[Capdist-auditions] SLOC audtions for "25th Annunal Putnam County Spelling Bee"

Sandra McCarthy smccarthy at nycap.rr.com
Sun Nov 3 13:36:07 EST 2013


Schenectady Light Opera Company will be holding auditions for their upcoming
production of 

 

"The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee"

 

Music and Lyrics by William Finn

Book by Rachael Sheinkin

Conceived by Rebecca Feldman

Directed by Grace McCarthy

Directorial Mentor Michael Mensching

Musical Director Frank Krumal

Choreographer Jordon Fyvie

 

Location:  Schenectady Light Opera Company, Cabaret Room.  427 Franklin
Street, Schenectady, NY

Dates:  December 9th and 10th, 2014.  Callbacks:  December 11th 

Times:  7:00-9:30 p.m.

 

Rehearsals:         Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
commencing Sunday December 29, 2013

Performance Dates:  March 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30.

 

Please prepare 32 bars of any showtune. Please bring sheet music for the
pianist and be prepared for a light dancing audition.

 

Though the show depicts children, they are played by adults so all cast
members must be 18 years or older to audition.

 

SHOW SYNOPSIS:   A spelling bee is depicted through hilarious and sometimes
deeply touching musical numbers and dialog depicting the trials and
tribulations of contestants.  Audience participation adds a spontaneous, fun
and upbeat energy to the show.

 

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

 

CHIP TOLENTINO (actor also plays JESUS)

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 weird changes, and things are slipping out of his
control.

 

LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENNIERE

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 the political awareness and keen sense of justice.
Having drilled words for hours a day, she is aware of everything that passes
in the room.

 

LEAF CONEY BEAR (actor also plays CARL DAD)

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.

 

WILLIAM BARFREE

Has a host of health problems and a lot to prove.  Loud and combative as a
defensive posture, he is the fat kid who becomes a bully to avoid being
picked on (though he often gets picked on anyway so gets into a lot of
fights).  His parents are divorced, his father remarried to a much younger
woman;  William does not expect kindness from anyone but his mother.  So
friendship takes him by surprise.  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.

 

MARCY PARK

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 parent's work, she knows she can beat the local
competition.  Her many talents include piano, dance, martial arts, baton
twirling, or the like depending on the talents of the cast member chosen.

 

OLIVE OSTROVSKY

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, and shyly
blossoms.

 

THE ADULTS:

 

RONA LISA PERFETTI (Actor also plays OLIVE'S MOM in fantasy)

Putnam's long-time spelling bee hostess, a local realtor, and 3rd annual
Putnam County spelling champion.  This is Rona's day to be a queen.  From
her perspective she keeps the bee running smoothly, upholds protocol, and
conveys crucial information to the audience.  Her interest in the
competition in 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.  If anything, in her life in general, she has to
minimize the importance of this this event to her, embarrassed that her own
championship moment remains such a highlight.  A little concerned when the
substitute word pronouncer arrives, she knows she has to step up her game to
make the day a success.

 

VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGHLAS PANCH 

The vice principal of Lake Hemingway Dos Passos Junior High is frustrated
with his life.  He fell into education, less out of love than a general
ability uncoupled to a particular passion.  The drive of the young spellers
is alien to him.  He 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 this morning that he was needed to substitute; but he
starts the bee eager to do well, to redeem himself for past mistakes and to
impress the local hostess, Rona Lisa, who impressed him long ago.

 

MITCH MAHONEY (Actor also plays DAN DAD and OLIVE'S DAD in fantasy)

With a bouncer's physique and demeanor, Mitch appears an odd choice to be
the bee's "comfort counselor," 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 the wider perspective.

 

For more information about the theater, please visit our website at SLOC.org
or contact the director at gracemccarthy789 at gmail.com

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