BCP Announces Open Auditions for Fall Musical

The 2010-11  is coming to an end, but not before the Oradell-based theatre group announces auditions for the first musical of the upcoming 2011-12 season.

Under the direction of Larry Landsman of Wyckoff with musical direction by Steve Bell of Teaneck, the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from Sept. 8 through Oct. 11.

Auditions will be held at the theatre, located at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, on Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday June 2, both at 7:30pm and on Saturday, June 4, 10am. Callbacks (by invitation only) are scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 7:30pm

The musical follows the six adolescent outsiders, full of overachiever's angst, vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The group of outsiders in the throes of puperty for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time and overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

The comedy opened on Broadway in the spring of 2005, where it delighted audiences, received critical acclaim, and earned three Drama Desks (Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical, and Outstanding Ensemble Performance) and two Tony Awards (Best Book and Best Featured Actor).

Audition Details and Requirements:

Spellers must be 18+ years of age. A headshot/picture is appreciated but not required. Please prepare an excerpt of a song (16-32 bars) that best represents your voice and bring sheet music for the accompanist in the proper key. A contemporary Broadway or pop genre song is preferred but not required. No a'cappella or recorded music auditions please. You may use a 1-2 minute comedic monologue, however a monologue is NOT required. Auditioners also should dress comfortably and be prepared to move. You will take part in a brief improvisation.  NO ROLES HAVE BEEN PRE-CAST; ALL ROLES ARE OPEN.   Callbacks will include readings from the script & singing a song from the show.    Please note: there is no chorus in this production.

Character Breakdown: The Students (18-30)
Marcy Park (soprano/mezzo-soprano) – The ultimate over-achiever, Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from an Asian American family where excellence is expected and so simply produced. A parochial school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself as a mass of problems but she keeps them to herself. Having moved often because of her parents work, she knows she can beat the local competition. She made it all the way to ninth place in Nationals last year. Marci is driven to succeed. She sleeps three hours a night. Her many talents include dance, martial arts and baton twirling, among others. Special skills a plus, showcased in “I Speak Six Languages.”

Leaf Coneybear (baritone) – (Also plays Carl Grubenierre) A second runner-up, he never expected to compete here today because he thinks he’s "not that smart.” Home-schooled with his many siblings, everything about this public bee is an adventure for him, from meeting the other kids to showing off his homemade clothing, to each moment of unexpected attention. He may have severe ADD but delights in his own wandering focus. He spells words correctly while in a trance. Leaf doesn’t expect to win but he finds absolutely everything incredibly amusing. His mother has made him take his protective helmet to the bee. (Great comic role)

William Barfee (tenor) – Chronically congested and allergic to everything, he has a host of health problems and a lot to prove. Loud and combative as a defensive posture, he is the big kid who becomes a bully to avoid being picked on (though he often gets picked on anyway so gets into a lot of fights). His parents are divorced and William does not expect kindness from anyone but his mother. He is noticed on the spelling circuit for his remarkable “Magic Foot” technique – spelling words out on the floor with his foot. A Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an ill-timed allergic reaction to peanuts and he’s here for vindication. He takes an unexpected journey by coming to care for someone else – developing a crush on Olive. When he finally sees outside his own needs for perhaps the first time, it shakes him fundamentally.   

Olive Ostrovsky (soprano) – (Also plays Leaf’s siblings) A word lover, Olive has a fairly quiet life. An only child whose mother left her and her work-aholic father to live in an ashram in India, Olive spends a lot of her time alone. She fills some of that time reading the dictionary – the words bring her comfort, as does the idea of the vastness of the world the book contains. During the first half of the bee, she often peers into the audience to see if her father, who is delayed at work, has made it yet. She starts enormously shy but slowly blossoms.  

Chip Tolentino (tenor) – (Also plays Jesus Christ) A boy scout and reigning spelling champion of Putnam County, relatively athletic and social, he expects things to come easily to him until an unfortunate mishap results in his early elimination. Lately though, he’s been going through some weird changes, and things are slipping out of his control (ie. puberty and a major attraction to girls).

Logainne Schwartzandgrubennierre (soprano) – (Also plays Leaf’s mom) She is the youngest and most politically aware speller who is driven by internal and external pressure – but above all a desire to win to make her two overbearing fathers (from whom she takes her combined last name) proud. She lisps, is somewhat of a neat freak, is a little uncomfortable in her body, has some tics, but still manages to strike a strong presence with her political awareness and keen sense of justice. Having drilled words for hours a day, she is aware of everything that passes in the room.

The Adults (30-40)

Mitch Mahoney (Tenor) – (Also plays Olive’s Dad and Dan Schwartz) With a tough “street” demeanor, Mitch, an African American ex-convict, appears an odd choice to be the bee’s official “comfort counselor,” but it is part of his community service assignment. Mitch has no idea how to offer comfort, but does increasingly wish there was a way to make the kids feel better about losing. He hands out juice boxes to the losing students.

Rona Lisa Peretti (soprano) – (Also plays Olive’s Mom) Putnam’s long-time spelling bee hostess, the number-one realtor in Putnam County, and 3rd annual Putnam County spelling champion. She loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch. This is her day to be queen. From her perspective she keeps the bee running smoothly, upholds protocol, and conveys crucial information to the audience. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. She thinks of this as a complex cerebral sporting event, and she wants the audience to understand every twist and turn. A little concerned when the substitute word pronouncer arrives, she knows she has to step up her game to make the day a success. Ms. Peretti herself won the Third Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by spelling "syzygy." Comedic improvisational skills preferred.

Douglas Panch (non singing role) – Vice Principal Douglas Panch is frustrated with his life. After five years' absence from the Bee, he returns as judge. There was an "incident" at the Twentieth Annual Bee, but he claims to be in "a better place" now, thanks to a high-fiber diet and Jungian analysis. The drive of the young spellers is alien to him. He never found anything that important. Stuck in his current job, eagerly waiting a promotion that isn’t coming, he was not happy to get the call this morning that he was needed to substitute; but he starts the bee eager to do well, to redeem himself for past mistakes and to impress the local hostess, Rona Lisa, with whom he is infatuated. Excellent improvisational skills and comedic timing required.

For more information, contact Larry Landsman at LL1157@aol.com.