Audition Notice
Local Auditions - 2025 Season
***PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POSTING BEFORE FORWARDING ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE***
WHEN : Local auditions will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025, from 9:30-4:00PM.
A Dance audition will be held from 4:00-5:00pm
WHERE : Education Building, 1855 Little River Rd, Flat Rock, NC 28731
WHAT : The 2025 Season. Shows, Dates, and Character Breakdowns are list below.
HOW : Email companymanager@flatrockplayhouse.org beginning Monday, December 30 and no later than end of day Wednesday, January 22 to book an audition slot.
**Emails received prior to December 30 will not be considered. Thank you!
WHAT SHOULD I PREPARE?
For Musicals: Please prepare 16-32 bars of music in the style of the show you are interested in. Can be two contrasting songs. OR-please prepare one song (16-32 bars) and a one-minute monologue. An accompanist will be provided. Please bring your own sheet music.
For Plays: Please prepare two contrasting one-minute monologues in the style you are interested in, -OR- one monologue not to exceed two minutes. (PLEASE be mindful of the time allocation.)
WILL THERE BE A DANCE AUDITION?
If you wish to be considered for CATS or Beautiful, you will need to attend the dance audition from 4-5pm. Please wear appropriate shoes/clothing.
WANT TO BE A 2025 APPRENTICE?
Please check out our website www.flatrockplayhouse.org beginning January 8, 2025 for more information. TY!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
-Please bring a headshot and resume. They will not be returned.
-Most roles are designated for members of the Actor’s Equity Association. However, the cast of CATS is fully non-union.
-Local callbacks may be held after February 16.
-Come relaxed and ready to show off your best work! We look forward to seeing you!
ROLES BEING CAST:
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Director: Amy E. Jones
Choreographer: TBD
First Rehearsal: May 20, 2025
Open: June 5, 2025
Close: July 5, 2025
CAROLE KING: Female; to play 18-30 – She is an aspiring singer/songwriter. A unique, appealing, funny, and vulnerable girl from a Jewish family in Brooklyn. Talented, good natured, unassuming, and often the peace maker in difficult situations. A reluctant star with no pretense and a passion for music. Ability to play piano a plus. Vocal range: Eb3-Eb5
GERRY GOFFIN: Male; to play 18-30 – Carole’s boyfriend, songwriting partner and eventual husband. Innately sympathetic, wounded and tortured. An ambitions artist always striving for more. Vocal range: B3-D5
CYNTHIA WEIL: Female; to play 18-30 - She is songwriter who becomes romantically involved with Barry. Carole’s best friend. She is sophisticated, smart and chic with a quick wit. Although self-confident and sarcastic, she is also extremely likable. Vocal range: G3-E5
BARRY MANN: Male; to play 18-30 - A songwriter who becomes romantically involved with Cynthia. He is good natured, appealing and neurotic. Ambitious, but likable. Vocal range: Bb2-C5
GENIE KLEIN: Female, Jewish, to play 40-50 - Carole’s mother. Once an aspiring playwright, she has been broken down by life and her husband’s infidelity. Protective of Carole and unforgiving of her husband’s mistakes. Vocal range: B3-E5
DON KIRSHNER: Male; to play 40-60 - An influential music publisher and producer. He is a fast talking, energetic force of nature. Powerful, direct and sometimes intimidating, but he has a real affinity for his writers and artists. A hit maker. Vocal range: A2-C#4
***A multitalented ensemble who will portray members of Carole’s inner circle as well as famous musical groups that Carole, Gerry, Cynthia, and Barry wrote for.***
Janelle Woods/Shirelle/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto, Black. A pop singer, notably performing the hit “One Fine Day.” An artist whom Carole and Gerry write music for. Janelle becomes a focus of Gerry’s extramarital affairs. Strong movement skills preferred. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show.
Little Eva/Shirelle/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 18-30, Voice Part: Alto w/ High Extension, Black. A pop singer who begins working as a babysitter/nanny for Carole and Gerry’s daughter. When Carole and Gerry struggle to find the right person to perform Carole’s latest tune “Locomotion,” they realize Little Eva is the perfect fit. Has charm, charisma and strong movement and vocal ability. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show.
Lucille/Shirelle/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto w/ High Extension, Any Non-White Ethnicity. Donnie’s secretary. Mostly spoken role. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show and will include dancing in ensemble numbers.
“Uptown” Soloist/Shirelle/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto w/ High Extension, Black. Active member of the ensemble but has a featured moment singing the song “Uptown.” Non speaking role. Movement will be required.
Marilyn Wald/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto, White. A pop singer, notably performing “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show and will include dancing in ensemble numbers.
Betty/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto, Any ethnicity. Carole’s childhood best friend and confidant. Mostly spoken role. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show and will include movement in ensemble numbers.
Neil Sedaka/Lou Adler/Righteous Brother/Ensemble – Male Presenting Character, Age: 35-60, Voice Part: Bari-Tenor, White. Influential record producer and executive in the sixties. Non-dancing role, but will require singing and some movement in ensemble numbers.
Nick/Righteous Brother/Ensemble – Male Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Bari-Tenor, White. New York based session musician. Responsible for getting Carole to come out of her “woman behind the curtain” shell and perform her music as herself. There’s a connection with Carole, but she is wary of getting involved. Non-dancing role but will require singing and some movement in ensemble numbers.
Bobby Vee/Ensemble – Male Present Character, Age 20-40, Voice Part: Tenor, White. An American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and appeared in films. Will require some movement.
The Drifters/Ensemble – Male Presenting Characters, Ages: 20-40, Voice Part: All ranges will be considered to make up this group of artists. Looking specifically for 1-2 strong tenors, Black. The Drifters are a 4-piece all male pop/R&B group of the time (i.e The Temptations/Commodores). Strong ability to blend/harmonize tightly and strong movement required. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show.
Shirelle/Ensemble – Female Presenting Character, Age: 20-40, Voice Part: Alto w/ High Extension, Black. Mostly spoken role. Will double in ensemble roles throughout the show and will include dancing in ensemble numbers.
The Play That Goes Wrong:
Director: Lisa K. Bryant
First Rehearsal: June 27, 2025
Open: July 24, 2025
Close: August, 23, 2025
*All roles are physically demanding and require excellent comedic timing. British accent and American accent.
CHRIS: plays inspector Carter and fills in for the role of Mr. Fitzroy – also is the show’s set designer, costume designer, prop maker, box office manager, press person, voice coach, choreographer, and more. He is uptight and nervous but his determination to lead the company to success never falters.
JONATHAN: plays Charles Haversham and sees himself as a kind of James Bond. Tasked with driving the narrative, he approaches his role with enthusiasm but feels the weight of each mistake deeply.
ROBERT: plays Thomas Colleymoore in "The Murder at Haversham Manor.” He aspires to greatness with a Richard Burton-esque ambition but remains cheerfully clueless on stage.
DENNIS: plays Perkins and is involved in theater because he wants friends. New to the stage, he struggles with lines and pronunciation, and audience laughter often feels like a spotlight on his mistakes, not a cheer for his efforts. He is earnest and sensitive.
SANDRA: plays Florence Colleymoore and is extremely conceited. Having always secured lead roles, she's convinced of her unmatched talent within the company and struggles with adaptability when faced with unexpected changes. Her ambition and sizable ego inform everything she does.
MAX: plays Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener and is inexperienced and naive. With no prior acting experience, his sincere attempts to follow directions exactly shine. Max's ability to connect with the audience despite his inexperience creates a uniquely charming character.
TREVOR: the lighting and sound operator and is all business. Trevor unexpectedly finds himself in the spotlight due to unforeseen chaos. Comfortable behind the scenes, he's suddenly required to act, briefly taking on the role of Florence. (American Accent.)
ANNIE: the stage manager who grows a love for acting after initially being terrified of it. (American accent)
Murder on the Orient Express:
Director: Reggie Law
First Rehearsal: August 15, 2025
Open: September 5, 2025
Close: September 28, 2025
*Comfort with accents integral.
HERCULE POIROT- The Inspector
Passport from: Belgium. Occupation: Detective.
Meticulous and exacting, Poirot is a keen observer of detail and an astute judge of character. Certain that the crime was committed by someone on the train, he confidently and patiently works his way to a shocking solution.
SAMUEL RATCHETT/Bruno Cassetti- The Victim (Doubles with Colonel Arbuthnot)
Passport from: The United States. Occupation: Victim.
A middle-aged American businessman, Ratchett is brusque and unforgiving, with a threatening demeanor and a whiplash of a voice. He’s made plenty of enemies… almost everyone has wished him dead. But whodunit?
The Suspects:
COUNTESS ELÉNA ANDRENYI
Passport from: Hungary. Occupation: Royalty.
Countess Eléna Andrenyi is out of a fairy tale. She’s in her twenties, brilliantly beautiful and always dressed to the nines in furs and diamonds. She seems too good to be true — but is she a murderer?
COLONEL ARBUTHNOT (Doubles with Samuel Ratchett)
Passport from: Scotland. Occupation: Colonel.
A Scotsman in his mid-thirties, Arbuthnot is handsome and very matter of fact. He’s hopelessly in love with Mary. Would he kill for her?
MONSIEUR BOUC
Passport from: Belgium. Occupation: Gentleman.
A young middle-aged man of good humor, Monsieur Bouc is an old friend of Poirot’s. He appears removed from the crime, often acting as Poirot’s sounding board, but no one on the train is above suspicion.
MARY DEBENHAM
Passport from: England. Occupation: Governess.
An English beauty in her late twenties, Mary bears a certain sadness in her eyes. When she first appears, she is very anxious. Perhaps she is harboring a terrible secret…
PRINCESS NATALYA DRAGOMIROFF
Passport from: Russia. Occupation: Royalty.
The Russian princess, now in her seventies, enters her compartment “like a galleon in full sail.” Expensively dressed and handsomely bejeweled, she certainly wouldn’t need to kill for money. But might she have another motive?
HEAD WAITER (Doubles with Michel)
Occupation: Head Waiter on the Orient Express.
Professional in demeanor, he is knowledgeable and a bit overconfident. Mystery fans know it’s a cliché, but never rule out the possibility that The Butler Did It.
HELEN HUBBARD
Passport from: The United States. Occupation: Widow.
An outspoken American in her fifties, well dressed with a touch of flamboyance, Mrs. Hubbard is a tough-talking broad with rough edge and a bold sense of humor. She seems the least likely to commit murder, but is there something about her the others don’t know?
HECTOR MacQUEEN
Passport from: The United States. Occupation: Personal secretary and translator.
A nervous young American in his thirties with a strained, rather beleaguered face, Hector appears to be suppressing something. Perhaps he knows more than he is willing to tell.
MICHEL (Doubles with Head Waiter)
Passport from: France. Occupation: Train Conductor.
A good-looking Frenchman, about forty, Michel has a quiet, almost grave sense of humor. He’s seen a lot in his years on the Orient Express, and he knows his way around the train, making him particularly well positioned to get away with murder.
GRETA OHLSSON
Passport from: Sweden. Occupation: Nurse and missionary.
Plain and modest, Greta has a frightened, sheep-like quality about her. There is something odd about this woman. Could she be harboring a deadly secret?