PLAYBAC Summer Theater presents:

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1 Audition Information Packet Ages The PLAYBAC mission is to provide young performers with professional-level training in acting, dance, and vocal music with an emphasis on ensemble work, fostering a positive emotional environment, and strengthening existing skill sets while exploring new avenues of artistic expression. Students who participate in our youth theater programming gain confidence in both social and public speaking skills, improve problem-solving skills and physical coordination, and learn to support and encourage their fellow ensemble members in order to create a healthy and positive community environment. Auditions will be held: June 1 and 2, 4-7pm About the Casting Process An audition is required to participate in the program. Please call x216 to reserve an audition slot. Audition slots will be 5 minutes in length. Students will be asked to sing a 16 bars (one chorus or one verse) a capella (without musical accompaniment) of a song of their choice. There will be no monologue required as the show is through-sung. Students who are invited to callbacks will be asked to learn a short vocal selection and/or dance number from the production. Please take a look at the rehearsal, tech, and performance schedule on Page 2 and come to the auditions prepared to note any conflicts on your audition sheet. Please note: All roles in this year s show require the actor to sing and dance. Some role require less sing or dancing than others, but this is a through-composed musical, meaning there is no spoken dialogue. Callbacks will be held: June 3, 4-8pm Please Note: We call back about half of the actors who will be cast. If you are not invited to callbacks, you may still have a role in the production! The Cast List will be sent out via and posted on the BAC School of Theater Callboard by Noon on Saturday, June 6. Casting Policies: Students are cast in age-appropriate roles without regard for race, ethnicity, or physical appearance. Most roles are non-gender specific. Please see role descriptions for more information. We try to cast everyone who auditions. However, we also need to maintain a cast size that fosters a positive learning environment and is appropriate for the needs of the show. For that reason, if over 50 students audition we may choose to make cuts when casting. 1

2 After the Cast List is Posted Contract Meeting All actors cast are required to attend our contract meeting on Monday, June 8 from 7 to 8pm. Actors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Students accepted into the cast of Cats will be learning to work as though they are professional actors. As such, all students who are accepted into the program will be required, along with a parent or guardian, to sign a commitment to the schedule and behavior requirements of the program. On contract night we will also review the schedule, discuss rules and regulations in detail, and answer any remaining questions about the program. Rehearsals: June 15- July 20 Most actors will not be needed at all rehearsals. There will be some exceptions lead actors will be called to most rehearsals, and students will be called more often as the production date approaches. All actors will receive a rehearsal schedule on June 8 that indicates exactly when they are called for the full rehearsal period. Mondays: Noon to 4pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 4 to 7pm Tech Rehearsals: (attendance mandatory for all cast members) July 21, 22, and 23: 4-8pm July 26: 2-6pm July 27: Noon-5pm July 28: 4-8pm Performances: July 29: 12:30pm July 30 and 31: 7:30pm August 1: 2pm Participation Fees The participation fee for Cats is $375 and $338 for members. Register for an audition before the Summer Early Bird Deadline and pay only $338! Members who register Early Bird pay only $304! In order to participate in Cats, students who are accepted must be paid in full by Friday, June 12. ***SPECIAL OFFER FOR PLAYBAC STUDENTS ONLY!!!*** Students who register for PLAYBAC summer camp can get one other class or camp for the same student at half price! This includes: Professional-level training in acting, vocal music, and dance from experienced performer/educators at the top of their fields. Use of the spectacular Beverly Arts Center facilities, including our professional dance studio, spacious rehearsal rooms, and, of course, performances in our beautiful 400-seat mainstage theater. Performance on a professional-quality set, with use of our recently improved sound and lighting systems. Any specialty costume items. 2

3 Role Descriptions Asparagus /Gus - The theatre cat. The same actor usually plays Asparagus as a general chorus cat, and a younger version of Gus, up to the song "Gus the Theatre Cat", in which he portrays an older Gus, and Growltiger, then afterwards continues to play younger Gus, "Asparagus." Bombalurina - A saucy red female. She sings a duet with Demeter. Bustopher Jones - A fat cat, a "twenty-five pounder." Dresses in a snappy tuxedo and spats. Respected by all, as the upper class "St James' Street Cat." Demeter - A very skittish female cat. While the other cats are jubilant with Old Deuteronomy's return, Demeter realizes something is wrong and unmasks Macavity in disguise. Grizabella - The former Glamour Cat who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted. Grizabella left the tribe when she was younger to see the world for herself. In doing so she faced the harshness of the outside world, as well as the equally harsh status of pariah in the cats' society. Griddlebone - A fluffy white Persian cat, and Growltiger's girlfriend in "Growltiger's Last Stand," with Growltiger. Growltiger - A theatrical character Gus recalls playing in his youth, and who appears in Gus' memory of the production of "Growltiger's Last Stand." Jellylorum - A female who watches out for the kittens, along with Jennyanydots. She has a close relationship with Gus. Named after T. S. Eliot's own cat. Jemima - A kitten who is also a Rum Tum Tugger fan and friends with Electra, Etcetera, and Victoria. Jennyanydots - The old Gumbie cat. She sits all day and rules the mice and cockroaches at night, forcing them to undertake helpful or useful functions, or creative projects, to curb their naturally destructive habits. Macavity - He is the show's only real villain. The character is a literary allusion to the Sherlock Holmes character Professor Moriarty. Mr. Mistoffelees - A young tom with magical powers, who appears as a general chorus cat throughout the show, and is dressed slightly differently. He is also capable of creating seven kittens right out of a hat, and magically switching any two cat's places. A most useful spell when Old Deuteronomy is captured by Macavity. Mungojerrie - Half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Rumpleteazer. Munkustrap - The show's de facto narrator. A black and silver tom who is storyteller and protector of the Jellicle tribe. He is thought to be second in command after Old Deuteronomy. Old Deuteronomy - The lovable patriarch of the Jellicle Tribe. He is very old and dignified. The leader of the Jellicle Tribe. Rumpleteazer - Female half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Mungojerrie. The Rum Tum Tugger - The ladies' tom. His temperament ranges from clownish to serious. He is always flirtatious, and usually portrayed as a feline equivalent of Elvis Presley, and recognizable by his wild mane. Skimbleshanks - The railway cat. An active orange tabby cat, who lives on the trains and acts as an unofficial chaperone to such an extent he is considered rather indispensible to the train and station employees. Victoria - A pure white kitten gifted in dancing. The "official" Jellicle Ball begins with her solo dance. 3

4 Plot Synopsis Act I When Cats are Maddened by the Midnight Dance After the overture, the cats gather on stage and explain the Jellicle tribe and their purpose ('Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats'). The cats spot the human audience and explain how the different cats of the tribe are named ('The Naming of Cats'). This is followed by a dance from Victoria the White Cat that signals the beginning of the Jellicle Ball and Munkustrap tells us that tonight is the night when Old Deuteronomy will choose a cat to be reborn into a new life on the Heaviside Layer. Munkustrap appears and introduces Jennyanydots ('The Old Gumbie Cat'), a large tabby cat. She "sits and sits and sits" all day, while at night she rules over the mice and cockroaches, teaching various activities to them. Jennyanydots finishes, greets the other cats, but is interrupted. The music instantly changes, and The Rum Tum Tugger makes an extravagant entrance ('The Rum Tum Tugger'). The Rum Tum Tugger is a tom with a wild mane and leopard spots on his chest. He is very fickle and unappeasable, "for he will do as he do do and there's no doing anything about it". A shabby old grey cat stumbles out and looks around. It is Grizabella. All the cats back away. The cats sing of her saddened, unfortunate state ('Grizabella: The Glamour Cat'). Grizabella leaves and the music changes to a cheerful upbeat. Bustopher Jones, a fat cat in "a coat of fastidious black", appears ('Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town'). Bustopher Jones is among the elite of the cats, and visits prestigious gentleman's clubs. A loud crash startles the tribe. Could this be Macavity? The cats run off the stage in fright. Hushed giggling signals the entrance of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, a pair of near-identical cats. They are petty burglars, very mischievous, and enjoy causing trouble for human families ('Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer'). Finally, the Jellicle patriarch, Old Deuteronomy, shows up ('Old Deuteronomy'). He is a large old cat that has lived many lives and buried nine wives (And more, I am tempted to say ninety-nine). He is the one who will choose which Jellicle cat will go to the Heaviside Layer. In most productions, at this point, the cats perform a song ('The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles') for Old Deuteronomy. It is a story about two dog tribes clashing in the street and subsequently being scared away by the Great Rumpus Cat The Great Rumpus Cat is a cat with flashing red eyes. After a few words from Old Deuteronomy on the destiny of Jellicle Cats and Pollicle Dogs, a second loud crash, presumably from Macavity, sends the alarmed cats scurrying. But Old Deuteronomy calls them back and the main celebration begins ('The Jellicle Ball'), in which the cats sing, dance and display their "terpsichorean powers". After the Ball, Grizabella reappears, refusing to be left out of the festivities. Once again, she is shunned by the other cats, but that does not stop her from singing a short version of 'Memory'. Act II Why Will the Summer Day Delay When Will Time Flow Away? After the Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy sings of what happiness is ('The Moments of Happiness'). Gus short for Asparagus shuffles forward ('Gus: The Theatre Cat'). He is the cat that once was a famous actor but now he is old and suffers from palsy which makes his paws shake. He is accompanied by Jellylorum, who tells of his exploits. Gus then remembers how he once played the infamous Growltiger, Terror of the Thames ('Growltiger's Last Stand'). He tells the story about the pirate's romance with Griddlebone and how he was overtaken by the Siamese and forced to walk the plank. Skimbleshanks is sleeping in the corner ('Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat'), a cat who is unofficially in charge of the night train to Glasgow. He is very clever and very important because if he is gone the train can t start. With a third crash and an evil laugh, the "most wanted" cat, Macavity appears. He is a master criminal and never is found at the scene of the crime. He is a horrifying looking cat and a villain of the Jellicle Tribe. Macavity shows up and captures Old Deuteronomy. As the other cats try to follow him, Demeter and Bombalurina sing what they know about Macavity, as they have had some sort of past with him ('Macavity: The Mystery Cat'). When they are finished, Macavity returns disguised as Old Deuteronomy. When revealed by Demeter, he fights with Munkustrap. The Rum Tum Tugger suggests that the cats find Mr. Mistoffelees ('Magical Mr. Mistoffelees'). Mr. Mistoffelees is black and small and can perform many feats of magic that no other cat can do. The magical cat succeeds in bringing back Old Deuteronomy. He is praised by all the cats. The Jellicle choice can now be made. Old Deuteronomy sits down and Grizabella appears for the final time. Old Deuteronomy allows her to have a chance to address the cats. Her faded appearance and lonely disposition have little effect on her song ('Memory'). The appeal succeeds and she is chosen to be the one ('Journey to the Heaviside Layer'). A large tire rises up with Old Deuteronomy and Grizabella. Once at the top Grizabella finishes the journey herself. Old Deuteronomy gives his closing speech to the human audience ('The Ad-dressing of Cats') and the show comes to a close. 4

5 Audition Tips Take your time! Think about what your character is trying to get the other people on stage with them to do. Sing clearly! The director needs to be able to understand what you are saying. Start your song at your strongest point. We only need to hear a short piece of music, not a whole song, so don t feel like you have to start at the beginning if you really want us to hear you hit that high note at the end, start singing at the last verse, not the first. Don t forget to act while you re singing. Even if you re not doing a monologue, you re still demonstrating your acting ability as you sing at your audition. Feel free to sing as a character and express your character physically and through your facial expressions as you sing. Dream up a character and go for it! The purpose of your initial audition is to show the director that you can make strong choices on stage so be wacky, be sincere, or be evil but whatever you choose, go all the way! Try to perform the character the way you see it in your head. And remember, we want to see that you can play a character as you sing as well as when you speak! Have fun! If you re enjoying performing, we ll enjoy watching you! 5