AUDITION DATES AND TIMES
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 — between 4 and 6 p.m.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 — between 4 and 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 23, 2013 — between 4 and 5:30 p.m.
CAST REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS SHOW
Honk! is one of Weathervane's Young Actor Series productions. Therefore, this show requires a large ensemble of male and female actors between the ages of 7 and 21 only.
All roles are open.
CLICK HERE to read descriptions of the show's characters.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS SHOW
The auditions for Honk! will be scheduled in advance by appointment only. Please call the Weathervane Playhouse Box Office at 330-836-2626 to schedule an audition slot. Please call during the following hours only: Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (On performance Saturdays only, the Box Office is open between noon and 5 p.m.)
For the audition itself, please prepare TWO things in advance:
1) Please prepare 32 bars of music from a musical-theater song. Please bring sheet music with you in the correct key; an accompanist will play the piano while you sing. Please be prepared to dance. You may also be asked to read from the script.
If you cannot secure sheet music, here are some resources:
• The Akron-Summit County Public Library has sheet music in its collection.
• MusicNotes.com is a Web site with downloadable sheet music available for purchase.
• Another Web site, SheetMusicPlus.com, has THIS terrific book of songs for young performers available for purchase.
2) Please memorize and present a one-minute poem or monologue.
Come prepared to dance at the audition (so dress for movement).
Plan to stay at your audition for about 30 minutes.
Please bring your calendar with you to the auditions so that you can declare any conflicts in your schedule between May 21 and Aug. 4, 2013. Conflict dates" will not be accepted once the director has announced the cast list. Conflicts reported after the show's cast has been announced may result in re-casting.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Honk!
A musical
Book by Anthony Drewe
Music by George Stiles
Lyrics by Anthony Drewe
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling
Honk! tells the story of a young duckling named Ugly, whose odd, gawky looks instantly incite prejudice from his family and neighbors. Separated from the farm and pursued by a hungry Cat, Ugly must find his way home. Along his rollicking and harrowing journey he not only discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, but also finds love and acceptance in all its forms.
Witty and hilarious, but also deeply moving, Honk! will treat audiences to equal amounts of laughter and tears. Its charm, humor and message of tolerance is perfect for a family audience… and every audience.
Debuting in London during the same season that featured the appearance of The Lion King, the musical Honk! became a stand-out by winning the 2000 Olivier Award (the British equivalent of the Tony Award) for Best New Musical.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S CHARACTERS
UGLY — Our story’s youthful protagonist. Gawky and odd looking, this "ugly duckling" is shunned for his odd appearance but he posseses a heart of gold. (Vocal range: tenor)
BULLFROG — A laidback, self-confident frog who is encouraging, light hearted and optimistic. (Vocal range: baritone)
CAT — Our story’s antagonist. Sly and cunning, he is a very hungry cat who preys on his next meal. (Vocal range: tenor)
DOT — A goose, she is Greylag’s composed, respectful wife. (Vocal range: mezzo-soprano)
DRAKE — Ugly’s father, he detests his son. (Vocal range: baritone)
GRACE — The most distinguished duck on the lake and the school governor. Proud, honest and genuine. (Vocal range: alto)
GREYLAG — A goose and the admiral of the squadron charged with Ugly’s safe return. He is Dot’s husband. (Vocal range: baritone)
HENRIETTA — A friend of Ida’s, she is somewhat of a busybody. (Vocal range: mezzo-soprano)
IDA — Ugly’s loving mother and the only person who is supportive of the outcast child. (Vocal range: alto)
MOTHER SWAN TENDER — A compassionate, loving and caring mother to Penny. (Vocal range: alto)
PENNY — A beautiful swan who is kind, compassionate and caring. Ugly’s unlikely love interest and friend. (Vocal range: mezzo-soprano)
QUEENIE — A very domesticated, humorous, snobby cat who lives the “high life.” (Vocal range: mezzo-soprano)
TURKEY — The school headmaster who is a self-basting and self-boasting prime specimen, he is deathly afraid of Thanksgiving! (Vocal range: baritone)
ENSEMBLE — Balancing out the farm are various Ducklings, Fish, Froglets, Greylag’s Flock and a Goose Squadron.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S REHEARSALS
Rehearsals begin Monday, June 3, 2013.
Rehearsals will take place Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Mondays through Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. — though the rehearsal times during the very first week of rehearsals may be altered due to school schedules, etc.
The week leading up to the show's opening performance (on July 19) is known as "Tech Week" — during which longer rehearsals are scheduled:
→ Sunday, July 14 will be a "double dress rehearsal" from noon to 8 p.m.
→ from Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18, dress rehearsals take place each day from 6 to 9 p.m.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Honk! plays on Weathervane Playhouse's Founders Theater stage for a total of 13 performances between July 19 and Aug. 4, 2013.
THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Friday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 21 at 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 23 at 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 25 at 12:30 p.m.
Friday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 27 at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 28 at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, July 29 at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3 at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S DIRECTOR
SARAH ELAINE BAILEY this past fall marked her tenth consecutive year as the director of Weathervane’s annual Young Actor Series production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This past summer, she directed Weathervane’s Young Actor Series production of Annie. Her other Weathervane directorial credits include 2011’s Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella 2010’s Seussical, 2009’s Madeline and the Gypsies, 2008’s Go, Dog. Go! and 2006’s Madeline’s Rescue. As a performer on the Weathervane stage, this past June and July she played Trix (the aviatrix) in The Drowsy Chaperone. Other Weathervane performance credits include Sister Margaretta in 2006’s The Sound of Music and Sister Amnesia in 2004’s Nunsense (for which she won a Chanticleer Award, the Playhouse’s version of the Tony Award!). She has taught Weathervane youth-theater classes for nearly a decade and she is a frequent performer with The Not-Ready-for-Mainstage Players at the Playhouse’s annual Chanticleer Awards ceremony. Since September 2010, as Weathervane’s Education Outreach Coordinator, she has also assisted the Playhouse’s education department in coordinating the hiring and training of the many teachers who staff the Playhouse’s participation in Akron After School (on-site, after-school theater-education classes at dozens of Akron Public Schools facilities). She received her bachelor’s in music from Ohio Northern University and her master’s in music and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. She has sung at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic and was a grand finalist in Guangdong, China, International Vocal Competition and has also performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Her favorite roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Juliette in Romeo and Juliette and a Cherubino in Le Nozze de Figaro.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
DANE C.T. LEASURE is currently a graduate student at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, pursuing a Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts (MLitt/MFA) in Shakespeare and Performance. He has acted and directed around Northeast Ohio and has worked as an understudy for the American Shakespeare Center. He has worked on and off the stage at Weathervane Playhouse, performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Sum of Us. He has worked for Weathervane's education department teaching classes both on site and for the Akron After School program, and he performed with the education-outreach troupe in Furry Tails with a Twist and Two Swords, a Bag of Marbles and a PB&J. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. CLICK HERE for his Web site.
ABOUT THE SHOW'S MUSICAL DIRECTOR
SHARON DOBBINS ALBERSON is a graduate of Kent State University School of Music and was a Blossom Music Scholar with the Cleveland Orchestra. A graduate of The University of Akron School of Law, Harvard Divinity School and Oxford University, Sharon is a minister, lawyer and musician. She is the founder and director of Faith Musicals, a faith-based musical company that produces eight original musicals for the benefit of local and national charities. For Weathervane Playhouse, she served as the musical director for this past summer's production of Annie, the 2009, 2011 and 2012 productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella in 2011 and Seussical in 2010.
ONLINE RESOURCES
CLICK HERE for the show's Wikipedia page.
CLICK HERE for the show's page on Music Theatre International's Web site
CLICK HERE for the Web site of the show's creators.
Are YOU on our Audition List?
► CLICK HERE to sign up to receive Weathervane e-mails, including audition announcements.