DIRECTOR'S NOTES

     This is show for singers! I'm not trying to cast any particular looks for puppet roles. I don't care what your typical type is as long as you harmonize, ballad, and belt like there's no tomorrow. All age ranges are based on suggested casting and indicated by some of the lyrics, but they are also subject to being tossed right the hell out the window if you show up to the audition and knock my socks off!

     The human actors are a slightly different story: 1) The actor for Christmas Eve will need to be of Japanese or East Asian descent.  Her jokes will come off as mean-spirited if we do a whole...Emma Stone in Aloha thing. 2) Gary Coleman will also need to be played by a Black woman.  It's not appropriate to the source material to cast these roles in another way.

     At least one male swing and one female swing will be cast for this production.  Swings will perform every night as one of the singing boxes for the song "Purpose," they will also be puppeteers for the 2nd hand of Nicky, Ricky, Trekkie, and Ms. Thistletwat. Swings have the responsibility to both perform nightly and understudy nearly every part of the show, and as such will be at rehearsal quite a bit. If you're the kind of person who instinctually knows every line in the show by opening night without trying, this might be your role of a lifetime. Please make sure to note on your audition form if this is of interest to you!

     FAIR WARNING: This show is pretty damn raunchy and all the actors in it are going to be called upon to play these parts full out. There is cussing, puppet sex, racial & cultural insensitivity, etc. I will not be pulling my punches with regard to this material. If this concerns you, I highly recommend you take a listen to the show and decide if this production is a fit for you before auditioning.  (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube. It's everywhere)

AUDITION VOCAL REQUIREMENTS

     Sing the best 32 (or so) bars of any song of your choosing (30-45 seconds), including from Avenue Q, if you’d like to.  The show material is not off limits for auditions.

     Song selection - I've included a list of potential audition songs by the character descriptions below if you're having trouble deciding what might be a good fit if you’re targeting a specific role.  If you don’t know what role you’re interested in, I’ve also included a bunch of songs by vocal range at the bottom of the page. You do not have to sing one of those songs, but it should give you a sense of the vocal needs of the characters.

     Live accompaniment will not be provided. You may sing acapella, bring a CD, you-tube link, phone with a backing track, or a USB with an mp3 file on it. If you have technology concerns or want to get me your accompaniment needs ahead of time, please contact me ryanthomaswhite@gmail.com. I will gladly have your audition material prepped for you as long as I have it 24 hours prior to your audition.

     I want to see your face, and see you emote during your vocal audition. Your ability to convey emotion as a puppeteer is the key to bringing your puppet to life. Please have your hair pulled back, your chin up, your eyes open wide, sing to the back row, and show me what you got!

AUDITION ACTING REQUIREMENTS

     Please come prepared with 2-3 of your best Kids Jokes, Dad Jokes, or Dirty Jokes.

     I know it's not your typical audition request, but it's not a typical comedy, and I need a sense of your timing and ability to improvise.

     You are not required to prepare a comedic monologue for this audition, but if you choose to prepare one, I would love to hear it.

REHEARSAL DATES

     Dates are still being finalized, but we will do a table read & listen-through/sing-over towards the end of November, and perhaps a day or two in early December, but nothing between December 8th and January 1st. You will be provided with a libretto prior to the December 8th break. You will also be provided with rehearsal tracks for all your songs, with your part played prominently so that you can rehearse on your own.  I’m committed to getting you all these materials as quickly as possible, because when we begin regular rehearsals in early January, everyone (except swings) must be completely off book and memorized for their dialogue. The music will be learned in January, but it's very important that you still be familiar with the material prior to beginning of vocal rehearsals.

    Regularly scheduled rehearsals will begin starting the first week of January, between the times of 6:30pm and 9:30pm Monday thru Friday.  Your rehearsal calls will be arranged with as much respect to your time as possible. Larger parts will be called roughly 3-5 days a week. Ensemble roles will be called roughly 1-3 times a week.  When the puppets arrive in February, and as we get closer to tech week, rehearsal calls will become more frequent.  The full schedule will be posted mid-December, once I have everyone's combined availability mapped out.

     Weekend rehearsals will not happen, unless there is an absolute emergency.  Weekends will be set aside for set building and technical setup. If you'd like to participate in any set painting or other tech activities, please let me know on your audition form.

Thank you!

Ryan White

ryanthomaswhite@gmail.com

ENSEMBLE / SWING & GENERAL AUDITION SONGS

If you don't want to audition for a specific role or would like to be cast in the ensemble or as a swing, here's a list of good audition songs for a variety of vocal ranges that will also fit the style of the show:

Music for vocal ranges:

(Altos)

“I Love Play Rehearsal” – Be More Chill

“Notice Me, Horton” – Seussical

“Right Hand Man” – Something Rotten!

(Baritones)

“Alone in the Universe” – Seussical

“Different” – Honk!

“The Genius on Cleveland Street” – A Christmas Story

 (Basses)

“Happy/Sad” – The Addams Family

“I’d Order Love” – First Date

“Please Send Me Someone” – Young Frankenstein

(Contras)

“Just Around the Corner” – The Addams Family

“Nice” – It Shoulda Been You

“Thank God She’s Blind” – The Toxic Avenger

(Mezzos)

“I Speak Six Languages” – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

“My Big French Boyfriend” – The Toxic Avenger

“The Lamest Place in the World” – 13

(Sopranos)

“A Note From Grandma” – The Wedding Singer

“Morning Person” – Shrek

“What Only Love Can See” – Chaplin

(Tenors)

“Edwina” – Dear Edwina

“Positoovity” – The Little Mermaid

“The Moon and Me” – The Addams Family