BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS - Warner Stage Company Non Equity Auditions

Posted January 19, 2016
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BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS - Warner Stage Company

Auditions Announced for
BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS

To be presented by the Warner Stage Company
beginning May 7, 2016 on the Main Stage

Sunday, February 7, 2016 at 7:00pm (by appointment)
Monday, February 8, 2016 at 7:00pm (by appointment)

Director/Choreographer - Donna Bonasera
Assistant Director - Katherine Ray
Music Director - Will Minton

All roles are open to audition. We are seeking a large ensemble cast of 13 men and 14 women for this production.

Auditioners must bring sheet music with them and be prepared to sing 32 bars, but no more than one minute, of a fully memorized broadway style song that showcases their vocal range and in a style that is consistent with the character you are auditioning for. This should be something that you are very comfortable with, not something you just learned the day before! Auditioners should mark their selection with a highlighter. An accompanist will be provided. A cappella singing or recorded accompaniment will not be allowed.

Auditioners will also be asked to read from the script and may perform a brief dance combination taught at the audition.

The final rehearsal schedule has not been set yet. Rehearsals will be held three nights per week on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with an occasional Monday beginning beginning February 21st. There will be one midweek rehearsal on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

The Warner Stage Company is a regional community theatre company and does not offer compensation or housing for performers.

CALLBACKS: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 7:00pm

AUDITIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Auditions can be scheduled on our website on the audition page or by sending an email to
auditions@warnertheatre.org to schedule your appointment. An audition confirmation e-mail will be sent with full details on what will be expected at your audition. Audition appointments by online registration or e-mail are preferred, but if you do not have access to e-mail call the Warner Theatre Audition Line at
860-489-7180 ext.151. Please be specific as to the date you would like to schedule your appointment.


PERFORMANCE DATES:
Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 8:00pm
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 2:00pm
Friday, May 13, 2016 at 8:00pm
Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 8:00pm
Sunday, May 15, 2015 at 2:00pm

ABOUT THE SHOW
This happy go lucky view of small town vice and statewide political side-stepping recounts the good times and the demise of the Chicken Ranch, known since the 1850s as one of the better pleasure palaces in all of Texas. Governors, senators, mayors, and even victorious college football teams frequent Miss Mona's cozy bordello until that puritan nemesis Watchdog focuses his television cameras and his righteous indignation on the institution.

It is the late 1970s, and a brothel has been operating outside of fictional Gilbert, Texas, for more than a century. It is under the proprietorship of Miss Mona Stangley, who is on good terms with the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. When crusading television reporter, Melvin P. Thorpe, decides to make the illegal activity an issue, political ramifications cause the place to be closed down.

Based on a story by Larry L. King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas.

CHARACTER LIST
Notes:
• The following roles are open for casting.
• Where gender, race, ethnicity, age and/or body type are indicated, it is a requirement of the characterization. Age represents the age the character is to be played, not necessarily the age of the performer. In the event we do not have an actor audition that fits the requirements of the characterization, the casting committee reserves the right to cast against type.
• Where “type” descriptions do not appear, no such requirements exist for casting of that role.
• Where an asterisk appears beside a character’s name (*), this is an indication that the performer will also be a member of the ensemble with additional speaking/singing roles.
• The main action of the show takes place in the fall of 1978.


FEMALE ROLES
Miss Mona Stangley (Age: 36-­-40) Owner and operator of “The Chicken Ranch.” No-­-nonsense, but also very warm,motherly, energetic and personable. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “No Lies,” “Bus From Amarillo”

Jewel Mosley (Age: 50-­-55) African American maid and cook at The Chicken Ranch for more than twenty-­-five years. She is a true golden girl – sassy, sexy and self-­-assured. Songs: “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies”

Doatsey Mae Grimes (Age: 40-­-45) Waitress at the Texas Twinkle Café. She’s a trusting, reliable ear, treated by the men of the town more like a man than a woman. Songs: “Doatsey Mae”

Imogene Charlene Greene* (Age: 20-­-22) Texas A&M university student, double-­-majoring in Home Economics and Religion. She’s a big-­-haired pageant girl and cheerleader. Energetic, but not very bright. Songs: “The Angelette March”

“Angel” – aka, Nancy Jean Drury (Age: 21-­-24) Former teen mom who left home after giving birth to her son Billy, now six years old, when her father beat her up. She’s tough, scrappy and street-­-smart. Songs: “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Shy” – aka, Annamerle Seltzer (Age: 17-­-18) Country, farm girl; young, fresh-­-faced, sheltered and gawky. Naïve and shy, but headstrong and capable.Songs: “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Linda Lou” (Age: 29-­-34) Has a “been there, done that” attitude, sarcastic and mouthy. The inappropriate clown of the group. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Ginger” (Age: 26-­-28) Divorcee; nice, welcoming and the most well-­-adjusted of the “girls.” Redhead. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Dawn” (Age: 22-­-25) A “Rose Nylund” type: innocent, positive, peppy down-­-home girl-­-next-­-door. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Ruby Rae” (Age: 25-­-29) Homely and dim-­-witted. Tries everything she can think of to improve her stock at the ranch, but always seems to be the last chosen. Not at all negative about it, though. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Eloise” * (Age: 25-­-29) A native New Yorker, named by Mona after the precocious and dramatic six-­-year old character in some of her favorite children’s books. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Beatrice” * (Age: 30-­-34) The tallest and leanest of the “girls”; royal, regal, prim and proper. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Taddy Jo” * (Age: 22-­-27) Athletic and bird-­-like, she’s the tomboy of the group. Speaks softly and quickly. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

“Durla” * (Age: 19-­-21) Economical, chameleon-­-like and not prone to socializing. Known for turning around clients the quickest. Songs: “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,” “Girl You’re a Woman,” “Twenty-­Four Hours of Lovin’,” “No Lies,” “Hard Candy Christmas”

MALE ROLES
“Bandleader” – aka, John Fitzgerald Stangley (Age: 40) A good old boy, full of charm and good feeling. He is the narrator of the story. Songs: “Prologue,” “20 Fans”

Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Age: 43-­-48) Sheriff of La Grange, Texas. He’s a down-­-home, cowboy type, lovingly curmudgeonly more than a little rough around the edges. He’s a “live and let live” type, though, surprisingly liberal in his thinking and his language. Songs: “Good Old Girl”

Melvin P. Thorpe (Age: 50-­-55) Television personality and part-­-time revivalist preacher – more huckster than holy. If Rush Limbaugh and Marcus Bachmann created a child, it would be Melvin. He’s brash, bigger than life and a complete blowhard. Obsessed by sanctity and morality in overcompensation for a rather effeminate manner.
Songs: “Watch Dog Theme,” “Texas Has a Whorehouse In It,” “The Sidestep”

Governor Briscoe * (Age: 50-­-55) A former rancher and businessman from Uvalde, TX; now a first-­-term Governor in his first year in office. He’s the quintessential politician: Saying a lot of nothing. Amiable and full of charm, he’s dumb about everything but politics. Songs: “The Sidestep”

Edsel Mackey (Age: 28-­-35) A big city Houston boy who landed his first newspaper job out of high school with the town paper: The Gilbert Gospel. He’s now Editor in Chief and is, without question, the smartest man in town. Witty, dry and shrewd. Think a young MSNBC talking head. Songs: “Texas Has a Whorehouse In It”

Mayor Rufus Poindexter (Age: 45-­-50) Local automobile dealer and youngest son of the town’s richest and most well-­- known family. Like George W. Bush, he was the son least expected to succeed – but now he’s the only one in town, running the dealership and the town. He doesn’t like, and is overwhelmed by, his job and he’s not shy about everyone knowing it. Songs: “Texas Has a Whorehouse In It”

C.J. Scruggs (Age: 40-­-45) A good, deeply religious insurance salesman. In contrast to his personality, he’s the loudest, worst dresser in town. Songs: “Texas Has a Whorehouse In It”

Senator J.T. Wingwoah (Age: 46) Young, short, Napoleonic good ole boy with the personality of Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones. Songs: “The Sidestep”

“Aggie 1” – aka, Shane Miller * (Age: 19-­-21) Quarterback of the Texas A&M Aggies. An alpha-­-male, full of bravado and teeming with star power. Knows how to pour on the charm and used to getting what he wants. Songs: “The Aggie Song,” “Good Old Girl”

“Aggie 2” – aka, Lonnie Johnson * (Age: 19-­-21) Star running-­-back of the Texas A&M Aggies. Sensitive to having a “girl’s name,” and always trying to prove his masculinity as a result. Songs: “The Aggie Song,” “Good Old Girl”

“Aggie 3” – Eugene Williams * (Age: 18-­-20) Freshman benchwarmer for the Texas A&M Aggies. Scrawny and small, but full of enthusiasm and energy. Songs: “The Aggie Song,” “Good Old Girl”

“Aggie 4” – Clifford Becker * (Age: 21-­-25) Third-­-year senior at Texas A&M and defensive end for the Aggies. Dumb as a box of rocks. Loud and big. Songs: “The Aggie Song,” “Good Old Girl”

“Scandinavian Place Kicker” – Alvar Askelson * (Age: 21-­-25) International recruit and place kicker for the Texas A&M Aggies. Has male-­-model looks, and a sweet, confused disposition. Speaks with a very thick Scandinavian accent. Songs: “The Aggie Song,” “Good Old Girl”

ENSEMBLE ROLES
Girl 1
Farmer
Announcer
Dogettes (TV girls)
Cameraman
TV Colorman
Reporter 1

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ABOUT THE WARNER THEATRE
Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre. Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit our website:
www.warnertheatre.org.
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THE WARNER THEATRE
68 Main Street | P O Box 1012
Torrington, CT 06790

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