Theater Barn 2022 Auditions

(Please do not call the theater for more information. We also are not accepting video submissions this year. Thank you.)

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New York City

New York City Open Call Auditions at: 

8th Avenue Studios - Ripley Grier 

939 8th Avenue (Between 55th and 56th Streets)

Manhattan, NY 10019

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Season includes:

Casting 2 Plays: BOSTON MARRIAGE by David Mamet; FIDDLERS THREE by Agatha Christie

Casting 3 Musicals:  MURDER BALLAD; FOREVER PLAID; LITTLE SHOP of HORRORS

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Monday, February 28, 2022: 10am to 1:30pm - Plays- Monologues Only (2 minutes- British RP Preferred) Studio 3B

     **Call Backs for Plays will be offered on the spot and take place the same day (2/28) from 2pm to 4pm.

              

Monday, February 28, 2022:  10am to 3:30pm - Musical Theater Opens (16 Bars of an Uptempo & Ballad) Studio 3A

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Tuesday, March 1, 2022: 10am to 1pm - Musical Opens (16 Bars of an Uptempo & Ballad) Studio 3A

      **Call Backs for Musicals will be scheduled on the spot and begin Tuesday 3/1 from 2pm to 5pm

     #Call Backs for Musicals will also take place Wednesday 3/2 from 10am to 3pm

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Casting for entire season and jobbers.  $300 a week plus housing provided.

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WE WANT YOU TO DO YOUR VERY BEST! This is why we are providing you with show and character descriptions below. Please review what you think you are right for and show us what we are looking for. We cast jobbers for each show, but hope to find some of you to be offered more than one show. Please sing music from your book that is appropriate to our season.

 

Due to the current state COVID mandates or not, we are requesting that all actors show proof of vaccination to the monitor BEFORE you audition. If you would like more information on the "Barn's COVID policies, please Visit https://www.thetheaterbarn.org/covid-19

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WE MUST ALSO REQUEST THAT EVERYONE WEAR A MASK IN THE STUDIOS, unless actively eating or drinking. You may remove mask while auditioning.

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We generally see approximately 35 to 40 people an hour. To expediate this process, actors getting a callback, will be handed a Callback Ticket that has your time to return, what character(s) you are to prepare for, and a link to a page that has musical sides and scene sides for all shows and rolls. If you have any questions after receiving a callback, please speak to one of the monitors before you leave for the day. 

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IF YOU NEED to leave for any reason, or simply choose not to remain in a crowded studio, please let a monitor know before you leave. We will be honoring sign in spots. We are doing this to limit the number of people in the studios for COVID safety reasons and to avoid excessive gathering.  However, please note our pacing of 35 to 40 an hour and try to get back accordingly. For example, If you signed in at number 100 then you have at least 2.5 hours until you will be seen. Your health and safety is important to us and everyone has different comfort levels whether they are vaccinated or not. We will not be holding spots on Tuesday for open call. If you come back AFTER your initial sign up number, the monitors will place you in the next group of 10 to be seen. Please note that we have some scheduled appointments during the opens. 

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We are very friendly people and just want everyone to have the very best audition experience. Thank you for joining us today. Break a leg!

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Boston Marriage

by David Mamet
 

Anna and Claire are two bantering, scheming “women of fashion” who have long lived together on the fringes of upper-class society. Anna has just become the mistress of a wealthy man, from whom she has received an enormous emerald and an income to match. Claire, meanwhile, is infatuated with a respectable young lady and wants to enlist the jealous Anna’s help for an assignation. As the two women exchange barbs and take turns taunting Anna’s hapless Scottish parlor maid, Claire’s young inamorata suddenly appears, setting off a crisis that puts both the valuable emerald and the women’s futures at risk. To this wickedly funny comedy, Mamet brings his trademark tart dialogue and impeccable plotting, spiced with Wildean wit.

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Character Descriptions:

Note: Both Anna and Claire speak in a heightened, Victorian language spiked with modern, Mamaet touches.

 

Anna (Play 35-45)

An intelligent, witty Victorian woman who is  capable of verbal cruelty. She has managed to guarantee an appreciable income through her affair with a married gentleman who has become her benefactor and given her an impressive emerald pendant, but her true affections are for her lover Claire.

 

Claire (Play 30s)

Anna's lover who is currently pursuing a young uninitiated girl for whom she has fallen head over heels. She asks Anna to allow Her to meet with her prospective lover in Anna's apartment. Although younger and less educated than Anna, she is a worthy opponent in their battle of wits.

 

Catherine (Play 20s)

Anna's Scottish maid who has to put up with Anna and Claire's merciless verbal abuse, but in the end there is much more to her than meets the eye; must have superb comedic timing and the ability to execute a Scottish dialect. Her earthy, folksy rejoinders serve as a comic counterpoint. (Scottish dialect)​

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Fiddlers Three

by Agatha Christie

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Trying to get their hands on more than a little inheritance, a group of young people hide the body of a dead tycoon. But what starts as a lark quickly becomes all too serious when they discover that the body is in fact a murder victim. A comedy about business and finance, with a strong undercurrent of criminal activity, the play combines humour, intricate plotting and a confounding murder. The play has deserted the familiar path of the whodunnit type thriller into the realms of black comedy. The action is played for laughs rather than chills, but once the story line has been established, there is plenty of humour and sparkle to carry it along to the usual surprise climax.

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

Seeking a diverse group of actors with strong physical comedy skills. All roles are open to actors of any race and ethnicity. British RP accent unless specified otherwise.

 

Gina Jones (she/her): 20s. The new typist in Fletcher’s office. A timid young woman brought up by nuns. Sheltered, naive, and very earnest and well-meaning. Eager to do a good job.

 

Sally Blunt (she/her): 30s. Fletcher’s secretary. Full of enjoyment of life and good humor. Has lived a few different lives before landing where she is now. Worldly, clever, and take-charge. Adept at navigating the boys’ club.

 

Sam Fletcher (he/him): 30s-40. A businessman in pursuit of a lucrative land deal. A little gruff and forthright, but in an endearing sort of way. A little grumbly but with a good heart. Similar physical size and build as Jonathan Panhacker.

 

Felix Bogusian (he/him): 30s-40. Fletcher’s business partner. Physically imposing but with a beaming smile. Enjoys a good bit of mischief. Speaks with an eastern European accent.

 

Henry Panhacker (he/him): 20s-30s. Jonathan Panhacker’s son. A nervous young man with an occasional stammer. Sweet and fond of nature. Uninterested in business, much to his father’s disappointment. Briefly appears in swimming shorts in Act II.

 

Air Hostess (she/her): 20s. A young woman who assisted Jonathan Panhacker when he fell ill on the plane. Kind but somewhat mysterious and always seems to be digging for information.

 

Jonathan Panhacker/Mr. Moss (he/him): 60s-70s.

• Panhacker: A tycoon rolling in money. Always up for a fight. Believes strongly in the advantages of gambling and taking risks.

• Moss: An undertaker. A mournful looking man with a deep mourning voice.

 

Dr. Nolan/Mr. Truscott/Waiter (he/him): 50s-70s.

• Nolan: Medical doctor in a hurry, prone to overlooking details.

• Trustcott: A shrewd London solicitor.

• Waiter: Here to serve.

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Murder Ballad

Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash    -     Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan     

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A love triangle gone wrong, Murder Ballad centers on Sara, an Upper West Sider who seems to have it all, but whose downtown past lingers enticingly and dangerously in front of her. This sexy, explosive ROCK musical explores the complications of love, the compromises we make, and the small betrayals that can ultimately undo us.

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

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Narrator

The storyteller providing all the transitions between the various scenes and occasionally speaking for the characters themselves. Philosophical, poetic, and a little opinionated.

Gender: Female     Age: 20 to 30

Vocal range top: E5     Vocal range bottom: F3

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Sara

Once Tom's lover, she is an ambitious starving artist and musician. Initially depressed and jaded towards men after a sordid relationship. Michael helps her find happiness again through their marriage. She ends up straying from the marriage.

Gender: Female      Age: 30 to 40

Vocal range top: E5     Vocal range bottom: E3

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Michael

A poetry PhD who Sara elicits and her eventual husband. Sweet and calming, he is willing to provide nothing but the best for those he loves. He shows how cold he can become when he finds out about Sarah's affair.

Gender: Male     Age: 30 to 40

Vocal range top: A4     Vocal range bottom: F#2

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Tom

Sara's first lover and an ambitious starving artist and actor. His alcoholism, constant affairs, and general selfishness put a strain on his relationships. He becomes obsessed and stalker-like in his mannerisms toward Sara.

Gender: Male     Age: 30 to 40

Vocal range top: F#4     Vocal range bottom: G2

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Soundtrack can be found on YouTube for free at the following link if you want to hear the musical style.:

 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ngK-xznhadb-KEBlDRi9BzSieTDZsvg4​​​​​

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Forever Plaid

Written and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Stuart Ross
Musical Continuity Supervision and Arrangements by James Raitt

Once upon a time, there were four guys (Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie) who discovered that they shared a love for music and then got together to become their idols – The Four Freshman, The Hi-Lo’s and The Crew Cuts. Rehearsing in the basement of Smudge’s family’s plumbing supply company, they became “Forever Plaid”. On the way to their first big gig, the “Plaids” are broadsided by a school bus and killed instantly. It is at the moment when their careers and lives end that the story of Forever Plaid begins…  Forever Plaid is a with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s.

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS​

Francis

The leader and caretaker of the group. Confident. Asthmatic. He has a great deal of compassion for the music and the group. Romantic crooner and spiritual singer.

Vocal range top: B5     Vocal range bottom: F3

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Sparky

The clown of the group, who is shown to have a heart. Very sharp and loves singing his tailor-made solos. Wears a retainer and has a slight speech impediment. Energetic and clever.

Vocal range top: G5     Vocal range bottom: F3

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Jinx

The shy one. He lives his life terrified and doesn't always remember what song comes next. Sparky's step-brother, he occasionally gets a nosebleed when he sings above an A.

Vocal range top: C6     Vocal range bottom: F3

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Smudge

The worrier. He worries about the props, the running order, and always assumes the audience won't like him. Has chronic nervous stomach and is oddly reluctant to perform. Wears glasses, which hides his good looks and sex appeal.

Vocal range top: G5     Vocal range bottom: F3

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Little Shop of Horrors

Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles Griffith

The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” – after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it, BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination! Score has popular R&B and 80's Pop songs. 

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

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Seymour Krelborn

An insecure, put-upon florist's clerk and eventual hero. He is a genuine, well-meaning man who is taken for granted because of his clumsy ways and poor social skills.

Gender: Male     Age: 25 to 30

Vocal range top: G4     Vocal range bottom: A2

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Audrey

Bleached-blond, Billie-Dawn-like, secret love of Seymour's life. She has poor self-worth and education, but incredibly good looks and a sweet and vulnerable demeanor.

Gender: Female     Age: 25 to 35

Vocal range top: D5     Vocal range bottom: G#3​

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Orin Scrivello

An egotistical dentist with a passion for leather and sadistic tendencies. Audrey's abusive boyfriend, who is targeted by Seymour.

Gender: Male     Age: 30 to 40

Vocal range top: G4     Vocal range bottom: G2

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Voice Of The Plant

An actor/vocalist located offstage. The voice is that of a conniving, street-smart 'villain.' A funky Rhythm and Blues voice is best.

Gender: Male      Age: 20 to 50

Vocal range top: G4       Vocal range bottom: G2

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Crystal

Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon are street urchins, acting as the occasional Greek Chorus. Young, hip, and smart, these girls are the only ones who have a grip on reality.

Gender: Female     Age: 20 to 35

Vocal range top: F5     Vocal range bottom: Ab3

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Ronnette

Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon are street urchins, acting as the occasional Greek Chorus. Young, hip, and smart, these girls are the only ones who have a grip on reality.

Gender: Female     Age: 20 to 35

Vocal range top: F5     Vocal range bottom: Ab3

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Chiffon

Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon are street urchins, acting as the occasional Greek Chorus. Young, hip, and smart, these girls are the only ones who have a grip on reality.

Gender: Female     Age: 20 to 35

Vocal range top: F5     Vocal range bottom: Ab3

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