The independent world premiere production of Miss Helen's Weird West Cabaret is seeking performers!
We are a trans woman lead production and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team both on and off stage that reflects the breadth of diversity in our community. As such we encourage black indigenous and people of color, as well as trans and queer people, and other marginalized individuals to apply!
Auditions:
Sunday 07/12 & Monday 07/13 @6-10pm
Phoenix Theater
2605 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408
To audition, sign up for a 5 minute slot here & fill out the audition form here before your audition.
For your audition, please prepare 32 measures of a song of your choice as well as one of these excerpts from the show. Your choice of excerpt will not affect which characters you are considered for. Accompaniment will not be provided.
About the Show:
Miss Helen's Weird West Cabaret is a one hour musical by Paul Shapera. Ostensibly set in the fictional frontier town of Lost Hollow where our cast put on a musical review recounting tales of Lost Hollow and its residents. However the facade begins to crack due to the growing dissonance between the cast and the roles they are forced to play, in the process highlighting the racism, homophobia, and general bigotry at play in this setup, and the lack of control the marginalized have over the narratives of our own lives more broadly.
The full concept album of the show can be found here.
A Note on Intimacy:
All roles call for intimacy. The show wields sex and sexuality liberally, drawing on elements of burlesque and drag as it does. All intimacy will be choreographed by our intimacy coordinator. The consent and comfort of our actors is a top priority throughout the production.
Rehearsals:
There will be a read through on July 27th from 6-10pm. Regular rehearsals will be weekday evenings from Aug. 10th-30th. Exact days and times are subject to cast availability. There will be no more than four rehearsals in a week outside of tech.
Tech:
Monday 08/31-Wednesday 09/02 @ 6-10pm
Performances:
Thursday 09/03-Sunday 09/06 evening
Saturday 09/05 matinee
Phoenix Theater
2605 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Roles:
All roles will be paid a stipend of $800 dollars. Note that characters perform several other minor roles as part of the in universe cabaret, these have been noted below each character description. These minor roles may be subject to change or adjustment in rehearsals.
As previously stated, all roles require intimacy, and all intimacy will be choreographed by our intimacy coordinator.
Miss Helen – Soprano. She/Her. Black lesbian. The host and “founder” of the cabaret who does her best to take care of the show and her cast, particularly fond of Han. Aware the cabaret is just a show but follows the script anyway. Helen performs the following additional characters within the cabaret:
- Hank’s Mama, Old Coot, Towns-Person 1
Han-Mi – Mezzo-Soprano. She/Her. Bisexual (but doesn’t realize it yet) Asian woman. The villain of the cabaret with an open crush on one of her co-stars, discontent with her role due to all the racist, orientalist, and generally bigoted elements employed by the cabaret and its unknown writer. Han performs the following additional characters within the cabaret:
- Barnsdale, Ringmaster, Towns-Person 3
The Sheriff, Hank – Tenor. He/Him. “Straight” cisgender white man. The rugged, true, and brave sheriff of Lost Hollow. Almost completely lost in his role, confused by any changes or deviations from the script. Hank performs the following additional characters within the cabaret:
- Evan, Towns-Person 2
Henry, The Alchemist – Tenor. He/Him. Gay nonwhite man. Hank’s deputy, a skilled alchemist. He has some understanding of the cabaret as a facade, but content with his role within it. Henry performs the following additional characters within the cabaret:
- Hank’s Werewolf Girlfriend