The Bijou Theatre in downtown Bridgeport is excited to announce open call auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins,” directed by Kevin Pelkey. This will be the second in The Bijou Theatre’s first Main Stage Theatre Series.
Open call auditions will take place on Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday, September 18th from 6pm to 9pm. Actors will audition in order of arrival. Sign up begins at 5:30pm. All auditions will take place at The Bijou Arts Center, 277 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT. The Bijou Arts Center is located on the second floor upon entering the glass door next to The Bijou Theatre Box Office. Ascend the stairs directly opposite the glass door. Signs will be posted.
“Our nation's most notorious assassins gather on stage to violently pursue a twisted American Dream.” A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, “Assassins” combines Sondheim’s signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation’s culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America’s four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing, and alarmingly funny, “Assassins” is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written. “Assassins” lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical revusical that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream. -
See more here.
“Assassins” requires skilled singers who are also versatile actors, and is a diverse, ensemble show. Flexible casting and most roles featured. All roles open. Non-Equity, no pay. All types and ethnicities are encouraged to audition. Ages 16 and up. All actors should bring a current headshot (or recent photo) and 1 page acting resume or list of theater/performing experience. Please prepare a short selection (no longer than 1 minute) of a song in the style of the show. Singing from the show is ok. Bring sheet music in the correct key – a cappella singing is discouraged. Callbacks, if necessary, will take place Sunday, September 21st.
General rehearsal schedule for “Assassins” is Mondays through Thursdays from 6:00pm-10:00pmand Sundays between 3:00pm and 7:00pm. Rehearsals begin around October 6th. The show runsNovember 7th through November 16th at The Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport.
Character Breakdown for Actors Auditioning:
BALLADEER - A folk singer and the narrator of the show. The voice of America.
Male, 20-40 yrs old
Range: C3 - G4
BILLY- Sara Jane Moore's whiny son.
Male, 8 - 10 yrs old
Speaking Role
CHARLES GUITEAU (1841-1882) - Assassinated President James Garfield in the waiting room of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1881. Dashing but mad.
Male, 35-45 yrs old
Range: A2 - Ab4
DAVID HEROLD (1842-1865) - One of John Wilkes Booth's confederates. Aided Booth in his attempted escape.
Male, 20-25 yrs old
Speaking Role
EMMA GOLDMAN (1869-1940) - Turn-of-the-century Anarchist agitator and feminist. Terse and stubborn. An inspiration to Czolgosz.
Female, 30-40 yrs old
Speaking Role
ENSEMBLE - Bystanders; Tourists; Reporters; Photographers
GIUSEPPE ZANGARA (1900-1933) - Attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt as he greeted well-wishers in Bayfront Park, Miami, FL on February 15, 1933. An angry, heavily-accented immigrant.
Male, 30-35 yrs old
Range: B2 - A4
JOHN HINCKLEY (1955- ) - Attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981. A love-obsessed and depressed college student.
Male, 25-30 yrs old
Range: A2 - G4
JOHN WILKES BOOTH (1838-1865) - Assassinated President Abraham Lincoln during a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. on April 14, 1865. Foreman and inspirational celebrity to the other assassins.
Male, 25-35 yrs old
Range: F2 - G4
LEE HARVEY OSWALD (1939-1963) - Assassinated President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, TX on November 22, 1963. A suicidal, dejected shipping clerk.
Male, 20-25 yrs old
Range: G3 - C4
LEON CZOLOGOSZ (1873-1901) - Assassinated President William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. on September 6, 1901. A young poverty-worn radical.
Male, 25-30 yrs old
Range: G#2 - G4
LYNETTE SQUEAKY FROMME (1948- ) - Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the Capitol Park in Sacramento, CA on September 5, 1975. A pixie hippie in love with Charles Manson.
Female, 25-30 yrs old
Range: A3 - G5
SAMUEL BYCK (1930-1974) - Attempted to assassinate President Richard Nixon by hijacking a commercial jetliner. Hysterically irate schlep in a Santa Claus suit.
Male, 40-45 yrs old
Range: D3 - G4
SARA JANE MOORE (1930- ) - Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA, on September 22, 1975. A frazzled housewife with little sense.
Female, 40-45 yrs old
Range: F3 - Eb5
THE PROPRIETOR - A mysterious man who runs the shooting gallery at a carnival.
Male, 30-50 yrs old
Range: Gb2 - F4
