The Mystery of Edwin Drood A Musical By Rupert Holmes Winter Youth Production, ages 9 - 15 Show Run: Feb 21 - Mar 8 (Feb 21, 22, 28, 29, Mar 1, 5, 6, 7, 8) Auditions: Nov 12, 13, 14, 6:30 - 9:30pm at Near West Theatre Website: http://nearwesttheatre.org/pages/audition ABOUT THE SHOW Inspired by the great British Music Hall and Melodrama traditions of the Victorian Era, The Mystery of Edwin Drood promises an evening of thrills and chills, hilarity and hijinks! Based on Charles Dickens' final, unfinished novel, this unsolved musical murder mystery follows the delightfully zany players of the Music Hall Royale as they embody the stories over the top characters and turn to the audience to solve the mystery. With an energetic score by Rupert Holmes, this hilarious Tony Award winning show-within-a-show is unlike anything before seen on the Near West Theatre stage. Nine performances. Nine different endings. Who killed Edwin Drood? You decide. ABOUT THE AUDITION Please arrive 15 minutes early to register. Auditions begin promptly at the designated time. Anyone arriving after the starting time will be asked to audition at the next scheduled day. Near West Theatre holds group auditions in a relaxed and friendly environment. No preparation or preregistration is required. Actors of all experience levels are led through multiple improvisational exercises providing every participant equal opportunity to create through word, movement, and song. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes for dancing so you can move easily. Auditions focus on the creative process, not the product; on working as an ensemble, not solo. After this first level audition, callbacks will focus on individual roles/songs and working from the script. DROOD CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS Drood/Nutting/*Datchery - Female. Mezzo (B3 - E5) Edwin Drood/Alice Nutting/Datchery: Prima donna and London's leading male impersonator, charming but, as you might expect, has determination and a lot of ego. Must command the stage. As Edwin Drood, she is an attractive, rich, and popular young man who has everything. The victim.* Note: Plays the mysterious Dick Datchery up until the voting. Jasper/Paget - Male. Bari-tenor (A2 - A4) John Jasper/Clive Paget: The Royale's male lead, a devilishly attractive cad, and he knows it. In Drood, he is the baddie. Jasper is the Choirmaster of Cloisterham Cathedral and uncle of Edwin Drood. He is, not so secretly, in love with Rosa Bud. Madness lurks beneath his smooth exterior. He often flips between two different personalities throughout the play. A Murder Suspect and A Lover Candidate Crisparkle/Moncrieffe - Male. Baritone (C3 - G4) Reverend Crisparkle/Cedric Moncrieffe: This troupe member is a bit of an open book who plays the archetypal vicar. He is also a bit of a lurker and was in love with Rosa's mother. Must be able to play significantly older than most of the actors on stage. A Murder Suspect, A Datchery Candidate and A Lover Candidate. Chairman/Cartwright/Mayor - Male or Female. Baritone/Low Alto (D#3 - F#4 - can pop octaves if needed). Chairperson & Mayor Thomas Sapsea/Cartwright: The leader of the music hall troupe. The Chairperson carries the majority of the dialogue and must be quick with a joke and able to improvise. S/he is in charge of keeping the pace of the show moving. Must be able to come up with ad libs on the spot. He unexpectedly fills in as Mayor Sapsea in Drood when another actor fails to show up. A Lover Candidate. Puffer/Prysock - Serious low alto (F3 - D5) Princess Puffer/Angela Prysock: Angela has been a favorite of London audiences forever, a staple of the stage. As the mysterious Princess Puffer, she runs an underground lair in the bad part of London; she is glamorous in her ruin. Must have a big chest voice and lots of rapport with the audience. A Murder Suspect and A Lover Candidate. Neville Landless/Grinstead - Male. Bari-tenor (C3 - G4) Neville Landless/Victor Grinstead: Victor is enjoying his premier performance with the Music Hall Royale. His character, Neville, is Helena's brother and suffers from the same "geographically untraceable" approximation of an East Asian accent. Neville falls for Rosa Bud, falls out with Edwin, and is therefore another suspect in the murder. He is very passionate and often angry. A Murder Suspect, A Datchery Candidate and A Lover Candidate. Helena Landless/Conover - Female. Mezzo (G3 - D5 [optional E5]) Helena Landless/Janet Conover: Janet is a long-standing member of the acting troupe, asked to play the mysterious Helena Landless who hails from a mysterious foreign colony not unlike India. Will need to switch between her British accent and "geographically untraceable" approximation of an East Asian accent. A Murder Suspect, A Datchery Candidate and A Lover Candidate. Rosa Bud/Peregrine - Female. True soprano (A3 - B5) Rosa Bud/Deirdre Peregrine: The ingénue of the Music Hall Royale, Deirdre portrays the love interest of Drood, the young, beautiful and apparently fragile Rosa Bud. She is betrothed to Edwin Drood, the only man who isn't in love with her. Though she comes off as innocent and quite harmless, a lot boils underneath the surface that might drive her to take extreme measures...possibly murder? A Murder Suspect, A Datchery Candidate and A Lover Candidate. Deputy/Cricker Jr. - Male (any range) Deputy/Nick Cricker, Jr: Younger than Cricker, Sr. As the Deputy, he is lowest in the pecking order, and very funny. A Lover Candidate. Bazzard/Bax - Male. Bari-tenor (A2 - Eb4 [opt G4 or Bb4]). Bazzard/Phillip Bax: Devotee of the theatre, the everlasting understudy, who finally gets his moment. May have quite a major part if the evening turns out that way. A sad sort of clown. In his role as Bazzard, he is the assistant to Crisparkle, and only appears in one scene. He is often an audience favorite suspect and very capable of stealing the whole show. A Murder Suspect, A Datchery Candidate and A Lover Candidate. Durdles/Cricker Sr. - Male. Baritone or Tenor (B2 - F4) Nick Cricker, Sr./Durdles: "Clown Prince of the Royale" who makes the most of every line! As Durdles, he plays the dumb, somewhat loopy role in the play. He gets to announce the murderer! Even if he himself is the murderer... A Murder Suspect and A Lover Candidate. Stage Manager/Throttle - Male or Female Stage Manager/James or Joyce Throttle: Helps to keep the Chairperson on track throughout the play. Will be required to move props and scenery, as well as man the curtain throughout the play. Beatrice & Flo/ Gill - Female (C4-D5) Beatrice & Flo/Gill: Flo is a bit of a wild card and a huge fan of the song, "Off to the Races." She tries repeatedly to get everyone to perform it. As Beatrice, she is a friend of Rosa Bud who sings a fabulous quartet with Rosa, Helena and Wendy in Act I. She also participates in the rest of the company goings-on. Wendy/Yearsley - Female (C4-D5) Wendy/Yearsley: Drawn from the company, she is a friend of Rosa Bud who sings a fabulous quartet with Rosa, Helena and Beatrice in Act I. She also participates in the rest of the company goings-on. Male / Female Ensemble Townspeople, dancers, singers, servants, students, etc. The ensemble in this show are extremely active and will be called upon to play many characters! They will spend a great deal with the audience, and will need to come up with dialogue, in character, on the spot! Interested in CREW? Email tsnider@nearwesttheatre.org<mailto:tsnider@nearwesttheatre.org> Near West Theatre 6702 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 O: 216.961.9750 www.nearwesttheatre.org<http://www.nearwesttheatre.org/> Near West Theatre builds loving relationships and engages diverse people in strengthening their sense of identity, passion, and purpose, individually and in community, through accessible, affordable, and transformational theatre arts experiences.