Auditions for upcoming workshop and staged readings of The Elephant, a new rock musical with book and lyrics by Alex Church (He/Him) and music by Shannon Maroney (They/Them).
Synopsis
The Elephant is a rock musical exploring addiction from the perspective of the support system. Following a devastating phone call, a young gay man learns his alcoholic mother has relapsed. Speeding home to clean up the mess, he finds things to be far worse than anticipated: their family, fractured by distance and jaded by time, has largely left him to battle her illness alone. Confronted by physical manifestations of their darkest parts, mother and son fight to hold on amidst the deafening roar of addiction.
Since being first written in 2020, this musical has undergone extensive rewrites and a previous workshop/staged reading with Act Up Theatre, under it's previous name, Relapse. In this second workshop, we hope to finalize the script and score in preparation for a full production next year.
Casting the following roles:
Liam (He/Him), 21 - A gay college student, the eldest of 3 brothers. Though he studies far away, he's always quick to rush to the scene of disaster- for better or worse. Feels abandonded within his mother's illness
Mallory (She/Her), 40s - An alcoholic artist wound tightly around the guilt of her choices and the shame of them coming to bear.
Whiskey (Any pronouns), any age - The physical manifestation of addiction. A charming, manipulative friend with a quick temper and quicker wit. What starts as meek, pathetic gaslighter metastasizes into a force of abuse that threatens to swallow everything
The Emotions (Any pronouns), any age - A 4-person chorus made up of personifications of Rage, Agony, Craving, and Love that combine to form several other characters throughout the script: Liam's father, grandparents, and two brothers.
NOTE: Whiskey and the Emotions are all gender and ageless roles.
Audition Info:
Auditions will be held Saturday, September 30th from 1pm to 5pm; and Monday, October 2nd from 6pm to 9pm at the Phoenix Theater
Video auditions will also be accepted.
Sign up for a 5-minute slot using the link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C49A9AD23ABF9…
ALL AUDITIONERS (in-person and via video) should also fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/GsGro8wgFpZ2sdWa8
Auditioners will perform a 1-2 minute dramatic monologue of their choosing, as well as 60-90 seconds of a rock song that shows off a range and belt. It is strongly preferred you sing a cutting of a song from the show, linked below. Due to the ensemble nature of the show, feel free to sing whatever suits your voice best. Suggested vocal parts are simply suggestions. If one particularly interests you, feel free to take a crack at it!
"Dread" suggested for Tenor/Alto singers (note that the sheet music is meant to be sung up the octave)
"Guilt" suggested for Alto/Mezzo singers
"Drunk" suggested for Baritone/Mezzo singers (note that the sheet music is meant to be sung up the octave)
"Thirst" suggested for all voice types in whatever octave they choose.
You can access all audition materials at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1U6asTIhG3…
Callbacks will be held Tuesday, October 3rd from 6pm to 9pm and will consist of readings of the script, learning music in groups, and a physical exploration exercise.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals will be in a workshop format, testing and tweaking the script and score. Actors will be expected to spend time before/outside rehearsals getting familiar with the music so time in rehearsals can be spent tinkering
The team is committed to including members of the recovery community in the workshop process.
Performances
The Elephant will be presented as a staged reading at the Phoenix Theater. We hope to incorporate basic blocking/movement into the reading to give some extra zhush, but that's TBD based on our progress.
Tech days: November 13th 6pm to 10pm, November 15th 6pm to 10pm
Performances: November 16th and 18th at 7:30pm, November 19th at 2pm.
Following the closing performance, there will be a post-show reception with food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Compensation
All roles paid $125 on opening night. Additionally, performers will be given copies of all production photos and a video of the performance.
Questions?
Feel free to email Alex Church (He/Him) at [email protected]
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.