Audition Announcement!
The Northfield Arts Guild and director Marc Robinson are hosting auditions for our winter production of Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor!
Audition dates are Thursday, October 17th, from 6-8pm and Saturday, October 19th, from 2-4pm, with potential callbacks on Sunday, October 20th, from 4-6pm
Rehearsals will start after the holiday season, with performances scheduled for February 14-16 and February 21-23, 2020.
Performers of all genders, abilities, races, ethnicities, and experience levels are encouraged to audition. We look forward to meeting new performers and seeing familiar faces!
About the show:
Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous Tito Morelli, known as Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Pagliacci. The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant, Max, believe he’s dead. In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli’s Pagliacci costume and fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume, ready to perform. Now two Pagliaccis are running around in costume and two women are head over heels, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo. A sensation on Broadway and in London’s West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.
Characters
- Henry Saunders – The Cleveland Grand Opera’s general manager. Father to Maggie. A blowhard who often loses his temper at the slightest mishap.
- Max – Saunders’ long-suffering assistant, who is forced to take Tito’s place.
- Maggie Saunders – Saunders’ daughter, and Max’s girlfriend; she has great admiration for Tito.
- Tito Merelli – The world’s most renowned opera tenor, and notorious ladies man.
- Maria – Tito’s long-suffering wife, with an “Italian temper”. Leaves Tito early in the play, but ultimately returns to him. Loves Tito, despite his philandering.
- Diana – The opera’s ingenue soprano, who is “flinging her way” to the top. A seductive woman (and she knows it).
- Julia – Chairwoman of the Cleveland Opera Guild, who considers herself a “grande dame.”
- The Bellhop – A comic relief character who has an ongoing feud with Saunders. An obnoxious opera fan, the Bellhop keeps showing up at the hotel suite at the wrong moment, trying to get an autograph and a photo of Tito Merelli.
Actors will be asked to read in pairs and trios from the script which will be emailed ahead of time when an audition slot is confirmed. Memorization is not required.
Any men interested in the roles of Max, Tito Merelli, or the Bellhop should also prepare a short operatic piece to sing a capella (any song sung operatically – if it’s Hotel California operatically, that’s great!)
To sign-up for a half hour audition slot, please email Performing Arts Manager Jared Zeigler at jared@northfieldartsguild.org
Questions can also be sent there. We look forward to seeing you!
