The Marvelous

Wonderettes

Created and Written by Roger Bean

Directed by Garry Forrester

Audition Dates: Saturday January 11^th 1 – 4PM

                          Sunday January 12^th 5 – 7PM

Place: Valley Performing Arts

Performance Dates:  March 28 – April 20, 2014

Synopsis

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES is a cotton-candy colored, non-stop pop musical. It takes the audience to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet the Wonderettes - four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match. We learn about their lives and loves accompanied by the girls performing classic '50's and '60s' pop songs. The second act takes place 10 years later.  All four women will portray characters that are 18 and 28 years of age.

Audition Information

This will be a FUN audition….make up your mind NOW that you are going to have fun and enjoy the time spent with all of us at the theatre! 

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES is a musical and because of that, it requires that we have four solo-quality female vocalists that also have the ability to blend with one another.  Please come prepared to sing a musical selection that showcases your vocal range and your artistic ability.  You may sing a cappella or bring sheet music - an accompanist will be provided. If you plan on singing an aria, please be aware that you may be asked to step outside to finish it after the first three minutes are up so as not to hold up the others waiting to audition. J 

We’re looking for vocalists that can sing in a bright, old-fashioned pop-belt style – some good examples for Act I are Connie Francis, Doris Day, The Chordettes and The McGuire Sisters; for Act II check out Dusty Springfield, Lesley Gore, The Shangri-Las and Betty Everett.  Good old-school comedy skills will also be a plus.

We can’t all dance like Ginger Rogers or Shakira and to be honest, the Wonderettes probably wouldn’t WANT to dance like her (well maybe Cindy Lou might, but we’d better not suggest it).  That being said, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES is a musical that also has choreography so be prepared to spend a little time with our choreographer just going through some basic steps so we can see how you strut your stuff – comfortable clothing and shoes would be a good idea.

You’ll be asked to participate in some engaging activities.  Come prepared to share a story, a joke, a poem, an interesting anecdote or some dirt on your best friend or sibling – your choice, just make it interesting and original.  You’ll also be asked to do some improvisation and/or a pantomime on a given subject.  These informal activities will help the director get to know you…how well you can emote, how comfortable you are using the stage, and how effective you are at telling a story both with your voice and your body. 

This show is all about having a good time, letting it all hang out in good taste (after all, the characters are at their senior prom!), enjoying their friendship (most of the time) and having a great time with the audience. Be prepared to come have fun.  Every effort will be made to make your audition as enjoyable and as painless as possible.  You have the director’s promise!!  Please be aware that Thursday evening and/or Saturday matinee performances could be added to the shows that are already scheduled.

Come join the fun!!

Rehearsals

Rehearsals will begin on January 17^th.  Detailed rehearsal calendars will be given out at the first rehearsal.  Week day rehearsals begin at 6:30PM promptly and end at 9:00PM.  Saturday morning rehearsals will be scheduled as needed.  Rehearsals are never canceled.  Not every actress will have to be at every rehearsal – rehearsals are structured to respect your time and to ensure that rehearsals are as productive and enjoyable as possible.  Please review the audition form for more information regarding rehearsals.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact Garry via email at leadstinger@hotmail.com or by phone at 373-0195.

Click on the links below to listen to some song clips

Lollipop

Stupid Cupid

Mr. Lee

It’s in His Kiss

Son of a Preacher Man

Click here to download an audition form

Click here to download a copy of the tentative rehearsal schedule

Character List and Descriptions

CINDY LOU - She knows she is the prettiest girl at Springfield High. She knows she will be named Prom Queen and acts out against her best friend Betty Jean when things don't go her way. She makes the biggest change between Act 1 & 2, having learned the lessons of true love and loss. Vocal range: Mezzo Soprano; sings lead line on most songs. Some of the songs she sings are: “Allegheny Moon”, “Son of a Preacher Man”, and “Maybe”.

MISSY - She is the over-achiever of the group. She is controlled and very concerned that everything at the prom turns out wonderful and perfect. She’s the head of the prom decorations committee and absolutely smitten with her music teacher. Her best friend is Suzy.  Vocal range: Soprano with a wide range; very high vocals and belts throughout the show.  Songs included in her repertoire: “Secret Love”, “You Don't Own Me”, and “Wedding Bell Blues”.

BETTY JEAN – She’s the class clown, tomboy, and is always vying for attention with Cindy Lou, her best friend.  It's also highly probable that Betty Jean wants to be with Cindy Lou herself, but just doesn't even know what those feelings really are. Cindy Lou steals Betty Jean's boyfriend away, which causes a lot of the friction at the prom.  She holds this grudge against Cindy Lou until they make up at the 10 year reunion.  Vocal range: Alto with a strong low range.  Songs that she’ll sing include: “Lipstick on Your Collar”, “I Only Want To Be With You”, and “That's When The Tears Start."

SUZY – She’s best friends with Missy and is the happy-go-lucky one of the group - sometimes stereotyped as the ditzy blonde. She is always smiling and giggling and nothing ever seems to bother her.  She’s in love with the lighting operator and is completely surprised when she’s named prom queen.  A different side of her appears in Act 2 as she is frustrated, sad, hormonal, and pregnant. Vocal range: Mezzo alto that can sing sweetly and with soul.  This vocalist must be able to belt songs out and also be a very good comedienne – the “ditzy blonde” can’t be a ditzy actress.  Her songs include: “Stupid Cupid”, “Hold Me, Thrill Me”, and “Rescue Me”.