All auditions take place at The Sauk (240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville, MI) unless otherwise noted.
Anastasia: The Musical
Those wishing to audition should prepare 16-32 bars of a ballad from a musical that shows off their high range. Auditions will also consist of readings from the scripts. Girls ages 8 and up may audition. Boys ages 12 and up may audition. Trinity Bird will direct this production with musical direction by Kristi Gautsche. Stage management by Allison Tappen.
About the Play
From Tony winners Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, creators of such Broadway classics as Ragtime and Once on This Island, this dazzling show transports its audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family. Inspired by the animated film of the same name.
Available Roles
- Anya/Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov - Playing age: 26 - Range: G3-F5, Belt to D5.
- Anya is brave, fiery, witty, and above all determined. With no memory of her life before age 17 and having lived through the horrors of the Russian Revolution, Anya jumps at the sound of gunshots and is distrustful of strangers, but there is steel hiding just beneath the surface. Anya is strong-willed and compassionate. Her mantra, “Home, love, family” is her goal. All she knows is her family is in Paris and she will find them however she can.
- Anya is brave, fiery, witty, and above all determined. With no memory of her life before age 17 and having lived through the horrors of the Russian Revolution, Anya jumps at the sound of gunshots and is distrustful of strangers, but there is steel hiding just beneath the surface. Anya is strong-willed and compassionate. Her mantra, “Home, love, family” is her goal. All she knows is her family is in Paris and she will find them however she can.
- Dmitry Sudayev - Playing age: 28 - Range: A2-G4.
- Dmitry is a scoundrel with a heart of gold. A street rat who grew into a conman, Dimitry does all he does to get out of poverty and is not above lying, cheating, and stealing to do so–that is until he meets Anya. What starts as just another scheme (albeit much bigger than anything he’s tried to pull off before) turns into the adventure of a lifetime that requires Dimitry to look inward and figure out how to put the one he loves before himself.
- Dmitry is a scoundrel with a heart of gold. A street rat who grew into a conman, Dimitry does all he does to get out of poverty and is not above lying, cheating, and stealing to do so–that is until he meets Anya. What starts as just another scheme (albeit much bigger than anything he’s tried to pull off before) turns into the adventure of a lifetime that requires Dimitry to look inward and figure out how to put the one he loves before himself.
- Vladimir “Vlad” Popov - Playing age: Mid 40s-Early 50s (No age really specified) - Range: A2-F4
- Vlad is Dmitry’s partner in crime (literally) and surrogate father. Before the revolution he scammed his way through society pretending to be a count. Vlad is dramatic, crafty, and a big softie at heart. While he, like Dmitry, is not above lying, cheating, and stealing, he cares greatly for his loved ones and is generally affable, though he can be calculating when he needs to be.
- Vlad is Dmitry’s partner in crime (literally) and surrogate father. Before the revolution he scammed his way through society pretending to be a count. Vlad is dramatic, crafty, and a big softie at heart. While he, like Dmitry, is not above lying, cheating, and stealing, he cares greatly for his loved ones and is generally affable, though he can be calculating when he needs to be.
- Deputy Commissioner Gleb Vaganov ● Playing age: Mid 30s - Range: A2-Gb4.
- Gleb is the villain of the show, though not a bad person. He fully believes in the Communist ideals he follows. Loyal, honest, and hard working, Gleb almost has the potential to be a hero (he’s very much the hero of his own story). A deeply conflicted person, Gleb’s infatuation (and borderline obsession) with Anya leads to his battle with the idea of doing one’s duty vs. doing what is right.
- Gleb is the villain of the show, though not a bad person. He fully believes in the Communist ideals he follows. Loyal, honest, and hard working, Gleb almost has the potential to be a hero (he’s very much the hero of his own story). A deeply conflicted person, Gleb’s infatuation (and borderline obsession) with Anya leads to his battle with the idea of doing one’s duty vs. doing what is right.
- Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch ● Playing age: ~40 - Range: G3-C5 (Briefly sings a B5 at the end of Land of Yesterday, but the rest of the role is very Mezzo)
- Lily is the lady in waiting to the Dowager Empress. She has been by the Dowager’s side since before the revolution. Lily is clever, dutiful, and above all fun (when not working for the Dowager). She deals with her exile from Russia with a sort of resigned dark humor…and a LOT of vodka. She and Vlad were once an item (unbeknownst to her oblivious husband) and rekindle their romance upon re-uniting.
- Lily is the lady in waiting to the Dowager Empress. She has been by the Dowager’s side since before the revolution. Lily is clever, dutiful, and above all fun (when not working for the Dowager). She deals with her exile from Russia with a sort of resigned dark humor…and a LOT of vodka. She and Vlad were once an item (unbeknownst to her oblivious husband) and rekindle their romance upon re-uniting.
- Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna Romanov - Playing age: 80 - Range: F3-Bb4.
- The Dowager Empress has lost everything she once held dear and must now put up with imposter upon imposter never allowing her to grieve in peace. She is icy, proud, and regal (not to mention intimidating) to all but her family. Though, she does have a very shrap wit. She is especially warm with Anastasia both when a child and after it’s revealed that Anya really is the princess. She commands authority and attention the minute she enters a room.
- The Dowager Empress has lost everything she once held dear and must now put up with imposter upon imposter never allowing her to grieve in peace. She is icy, proud, and regal (not to mention intimidating) to all but her family. Though, she does have a very shrap wit. She is especially warm with Anastasia both when a child and after it’s revealed that Anya really is the princess. She commands authority and attention the minute she enters a room.
- Young Anastasia/Alexei (Doubles in Ensemble as well) ● Playing age: ~5 for Young Anastasia, (cast with an older child, normally between 9 and 14), 13 for Alexei - Range: C4-C5.
- Young Anastasia is the willful, brave, proud, and precocious youngest daughter of the Tsar. She has a special bond with her grandmother (whom she calls Nana). Alexei was the Tsarevich (Heir to the throne) and only boy of the Romanov siblings. He suffered from debilitating hemophelia that often left him bed-ridden. Anya mentions that he was her best friend.
- Featured Character Tracks:
- Olga, Tatiana, Mariya (the other Romanov Sisters)/ Paulina, Dunya, Marfa (three prostitutes who audition for the Fake-Anastasia scheme)/Odette and Swans (Dancers in the ballet) ■ These tracks require dancing en pointe ■ Olga track also dances Odette and requires strong ballet ability
- Teen Anya ■ A featured dance role in the opening sequence ■ May also be one of the prostitutes and ballet dancers (I’m not 100% sure with this track)
- Commissioner Gorlinsky/Count Leopold/Drunkard 4
- Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna/Female Reporter/Countess Gregory
- Tsar Nicholas II Romanov/Count Ipolitov/Drunkard 3
- Siegfriend (in Swan Lake sequence)/ Drunkard 1/Sergei the Doorman
- Von Rothbart (in Swan Lake sequence)/Drunkard 2/Sergei the Doorman
- Olga, Tatiana, Mariya (the other Romanov Sisters)/ Paulina, Dunya, Marfa (three prostitutes who audition for the Fake-Anastasia scheme)/Odette and Swans (Dancers in the ballet) ■ These tracks require dancing en pointe ■ Olga track also dances Odette and requires strong ballet ability
- Ensemble
- All of the Ensemble plays Townsfolk, Royal Servants, Bolshevik Officers and Soldiers, Parisians, Reporters, and Aristocrats
- All of the Ensemble plays Townsfolk, Royal Servants, Bolshevik Officers and Soldiers, Parisians, Reporters, and Aristocrats
Play-in-Development 2024
Directors and More to be announced at a later date.
Nothing Gold
By Trey Everett (New York, NY)
Nothing Gold tells the story of Thomas, a son-to-be 30 year old who has just been released after serving a 15-year prison sentence for accidentally killing a classmate as a teen. He comes home to a welcoming father, an anxious mother, and an estranged younger sister. Through moments with his family, and moments with his therapist, Thomas navigates the difficult task of reintegrating into "normal" life. When the mother of the killed teen shows up at Thomas' family's home, Thomas is forced to confront the awful situation again.
- Yorn. The doctor, 40s. Male.
- Thomas. The boy, 30. Male.
- Dawn. The mother, 60s. Female.
- Steve. The father, 60s. Male.
- Casey. The sister, 18. Female.
- Theresa. The neighbor, 50s. Female
Holidays
By Romney Humphry (of Seattle, WA)
Clea’s brother Finn joins her on her birthday for their ongoing cribbage competition. Their mother Suzanne and her new (younger) husband Peter, a spacey entrepreneur, unexpectedly arrive, as do their father and his wife Maeve, childless and earnest (her dogs are her children). Despite the fact it’s June, the parents and their new partners immediately begin vying for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Clea’s husband Royce, whose family celebrates with a live donkey (and fiddlers) in their living room every Christmas Eve, wants in. Clea becomes increasingly paralyzed by anxiety as the race for the eventual ‘winner’ crescendos.
- Clea Gudmonson - Mid 30s, frustrated pleaser
- Royce Jensen - Mid 30s, Clea's husband, a detail guy in odd ways
- Finn Gudmonson - Early 30s, Clea's brother, denial incarnate
- Suzanne Gudmonson - Clea and Finn's mother, mid 60s, vain
- Peter Laughlin - Suzanne's husband, late 40s, not quite tethered to the Earth, successful entrepreneur
- Hart Gudmonson - Clea and Finn's father, mid 60s, Suzanne's ex-husband, territorial, a linear thinker
- Maeve Gudmonson - Hart's wife, mid-60s, childless, bursting with goodwill
Sweet Life
By Savannah Bruton (Jackson, MI)
Familiarity is comfortable. Who do we become when faced with a challenge that is alien to us? Something the alters our life and every day interactions; are we still the same person despite these unforeseen changes? Sweet Life explores this thought through the eyes of a young girl diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
- Arthur, Uncle 40s
- Lily, Girl 10-12
- Kate, Sister 7-9
- Jason, Dad 40s
A Christmas Carol
Character descriptions, audition requirements and production team to be announced.
My Fair Lady
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. Directors and production team TBA.
About the Play
Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady is that rare musical by which all others are measured. The tale of a cockney flower girl transformed into an elegant lady features one of musical theatre’s greatest scores, including: “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?,” “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “The Rain in Spain,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” Eliza Doolittle is a young flower seller with an unmistakable Cockney accent which keeps her in the lower rungs of Edwardian society. When Professor Henry Higgins tries to teach her how to speak like a proper lady, an unlikely friendship begins to flourish.
Available Roles
- TBD
Small Mouth Sounds
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. Director and production team TBA.
About the Play
In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward humor, this strange and compassionate new play asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.
Available Roles
- The Teacher - A disembodied, androgynous voice with a strange, slightly accented way of talking.
- Joan, late 40s, wears a lot of clothes and jewelry from India. She is a therapist and sex educator in colleges, high school and in private practice with couples.
- Judy, maybe 50, is Joan's partner. She works at "O" magazine as a top editor in the art department.
- Alicia, thirty-ish, strawberry-blonde from Southern California. She is the kind of person who manages to make a lot of noise even when she "in silence."
- Ned, somewhere in his 40s, has had a severe run of bad luck worse than the worst country-western song.
- Rodney, mid-30s, ageless, fit, gorgeous, grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and teaches yoga.
- Jan, 50-ish, is from a small town in Finland. He is pale and sweet, with a wide-eyed, continually curious air about him.
Sauk Shorts
Auditions consist of readings from the various scripts. Titles, director and production team to be announced.