If Interested: Email Patrick@blankcanvastheatre.com to sign up for one of the below dates and include your ideal date and time for auditioning. Otherwise we will just assign you the best available slot. We will do our best to accommodate you.
Audition Dates: Wednesday March 23rd and Thursday March 24th
Time: 7:00pm-10:00pm (Time slots will be assigned every 5 minutes)
What to prepare: Please prepare two contrasting 32 bars or short songs in a contemporary musical theatre style. Please bring sheet music in the correct key. An accompanist will be provided.
Performance Dates: May 20th - June 4th. Shows will be Thursday-Sunday. Thursday,Friday & Saturday at 8pm. Sunday performances will be at 7pm. (Show will open on a Friday night and close on a Saturday night)
Rehearsals: Will began April 18th and will be Sunday-Thursdays. Typically 7pm-10pm, though Sundays may be a longer day based on conflicts. This is only a five week rehearsal period.
Pay: Blank Canvas Theatre dedicates 20% of the net profit to the cast of each show. The cast splits this evenly.
*At this time there are no AEA Contracts for this show. However we may explore the option if needed.
Location:
Blank Canvas Theatre
1305 78th Street, Suite 211 (at 78th Street Studios)
Cleveland, OH 44102
The Story
Set in Manhattan in the Roaring Twenties, vaudeville performer, Queenie and her volatile partner, Burrs, host an evening of excess for her guests; a collection of the unruly and undone. The jazz and gin-soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads to tragedy at dawn, this dark and decadent musical reminds us that no party lasts forever.
*This show contains adult content.
Character Breakdown
* The age range for each character is flexible and all ethnicities will be considered.
There are only a few times throughout the show that people leave the stage. All of these characters must be very strong singers, actors, and move well.
Queenie: (Female.20’s-30’s, Soprano) Should look older than she is; tired. She is beautiful yet tragic. A vaudeville dancer and sexy. As the emotional center of the story, the role of Queenie demands an amazing actress and singer with a strong belt and incredible range both vocally and emotionally.
Burrs: (Male.20’s-40’s, Tenor) Vaudeville clown, dangerous and sexy. He is driven mad by jealousy, and the actor playing Burrs needs to believably capture his decent into rage-filled insanity. Tenor with powerhouse belt. Needs to be an incredible actor.
Black: (Male. 20's-30's, any enthnicity. Baritone) Suave, handsome, in great shape. He is an enigmatic loner, smooth talking and romantic. Black falls in love with Queenie and courts her throughout the show. He is gentle and kind, but ready to fight for the one he loves. Actor playing Black should be a strong baritone and excellent actor.
Kate: (Female.20's-30’s. Mezzo-Soprano) She is a professional hooker and coke addict, making her appear a bit older and tired, especially on her lows. She is sexy, sexual, and confident. Infatuated with Burrs, she is Queenie’s best friend and rival. She needs to command the room and is “the life of the party.”
Madelaine True: (Female.30's-50's, Mezzo-Soprano) lesbian and a madam. She must be excellent with dry comedy, have a show stopping diva belt.
Eddie: (Male.20's-40's. Baritone) A pugilist (boxer). A dimwitted brute, but a sweet cuddly teddy bear with his girlfriend Mae; he loves his girl, beer and to fight (maybe not in that order). He should be physically intimidating.
Mae: (Female.25-45. Mezzo-Soprano) She is Eddie's girlfriend and appears even more stupid than he does. She is an adorable dimwit. Actress playing Mae should be a strong character actress. She doesn't know nor think she's dumb.
Phil D'Armano: (Male.25-35. Baritone) Oscar's brother and lover who dresses as his twin. A composer and an entertainer in every sense of the word. Very flamboyant.
Oscar D'Armano: (Male.25-35.Tenor) Phil's brother and lover who dresses as his twin. A composer and an entertainer in every sense of the word. Very flamboyant.
Max: (Male.20's-30's.Tenor) Plays "God" in "A Wild, Wild Party" and the "orgasmic man" and should have an incredible tenor voice with a range for days. The ability to jazz scat is a plus.
Delores: (Female.20's-40's.Alto) A hooker for Madelaine True, sexy. Should be a fun personality with a strong attitude. She knows how to get what she wants with men. She has her sights set on Sam, a producer. Should be an alto with a sultry voice.
Nadine: (Female.16-25.Mezzo-Soprano) She is a minor but ideally will be an actor who is 18 years old or older and can play younger. Young and beautiful. She wants to play with the "big boys" and talks a great game, but takes a while to warm up into the party. She is excited and scared to be there. She is sought after by Madelaine True and Burrs and doesn't know how to handle the situation.
Sam Himmelsteen: (Male.30's-50's.Baritone) A New York producer being pursued by Delores. He might be a client of hers. He is reluctant to audition the D'Armano brothers, but is convinced by Delores to do so.
Jackie: (Male.20's-40's.Dancer) Slim, elegant, beautiful. He is a mute and expresses himself silently through dance. The actor playing this role must be a very strong dancer; ability to tap-dance a plus.
Kegs: (Male or Female.20's-50's) Bartender.