Auditions

Tuesday, October 1st

Thursday, October 3rd

Friday, October 4th

Location - Williston Federated Church, 6.30 till 10.00

Callbacks

Monday, October 7th

Wednesday, October 9th

General Information

The production will be staged using an ensemble of performers playing all the roles. Regardless of the character you are cast as, you may be on stage for long periods as a member of that ensemble and singing different lines accordingly.

Also, be aware that this is a difficult show with a high commitment required to rehearsal. Please only audition if you are prepared and enthusiastic to make that commitment.

Every performer is required to sing to a very high standard. There are no exceptions.

Characters speak in English accents, some upper class (RP), some East End London (Cockney), and some Standard English. While it is not required to prepare the audition pieces in the respective character accents, it will be an advantage to do so.

Performers must be a minimum of 16 years old on 11/2/24 to audition. Having said that, despite the fact that there are two characters described as under the age of 20, make no mistake that this is adult material. Please read the trigger warnings below and if you are in any doubt, look at the material in advance. It is widely available.

Rehearsal requirements will vary, but you can expect 4 days a week for a leading role. Rehearsals will begin November 2nd with time off for Thanksgiving and the Holiday period (details are on the Audition Form).

A complete schedule will be published on the first day of rehearsal which accommodates ALL submitted conflicts. No further conflicts will be accepted, so please consider the conflicts you list carefully at the time of submission. Obviously conflicts are an important consideration for us, but your participation in one of the November shows in the area is not a deal-breaker.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: This is a tale of gothic horror. There are depictions of blood, murder, dismemberment, cannibalism, sexual violence, flagellation, gunshots, immolation and possibly more. If this is not for you, please do not submit.

Character Breakdown

Genders and ages belong to the characters, not the performer who plays them.

Sweeney Todd

M, 40-55, Baritone (Standard English with cockney edge)

A wrongfully imprisoned barber seeking to right the wrongs committed against him. Obsessed with bloody revenge and flirting with insanity. Stoic, dark and charismatic.

Mrs. Lovett

F, 40-55, Mezzo (Cockney)

Entrepreneurial East End widow, and owner of the pie shop downstairs. Opportunistic, quirky, and always a glint in her eye, she is a whirlwind of energy across the stage as she fights for her last shot at love.

Anthony Hope

M, 20-30, Tenor/Baritone (Standard English)

A naive and youthful sailor returning to London. He falls in love with Johanna and decides to rescue her from her gilded cage.

Johanna

F, 18-25, Lyric Soprano (RP)

An innocent young girl, kept captive by her evil guardian. She yearns for freedom, and ultimately shows herself to be willing to do more to obtain it than at first meets the eye.

Tobias Ragg

M, 16-24, Tenor (Cockney)

A chirpy youngster, working as a street barker, apprenticed to the charlatan, Pirelli. He finds a surrogate family in Todd and Mrs. Lovett, whose sanctuary leads him down a dark road.

Judge Turpin

M, 50-65, Baritone/Bass (RP)

A lecherous, evil man who portrays himself as a sanctimonious authoritarian. He lusts after his ward, Johanna, and is ultimately responsible for the sequence of events that determine the bloody end of the show.

The Beadle

M, 35-55, Tenor (RP/cockney undertones)

A pompous and comedic public official, deeply loyal to the corrupt Judge Turpin who he serves as a trusted henchman.

The Beggar Woman

F, 40-55, Mezzo / Soprano (cockney)

A deranged and mentally scarred street woman who harbors a dark secret. She is the seer of the piece, generally ignored and subjugated, but watching and aware of everything.

Adolfo Pirelli

M, 30-45, Tenor (Comedic Italian/cockney)

A flamboyant Italian barber with a penchant for operatic melodrama. He is later revealed without his sensational wig as a charlatan East End gangster.

Ensemble

M/F/X, 20-60, Bass, Tenor, Alto, High Soprano

Excellent singers, able to perform with extreme intensity. Accents - Standard English.

Audition Process

Book a slot

You are required to book a slot for audition. There are a limited number of slots and we are anticipating a high demand. When they are gone, they are gone, so please submit early if you are genuinely interested. Please cancel your slot if you know you will not be attending so someone else can use it.

To book a slot, you must complete the Audition Form and send it to the email address below. You will be offered a slot by reply. (You may select your preferred audition day on the form).

AUDITION FORM is HERE

Email the completed form to VTRepStageManager@gmail.com

The deadline for booking a slot is midnight on Monday 30 September, after which we will no longer be accepting submissions.

Prepare the correct song for the part you wish to be seen for

Your audition will be private, at a specified time, and take no more than 10 minutes. We may run a little behind and ask for your understanding.

You should prepare an excerpt of one song as follows, depending on the character you wish to be considered for - please do not sing more than the section given. If you wish to audition for more than one character, choose the song that best suits your voice.

There will be NO reading or dancing component to the audition.

You will be asked to perform the song to the track provided, (identical to the tracks available for download below), and we are looking for a performance of the excerpt, not just a sing.

NOTE FROM DIRECTOR, MICHAEL FIDLER is HERE

NOTE FROM MUSICAL DIRECTOR, ASHLEY O’BRIEN is HERE

Song Selection:

The Worst Pies in London

MRS LOVETT, BEGGAR WOMAN

My Friends

SWEENEY TODD, JUDGE TURPIN, BASS ENSEMBLE

Green Finch and Linnet Bird

JOHANNA, SOPRANO ENSEMBLE

Not While I’m Around

ANTHONY, TOBIAS

By the Sea

ALTO ENSEMBLE

Parlor Songs

BEADLE, PIRELLI, TENOR ENSEMBLE

Keep the Callback days free

Callbacks are Monday, October 7th, and Wednesday October 9th. You may be asked to work more on the song you sang at the audition or work on a different song, which will be sent to you with the request to attend a callback.

Not receiving a callback is not an indication that you will not be cast.

Watch out for Emails

We communicate via email from the address VTRepStageManager@gmail.com. If you do not hear back from us within 24 hours after submitting your form, please check your spam folder and ensure this address is going directly into your inbox for any further communication.

You will receive a notification of whether or not we are offering you a place in the cast between October 10th and 12th. The Cast list will be published on or before Sunday October 13th.