Teen Performers Needed for Theatre Audition "Something Rotten"
Seeking teen performers for the theatre audition of Something Rotten! Check out the details below. ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE ACCEPTED. About the project: The time is 1595, England. William Shakespeare is London’s hottest playwright—much to the chagrin of his unsuccessful rival, Nick Bottom. With his marriage on the rocks and his career in jeopardy, Nick needs his next play to be a sure-fire hit, so he pays the Soothsayer Nostradamus to predict the next big money-making trend in theater. Nostradamus divines that the future of theater will involve tap dancing, belting, and jazz hands…and soon enough Nick and his brother Nigel are writing the world’s first musical. But the brothers soon disagree about how to execute this new form. Should they follow Nostradamus’ confounding prediction as closely as possible? Or should they stay true to their own artistic impulses? And when Nigel falls in love with Portia (a young Puritan) and Shakespeare himself tries to steal the Bottoms’ ideas, hilarity, mayhem (and more dancing, belting, and jazz hands) ensue! Additional info: Please prepare 32 bars of an audition song and bring an accompaniment track on a cellphone or tablet. Please dress comfortably and be prepared to learn a dance combination. If you have tap shoes, please bring those too as we need tappers for the show! This show is PG-13. *Actors will be asked to contribute by providing costumes. Show Dates: August 15-17. This is a community theater performance. There is no participation fee.* If you are interested please apply.
22 roles
A struggling writer who resents Shakespeare’s success. Weighed down by his obligations to his younger brother, Nigel, and his wife, Bea. Nick goes to desperate, even amoral lengths to create a hit show. He’s a leader- sometimes jealous or insecure, a big-idea man. Must be able to tap. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: A2
Nick’s imaginative, and innocent younger brother. Incredibly talented, but unsure of his abilities, Nigel is emboldened when he falls in love with Portia. Sensitive, tender, poetic. Vocal range top: A4 Vocal range bottom: Eb3
The brightest star in Elizabethan theater—and he knows it. His Rock Star confidence hides a gnawing fear that his talent doesn’t merit the accolades thrust upon him. Ballsy, sexy, and arrogant; seemingly sure-of-himself, but ultimately insecure. Must be able to tap. Vocal range top: Ab4 Vocal range bottom: Ab2
Nick’s wife. She loves Nick deeply, but is unafraid to call him out on his stubbornness (and sexism). Poverty forces her to dress up like a man to join the Elizabethan work force, but she finds herself liberated rather than constrained by this necessity. Smart, resilient, unflappably positive. Vocal range top: D5 Vocal range bottom: D3
A young Puritan woman who loves poetry, theater, and ultimately Nigel. Shy, imaginative, and repressed, Portia’s rebellious and passionate spirit blossoms when she stands up to her father, Brother Jeremiah. Vocal range top: F#5 Vocal range bottom: G3
Portia's father. A Puritan who thinks theater and literature are sinful. This is a comical role. The more he tries to control the desires of others, the more he blurts out his condemnation in double entendres. Officious, tightly-coiled, protective of his daughter. Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: G3
Our narrator and gateway into the world of Something Rotten. An entertainer out to please the audience. Seductive, nonchalant, fun. Vocal range top: A4 Vocal range bottom: C#3
Only a semi-talented soothsayer, Nostradamus is a born salesman and showman. Kooky and showy; desperate for cash and approval. This is a singing role in which the performer must be very good with rhythm. Does a couple basic tap steps.
A posh patron of the theater. Foppish, snobby, vain, and status-obsessed.
A Jewish investor to whom Nick and Nigel are in debt. An outcast in English society whose greatest love is the theater; being excluded from the art form he loves so deeply gnaws at him. Passionate, witty, driven.
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe. Sassy, sarcastic, at his wit’s end.
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe. Skeptical of Nigel’s flowery writing and hungry for more accessible scripts.
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe, Robin plays the female roles in Nick and Nigel’s plays and relishes the (otherwise forbidden) opportunity to dress in dresses and flirt with men.
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