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Theatre Auditions

Fall 2024 Theatre & Musical Auditions

The Bobbi Biron Theatre Program invites all students to audition for its upcoming productions on Tuesday, August 27, in the Fulton Hall Black Box Theatre! Auditions for the Fall 2024 play, Fefu and Her Friends (known as one of the most important Off-Broadway shows) and the Spring 2025 musical Head Over Heels (a raucous musical featuring music by The Go-Go’s).

Callbacks for Fefu and Her Friends are scheduled for Wednesday, August 28, and for Head Over Heels on Saturday, August 31.

Note: AUDITIONS ARE OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS—YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A THEATRE MAJOR!

We always seek casts embodying our program’s commitment to diversity of identity, artistry, and ideas. The Bobbi Biron Theatre Program’s values include casting that embraces diversity in race, culture, gender identity, sexuality, varying physical abilities, neurodivergence, socio-economic background, and age. You do not have to be an SU theatre student to audition.

NOTE TO THEATRE MAJORS: All current SU Theatre Majors in the Performance Track are required to audition. Please indicate on your audition form if you cannot commit to being cast. Additionally, those cast in Fefu and Her Friends can also be cast in Head Over Heels, as they do not overlap. However, those cast in Head Over Heels cannot be cast in our spring production of Heroes of the Fourth Turning.

Audition Requirements

Audition: Tuesday, August 27 at 7:00 PM

Please prepare:

  • a fully-memorized modern monologue from a play published since 1975 that is 1:00-1:30 minutes long. The monologue should show range and offer a glimpse of your interests and strengths as a performer.
  • a 16-bar (around one minute) cut of a song from a 1980s rock or pop song that shows range (and not in the show Head Over Heels!). Think The Bangles, Blondie, Pat Benatar, Madonna, Duran Duran, etc. You must bring printed-out sheet music to the audition and ensure it is clearly marked where you will begin and end. View this video on how to prepare sheet music for an audition.
  • NOTE: If you are only auditioning for Fefu and Her Friends , you are not required to sing.

Fefu and Her Friends Callback: Wednesday, August 28 at 7:00 PM

Callbacks will be held this evening, during which you will be asked to read selections from the script while paired up with other actors. Note: If cast, there will be a readthrough the following night on Thursday,  August 29, at 7:00 PM.

Head Over Heels Callback: Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 PM

Those called back will be asked to learn a section from the show’s score and perform it with accompaniment—don’t worry, we’ll teach you the songs at the beginning of callbacks! We will also have a dance call, so please wear movement clothes and be prepared to move. Lastly, some actors will be paired together to read sides (sections from the script).

Please complete the audition form before Tuesday, August 27:

AUDITION FORM

Show Descriptions

Fefu and Her Friends by María Irene Fornés

  • Description: Set in the spring of 1935, Fefu and Her Friends unfolds over a weekend at a New England country manor where eight society women gather to plan their annual arts education fundraiser. The group includes six college friends, two newcomers, two former lovers, a woman affected by an inexplicable injury, and another trapped in a complicated marriage who plays dangerous games with her husband. As we follow them through various rooms, their conversations reveal stories of love and loss, pain and friendship, dreams and nightmares. A seldom-performed yet incredibly important work in American theater, Fefu and Her Friends by María Irene Fornés stands as a testament to her innovative and influential writing.
  • Characters: A diverse ensemble of eight female-presenting actors. IMPORTANT: Actors must read the play before preparing for their auditions and auditioning for the show. Callbacks will be the following night, and you need to be familiar with the characters.
  • Intimacy Requirements: There is a kiss as well as physical touching between the characters Paula and Cecilia. All intimacy and combat will be carefully choreographed in the rehearsal room with an intimacy/combat coordinator, ensuring the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of those involved. Best practices regarding consent will be a part of the production process.
  • Schedule:
    • Read-Through: Thursday, August 29 at 7:00 PM
    • Rehearsals- Sunday through Friday from 7:00-11:00 PM, beginning Sunday, September 1
    • Tech- October 3-5 at 7:00-11:00 PM, and October 6-7 at 9:30 AM-1:30 PM and 3:30-7:30 PM
    • Dress- October 8-9, 7:00-11:00 PM
      • *TECH AND DRESS REHEARSALS CANNOT BE MISSED*
    • Performances- October 10-12 at 7:30 PM, October 13 at 2:00 PM
  • Strike- October 13 post-show

Head Over Heels , with music by The Go-Go’s and book by James Magruder

  • Description: Head Over Heels is a laugh-out-loud love story set to the music of the Go-Go’s, featuring hits like “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and “Vacation.” In this raucous musical, a royal family embarks on a wild journey to save their kingdom from doom, only to realize that the key to survival lies within themselves. A blend of posh and punk, the show is an unpredictable romp filled with mistaken identities, scandal, and self-discovery, where nothing is quite what it seems.
  • Characters:
    • Basilius (bah-SIH-lee-us)- King of Arcadia, Basilius clings to tradition as the golden rule. Used to being in charge, having his authority threatened or questioned is an unfamiliar and uncomfortable feeling for him. The endurance of his rule is severely tested over the show, and he must decide if he wants to cling to the comfort of the known or open himself up to the new and exciting possibilities that call to him.
      • Gender: Any, but presents as male
      • Vocal range: Tenor/Alto II
    • Gynecia (guy-NEE-see-uh)- Queen of Arcadia. Smart, embodied, and sensual, she knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Life with her husband isn't what it used to be, but she still loves him and is skilled in navigating his moods and figuring out how to influence him indirectly. Wise and powerful, though she is not always valued for these gifts.
      • Gender: Any, but female presenting
      • Vocal range: Alto/Tenor
    • Pamela- Basilius and Gynecia's older daughter. Known to be the most beautiful bachelorette in the Kingdom, and no one knows it more than she does. She is willful, often over-dramatic, and seemingly obsessed with appearances. Caught between who she really is and who the world wants her to be.
      • Gender: Female presenting
      • Vocal range: Mezzo-Soprano with belt
    • Philoclea (fil-UH-klee-uh)- Basilius and Gynecia's younger daughter. Used to being in the shadow of her older, flashier sister, Philoclea was taught her value lies in being a “good girl” who behaves according to the expectations of others, particularly her father, even when they conflict with her true desires. She is deeply in love with her childhood friend Musidorous and yearns to follow her heart.
      • Gender: Female presenting
      • Vocal range: Soprano with belt
    • Dametas (dah-MEE-tuhs)- The King's viceroy; father to Mopsa. Wise, gentle, and deeply loyal, even when he disagrees with or doubts Basilius’s actions. A widower who bears the weight of missing his wife. He adores his daughter but has difficulty expressing his feelings and processing the feelings of others.
      • Gender: Any, but presents as male
      • Vocal range: Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Alto II
    • Mopsa- The loyal handmaiden to Pamela, with whom she also happens to be in love. Growing up without a mother has made Mopsa wise beyond her years about everyone and everything. Therefore, she is often able to see the truths of others before they realize it for themselves.
      • Gender: Female presenting
      • Vocal range: Mezzo-Soprano with belt
    • Musidorus (mew-ZIH-dor-us)- A pure-hearted and guileless shepherd who pines for his childhood friend and beloved Philoclea. When forced to disguise himself as a woman in order to stay near to his love, Musidorous discovers his true self.
      • Gender: Male presenting
      • Vocal range: Tenor
    • Pythio (PIH-thee-oh)- The Oracle, powerful, mysterious. Demanding. Great sense of humor—can see through everyone—they are the Oracle of Delphi, after all.
      • Gender: Nonbinary, genderqueer
      • Vocal range: Alto and/or Bass
    • Ensemble- Six to eight diverse actors. Unique, charismatic individuals who inhabit the kingdom of Arcadia and take on the mythical forms Pythio conjures.
  • Intimacy Requirements: There are moments of physical touch and kissing between the characters of Pamela and Mopsa, Philoclea and Musidorus, and Basilius and Gynecia. There may also be the simulation of intimacy between the aforementioned characters. All intimacy and combat will be carefully choreographed in the rehearsal room with an intimacy/combat coordinator, ensuring the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of those involved. Best practices regarding consent will be a part of the production process.
  • Schedule:
    • Music Rehearsals- TBD, between October 14 through November 26
    • Choreography- January 20-24, 2025. This is a week prior to the start of classes. If you live on campus, we will arrange for early housing. Rehearsals will be on weekdays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM with an hour break. This is a professional rehearsal schedule and will be a great training opportunity.
    • Rehearsals- Sunday through Friday from 7:00-11:00 PM, begin Monday, January 27
    • Tech- February 26-28 at 7:00-11:00 PM, and March 1-2 at 9:30 AM-1:30 PM and 3:30-7:30 PM
    • Dress- March 3-5, 7:00-11:00 PM
      • *TECH AND DRESS REHEARSALS CANNOT BE MISSED*
    • Performances- March 6-8 at 7:30 PM, March 9 at 2:00 PM
    • Strike- March 9 post-show

If you have questions, please contact directors our directors: