T/B/A. Company Rehearsals: Sundays at 6 p.m. and Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. No scheduled rehearsals Friday & Saturday evenings until Tech Week. | Audition Form
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FOLLIES SYNOPSIS:
Recently in a successful Kennedy Center production on Broadway, with another impressive revival at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, FOLLIES premiered on Broadway on April 4, 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre. It was nominated for eleven
Tony Awards and won seven. Several of its songs have become standards, including “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Losing My Mind.” The story, set in 1971, concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre scheduled for demolition, of past performers of the “Weismann’s Follies,” a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies), that played in that theatre
between the World Wars. It focuses on two couples, Buddy and Sally Durant Plummer and Benjamin and Phyllis Rogers Stone, who are attending the reunion. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls in the Follies. Both couples are deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a young woman on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was thirty years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former younger selves.
Characters:
SALLY DURANT PLUMMER: (late 40s to 50s). A former Follies girl living a sheltered life. On the surface, warm, charming, open underneath, highly emotional, childish and fragile. Clinging to fantasy and possibly a manic depressive. An alcoholic, petite and attractive. Must be a terrific singer with both a strong compelling belt, a comfortable mix and a lush soprano to a G.
BUDDY PLUMMER: (late 40s - 50s). A traveling salesman who lives up to his first name; kind, brash, crass and friendly. Always ready with a joke, he's everybody's buddy. A serial cheater, always looking for what he can't get from his wife. Still deeply in love with Sally, tortured by her instability and the fact she continues to love another man. None of the affairs satisfy. A realist, charming, rough around the edge. Deeply appealing and still redeemable. A great song and dance man. A vaudevillian, who moves or dances very well. A sparkplug. Baritone.
PHYLLIS ROGERS STONE: (late 40s to 50s) Once a Weissman Follies girl from the wrong side of the tracks, now a high-society wife and hostess. Sophisticated, intelligent and superior. Her caustic wit and blasé, seen-it-all exterior hides a deep seeded rage and disappointment at the emptiness of her marriage and life. Beautiful, elegant, extremely well cared for. Thin and toned. Nothing left to chance. Alto with strong mix.
BEN STONE: (late 40s to 50s). A wealthy and celebrated politician, foundation president, and author, he is at the height of his success and prowess. Smart, suave, cultured, elegant, and attractive, he is wanted by everyone but feels nothing, and secretly loathes himself. Handsome, masculine and charismatic. Baritone.
YOUNG SALLY: (20s). Emotional and naïve, unrealistically romantic, already in love with Ben and willing to devote her life to him. Thinks with her heart and not her head. Petite, pert and attractive. Solid fresh mix with a strong chest and head voice, fresh appealing young sound.
YOUNG BUDDY: (20s).Fun-loving, generous with his friends, easygoing. In love with Sally, and although he already knows she's been unfaithful, he still believes his love will triumph. A young, character song and dance man. Not classically handsome but hugely appealing. Baritone.
YOUNG PHYLLIS: (20s). Open and loving, from the wrong side of the tracks but determined to become cultured and sophisticated in order to be a good wife to Ben. Fun, smart, determined. Tall, great bones; doesn't have to be as
classically elegant or gorgeous as her older self. Solid, fresh mix.
YOUNG BEN: (20s). Ambitious and driven, already obsessed with becoming wealthy and successful and convinced
that this will be the path to happiness. Already cheating on Phyllis, already looking for next, best thing whatever it is. Tall, handsome, masculine and irresistible. Baritone.
CARLOTTA CAMPION: (50s/60s). A former Weissman Follies girl who went on to become a movie star, she has now aged into a B-level celebrity with her own television series. Glamorous, still larger than life, she is wise, sexy, caustic and funny. Has been around the block more than a few times, but has never lost her sense of humor. Sings I'm Still Here. Must
move well. Classic Broadway belt with range and stamina.
SOLANGE LA FITTE: (late 60s to early 70s). A star of the Follies who turned herself and her Frenchness into a brand, she's a perfume maven. Everything about her is a little bit too much, including her style and her accent. Sings Ah, Paris. In
good shape, must move well. A character. Strong character belt with solid low range.
HATTIE WALKER: (60s). Once and always a Broadway Baby. She lives life to its fullest. Married five times, a grandmother who has spent a lifetime in the theater and still knows how to land a number as well as a husband. Sings Broadway Baby.
Strong, brassy belt voice with very solid low range.
HEIDI SCHILLER: (70s). German, once a great soprano for whom famous composers wrote, aging and lost in memory. Sings One More Kiss. Legit soprano to an F.
STELLA DEEMS: (50s - 60s). Brassy and brash, she was once part of a song and dance team with her husband,
but is happily retired from the showbiz. Sings Who's That Woman. Strong belt voice with very solid low range.
MAX DEEMS: (50s - 60s). With wife Stella, once a song-and-dance team, but now happily retired in Florida. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
EMILY WHITMAN: (60s). With husband Theodore, once a part of a Follies song-and-dance team, now the owner of
a dance school. Still pert and perky; a little dotty. Sings Rain on the Roof. Must be an excellent partner dancer. Alto.
THEODORE WHITMAN: (60s). With wife Emily, once a part of a Follies song-and-dance team, now the owner of a dance school. Sings Rain on the Roof - Must be an excellent partner dancer. Light, charming Baritone.
DIMITRI WEISMANN: (60s/70s). The impresario of the Follies, smart and charming, he has lost nothing of his grandeur, warmth, or elegance. NON-SINGING.
ROSCOE: (50s/60s). Sings Beautiful Girls. Legit tenor (in the Ziegfeld Style)to a high sustained A.
YOUNG HEIDI: (20s). A great opera soprano, still an ingénue. Sings One More Kiss. Elegant, beautiful, the
embodiment of an age of grace and art. Lyric coloratura legit soprano to an A.
DEE DEE WEST: (40 - 50s). A former Follies girl. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
SANDRA CRANE: (40 to 50s). A former Follies girl. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
Dancing & Singing Ensemble: Extras
Recently in a successful Kennedy Center production on Broadway, with another impressive revival at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, FOLLIES premiered on Broadway on April 4, 1971 at the Winter Garden Theatre. It was nominated for eleven
Tony Awards and won seven. Several of its songs have become standards, including “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Losing My Mind.” The story, set in 1971, concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre scheduled for demolition, of past performers of the “Weismann’s Follies,” a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies), that played in that theatre
between the World Wars. It focuses on two couples, Buddy and Sally Durant Plummer and Benjamin and Phyllis Rogers Stone, who are attending the reunion. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls in the Follies. Both couples are deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a young woman on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was thirty years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former younger selves.
Characters:
SALLY DURANT PLUMMER: (late 40s to 50s). A former Follies girl living a sheltered life. On the surface, warm, charming, open underneath, highly emotional, childish and fragile. Clinging to fantasy and possibly a manic depressive. An alcoholic, petite and attractive. Must be a terrific singer with both a strong compelling belt, a comfortable mix and a lush soprano to a G.
BUDDY PLUMMER: (late 40s - 50s). A traveling salesman who lives up to his first name; kind, brash, crass and friendly. Always ready with a joke, he's everybody's buddy. A serial cheater, always looking for what he can't get from his wife. Still deeply in love with Sally, tortured by her instability and the fact she continues to love another man. None of the affairs satisfy. A realist, charming, rough around the edge. Deeply appealing and still redeemable. A great song and dance man. A vaudevillian, who moves or dances very well. A sparkplug. Baritone.
PHYLLIS ROGERS STONE: (late 40s to 50s) Once a Weissman Follies girl from the wrong side of the tracks, now a high-society wife and hostess. Sophisticated, intelligent and superior. Her caustic wit and blasé, seen-it-all exterior hides a deep seeded rage and disappointment at the emptiness of her marriage and life. Beautiful, elegant, extremely well cared for. Thin and toned. Nothing left to chance. Alto with strong mix.
BEN STONE: (late 40s to 50s). A wealthy and celebrated politician, foundation president, and author, he is at the height of his success and prowess. Smart, suave, cultured, elegant, and attractive, he is wanted by everyone but feels nothing, and secretly loathes himself. Handsome, masculine and charismatic. Baritone.
YOUNG SALLY: (20s). Emotional and naïve, unrealistically romantic, already in love with Ben and willing to devote her life to him. Thinks with her heart and not her head. Petite, pert and attractive. Solid fresh mix with a strong chest and head voice, fresh appealing young sound.
YOUNG BUDDY: (20s).Fun-loving, generous with his friends, easygoing. In love with Sally, and although he already knows she's been unfaithful, he still believes his love will triumph. A young, character song and dance man. Not classically handsome but hugely appealing. Baritone.
YOUNG PHYLLIS: (20s). Open and loving, from the wrong side of the tracks but determined to become cultured and sophisticated in order to be a good wife to Ben. Fun, smart, determined. Tall, great bones; doesn't have to be as
classically elegant or gorgeous as her older self. Solid, fresh mix.
YOUNG BEN: (20s). Ambitious and driven, already obsessed with becoming wealthy and successful and convinced
that this will be the path to happiness. Already cheating on Phyllis, already looking for next, best thing whatever it is. Tall, handsome, masculine and irresistible. Baritone.
CARLOTTA CAMPION: (50s/60s). A former Weissman Follies girl who went on to become a movie star, she has now aged into a B-level celebrity with her own television series. Glamorous, still larger than life, she is wise, sexy, caustic and funny. Has been around the block more than a few times, but has never lost her sense of humor. Sings I'm Still Here. Must
move well. Classic Broadway belt with range and stamina.
SOLANGE LA FITTE: (late 60s to early 70s). A star of the Follies who turned herself and her Frenchness into a brand, she's a perfume maven. Everything about her is a little bit too much, including her style and her accent. Sings Ah, Paris. In
good shape, must move well. A character. Strong character belt with solid low range.
HATTIE WALKER: (60s). Once and always a Broadway Baby. She lives life to its fullest. Married five times, a grandmother who has spent a lifetime in the theater and still knows how to land a number as well as a husband. Sings Broadway Baby.
Strong, brassy belt voice with very solid low range.
HEIDI SCHILLER: (70s). German, once a great soprano for whom famous composers wrote, aging and lost in memory. Sings One More Kiss. Legit soprano to an F.
STELLA DEEMS: (50s - 60s). Brassy and brash, she was once part of a song and dance team with her husband,
but is happily retired from the showbiz. Sings Who's That Woman. Strong belt voice with very solid low range.
MAX DEEMS: (50s - 60s). With wife Stella, once a song-and-dance team, but now happily retired in Florida. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
EMILY WHITMAN: (60s). With husband Theodore, once a part of a Follies song-and-dance team, now the owner of
a dance school. Still pert and perky; a little dotty. Sings Rain on the Roof. Must be an excellent partner dancer. Alto.
THEODORE WHITMAN: (60s). With wife Emily, once a part of a Follies song-and-dance team, now the owner of a dance school. Sings Rain on the Roof - Must be an excellent partner dancer. Light, charming Baritone.
DIMITRI WEISMANN: (60s/70s). The impresario of the Follies, smart and charming, he has lost nothing of his grandeur, warmth, or elegance. NON-SINGING.
ROSCOE: (50s/60s). Sings Beautiful Girls. Legit tenor (in the Ziegfeld Style)to a high sustained A.
YOUNG HEIDI: (20s). A great opera soprano, still an ingénue. Sings One More Kiss. Elegant, beautiful, the
embodiment of an age of grace and art. Lyric coloratura legit soprano to an A.
DEE DEE WEST: (40 - 50s). A former Follies girl. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
SANDRA CRANE: (40 to 50s). A former Follies girl. Must move well and have strong legit theater voice.
Dancing & Singing Ensemble: Extras
