ArtsView: Seussical the Musical: Auditions for Seussical the Musical

Auditions and Interviews for ArtsView Children's Theatre production of Seussical the Musical were held on Saturday, September 20th.

ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE STRONG

SINGERS, DANCERS & ACTORS with comedic flair.

Singers must be able to carry tight harmonies.

Age-Range: 12 - adult only.

CREW positions available: set construction, painting, sewing...!

Come join the fun.

Auditions are held at the ArtsView building, 313 W. Tyler Street, Longview, TX.

Call to secure an audition time: 903-236-7535.

More details - look below Audition Resources and scroll to the bottom of this page.

PRODUCTIONS ARE : December 11, 12, 13 14, 2008

Thursday Show - Dec. 11 - 7:00 pm
Friday Show - Dec. 12 - 7:00 pm
Saturday Shows - Dec. 13 - 2:00 pm & 7:00 p.m.
Sunday Show - Dec. 14 - 2:00 p.m.

Auditions and Rehearsals are held at the ArtsView building,
313 W. Tyler St, Longview - (903) 236-7535

Productions will be in the Longview Community Theatre,
500 E Whaley St, Longview - (903) 753-2052

Director: Brad Echols

Character Notes from the Director

1 The Cat in the Hat
Played by male or female.
Mischievous and fun-loving; able to do impressions a plus. A mischievous and fun-loving cat who is the "narrator" of the story. The character causes trouble, but always sets things right again

2 Horton
Played by a male.Kind, gentle and loyal; Interacts well with other characters; excellent singer. A kind, gentle and loyal elephant who believes that "a person's a person no matter how small." He is a gentle giant - steadfast and responsible, imaginative and receptive to the world around him. He is very un-self-conscious.

3 JoJo
Played by male or female. Imaginative; excellent singer and good dancer. An imaginative member of the Who family, who is a "Thinker", a smart, sometimes rambunctious child with a wild imagination. Slightly awkward, a bit of a loner, who often gets into trouble for thinking.

4 Gertrude McFuzz
Played by a female. Funny, comical female; good movement and good singer The loyal bird-neighbor of Horton who loves him but can't seem to get his attention. She very self-conscious. Changes from a vain, neurotic, nervous & shy bird into one with the power to protect and care for a baby elephant bird.

5 Mayzie LaBird
Played by a female. Pompous and showy female; excellent singer, good dancer A pompous and showy bird who tells Gertrude to see a doctor so her tail will grow longer and be more beautiful so Horton will begin to notice her. She is self-centered, manipulative, selfish and vain. Her moment of generosity comes when she realizes Horton will be a better mother to her egg.

6 Sour Kangaroo
Brash female who has an attitude; excellent singer with Aretha Franklin type voice; The brash kangaroo who tells all that Horton is a fool for thinking there are people living on a dust speck. She has a lot of attitude. She's loud and brassy and lots of fun! Her "joey" may be a puppet that rides in her pouch and occasionally sings along or a child actor. Modeled after Aretha Franklin.

7* Baby Kangaroo
Comical actor male or female The child of Sour Kanga

8 The Mayor of Whoville
Business like male; good singer The Mayor of Whoville the father of JoJo. He tries to guide Jojo toward doing the right thing.

9. Mrs. Mayer of Whoville
motherly female; good singer The Mayor's wife the mother of JoJo. She is a parent trying to raise a difficult child in a difficult world.

10* Judge Yertle the Turtle
Good singer and animated actor Makes a small cameo in the trial scene as the judge.

11 The Bird Girls (2-3)
Two or three females who are excellent dancers / movers; good singers An interesting and unique type of birds that are Mayzie's friends.

12 Thing One and Thing Two / Whoville Family (2)
Two younger actors who can act with great animation; excellent singers and good dancers/movers. WILL DOUBLE Thing One and Thing Two with Whoville Family. The Cat in the Hat side-kicks. / Siblings of JoJo

13 The Wickersham Brothers (3)
EITHER MALE OR FEMALE
Animated actors with excellent dancing skills, good singers. Helpful to have special skills such as jumps or hip-hop ability. Funny, mischievous monkeys who steal Horton's clover from him. They are not bad guys! They're simply a lot like kids who tease, play pranks and get a kick out of making mischief, although often at others' expense.

14 *Vlad Vladicoff
Animated actor An eagle who takes Horton's clover.

15*General Genghis Kahn Schmitz
MALE Animated actor The General of an army of cadets that The Mayor sends JoJo to for discipline. He is bursting with pride at the military academy he runs, and the soldiers he turns out. He is not sadistic, mean or abusive. He is proud! This makes him a comic character, because it's clear he's so misguided.

16* The Grinch
MAY DOUBLE CAT IN THE HAT with GRINCH Makes a small cameo in the song "Here On Who" as The Grinch.

17* Chorus - possibly Jungle creatures

Audition Information for Seussical the Musical

General Info:
Seussical the Musical combines several stories of Dr. Seuss, but mainly tracks the plotline of Horton Hears a Who. Seussical is told primarily through song and movement, rather than dialogue. Therefore, preference in casting the show will be given to those who can act through their singing and their physical expression. Dancing ability is important for some of the characters. You should definitely be prepared to demonstrate any special skills such as gymnastic/tumbling, impressions and juggling. Cast Needs: Seussical will require 20 to 25 auditioned cast members ages 12 to adult. Descriptions of the major characters and the skills needed are given below. Question marks are placed by parts that may be cut or doubled. Most parts are for older teens and/or adults. There are very few parts that could go to an actor aged 12-14. In addition to singing ability, dance and/or gymnastic ability will be especially important important for younger teens. There may be a few minor "walk-on" parts for children younger than 12. These parts will not be filled by audition. Preference for these parts will be for relatives of cast/crew members.

Audition Requirements:
Each auditioner should be prepared to sing one song. The song can be but does not need to be from Seussical. You should wear clothes and shoes that will allow you to dance. No dance solos are required, but you may be asked to replicate simple choreograph. Be prepared to demonstrate any special skills.

Choosing Your Song:
1. It is a disadvantage for you to sing a capella. It is highly suggested that you choose a song for which you have the sheet music or a CD track. A piano accompanist will be available to play your music or music from Seussical. Please do not bring a CD track with another soloist's voice on it ("back up" singers are ok) --- we need to hear your voice, not someone else's.

2. Choose a song that fits your vocal ability and range. You normally only get one (or just a part of one) song! We see many of those who audition choose a very difficult song (for example, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston or Sarah Brightman) and end up suffering greatly in comparison. It is much better to choose a simpler song within your range, especially for a musical like Seussical, which doesn't have big ballads, but primarily has straightforward pop-style songs. (Exceptions are the songs of the Sour Kangaroo character which are Aretha-style soul songs.)

3. Choose a song from a pop-style musical. You are trying out for a pop-style musical, so choose a song that will show you can sing that style. You may actually be able to sing like an opera star or like Celine, but there are no roles for an opera star or Celine in this production!

4. Choose a song that allows you to tell a story and/or play a character. Because the plot and the character development in Seussical are accomplished primarily through the songs, it will help us to know if you can tell a story and be a character through your singing. If you know the character you prefer, you may want to choose a song that fits that character.

Auditions for Seussical the Musical

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Audition Information for Seussical the Musical