AUDITIONS

for Pirates of Penzance

produced by Green Valley Theatre Company
directed by Christopher Cook

WHEN: Monday February 16 @ 7:00pm
Callbacks: If needed, by invitation only based on performer and staff availability

WHERE:
Green Valley Rehearsal Studio
Inside Sac Media Center
915 Fee Drive
Sacramento, CA 95815

NO video submissions will be accepted- in-person auditions only.

Fill out the online audition form HERE

WHAT TO BRING/PREPARE:
> Resume, if not submitted online ahead of time
> Headshot, if available (don’t go get one just for this), and if not submitted online ahead of time.
> List of rehearsal conflicts, if not submitted online ahead of time. Please review all pertinent dates. Availability will be a key factor in casting.
> No monologue is required. There will be readings from the script only. Sides will be assigned and distributed at the audition. The script is readily available as the material is public domain and you can view a PDF of the script HERE
> There will not be a dance audition but please be aware that this show will contain a tremendous amount of stylized movement, rhythmic actions, and dancing.
> Be prepared to sing a (roughly) one-minute cut of a karaoke version of a song from an opera or Broadway musical in an appropriate style that matches your vocal range and abilities. Approximately 32 bars is sufficient- a verse and chorus is all we need. No guide vocals allowed on the track- we want to clearly hear you. You can provide a link to the karaoke track (spotify, youtube, etc.) when you arrive at auditions or email the link or file to us ahead of time (greenvalleytheatre@yahoo.com) or can be submitted with your online audition form.
> Preparation is key! Be memorized and put your best foot forward.
> Be familiar with the following tunes from the show that correspond to the character(s) for which you are auditioning:
Mabel- Poor wand’ring one…
Pirate King- Oh, better far to live and die…
Major General- I am the very model of a modern Major General…
Frederic- Oh Is there Not One Maiden…
Ruth- When Frederic was a little lad…
Not all auditioners will be asked to sing these tunes from the show.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
> Only auditioners and Green Valley staff are permitted in the studio- no guests, observers, or emotional support humans allowed.
> Auditioners may go paperless and fill out our online audition form ahead of time HERE
> Actors that do not submit their form online in advance may still attend and will fill out a paper form in person.
> We will first hear all auditioners sing their self-selected material.
> We will then assign sides and scene partners for readings- you’ll have a short time to read through the scene with your assigned partners and will then perform them for the audition panel. You may be asked to read for a role you aren’t auditioning for to facilitate the audition process- give it your best in every reading. It is not logistically possible to read each auditioner for every possible role you have indicated you will accept, but each auditioner will read at least once.
> For those invited to sing material listed above from the show, this will occur at the end of the evening after readings, or at callbacks, or both.

REHEARSALS:
> Rehearsals will begin Monday February 23.
> Rehearsals will occur at the Green Valley Rehearsal Studio and will move to the performance location either one or two weeks prior to tech.
> All rehearsals are Sunday-Thursday 7:30pm-10:30pm
> Tech Sunday April 12 will have staggered call times and breaks noon -11pm
> Tech week is Monday April 13 through Thursday April 16, 6pm-11pm
> Absolutely no conflicts permitted during tech week.

PERFORMANCES:
Fat Elephant Theatre (formerly the Cal Cap Blackbox)
9845 Horn Rd, Suite 100
Rancho Cordova, CA 95827
8 pm on April 17, 18, 24 & 25, May 1, 2, 7, 8, & 9
2pm on April 19, 26, May 3 & 10
Absolutely no performance conflicts permitted.

ABOUT THE SHOW:
Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular show, The Pirates of Penzance, is a rollicking, delightfully funny tale of a band of soft-tempered pirates. Mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate (instead of a pilot) by his nursemaid Ruth at the age of eight, the handsome Frederic is now twenty-one and, though quite fond of the group of joyous and fun-loving pirates, chooses to abandon his profession and “lead a blameless life henceforth,” dedicating himself instead to their eradication. Shortly after leaving them, he encounters a gaggle of beautiful maidens (one of whom, Mabel, steals his heart) and their father, the eccentric Major-General. The whole group has a run-in with the pirates themselves before escaping on the false premise that the Major-General is an orphan -- a fact these tenderhearted pirates simply cannot help but take into account, given the fact that the majority of them are orphans themselves and “know what it’s like.” Just as Frederic is ready to lead a band of lily-livered policemen to take out the Pirate King and his men, a secret is uncovered that will change his fate forever, but, naturally, all comes out right in the end. Beloved since its premiere in 1879, The Pirates of Penzance is a delightful farce of a classic.

CASTING:
> Please note: Genders referenced refer to the gender of the character. Actors of all genders may audition for any role to which their skillset is suited, and must be willing to play the character as written.
> Actors of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to audition for all roles.
> Only actors 18 and over at the time of auditions will be considered.
> All roles are available to all auditioners- none are precast.
> Green Valley is an all-volunteer company- roles are unpaid.
> We encourage auditioners to message or email us if you have any questions about the demands of a particular role.

THE ROLES:
Major-General Stanley
The Pirate King
Samuel, The Pirate King’s lieutenant
Frederic, the pirate apprentice
Sergeant of Police
Ruth, a pirate maid

General Stanley’s Daughters:
Mabel
Edith
Kate
Isabel

CHORUS of 9-15 performers that will play pirates, police officers, and General Stanley’s additional daughters