ABOUT
AUDITIONS
Pygmalion
AUDITION TIMES FOR PYGMALION:
Thursday, Jan 13, 6pm
Saturday, Jan 15, 3pm
Please arrive at the scheduled time or a little early for general announcements. An attempt will be made to read auditioners in the order they arrive. If you have not appeared on our stage, please print and fill out the audition form, which can be accessed here.
If you cannot make either of the two dates above, please email us at cbpaa.info@gmail.com and state which days are convenient for you. The most convenient for us is anytime Friday, Jan 14, between 1pm and 8pm.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OPEN AUDITIONS, GO TO THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
ALL AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE PLAYHOUSE, 108 HAWTHORN STREET, COLONIAL BEACH, VA.
PERFORMANCES WILL BE IN LATE MARCH/EARLY APRIL, ON THREE WEEKENDS, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY EVENINGS AND SUNDAY AFTERNOONS.
REHEARSAL WILL BE SCHEDULED AT THE CONVENIENCE OF ACTORS. THUS, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW THE DATES/TIMES THAT YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO REHEARSE/PERFORM BETWEEN JAN 17 AND APRIL 10.
AUDITION WILL BE BY COLD READING FROM THE PYGMALION SCRIPT. IF YOU WISH TO HAVE A COPY OF A “SIDE” EMAILED TO YOU, PLEASE EMAIL US AT cbpaa.info@gmail.com AND SPECIFY WHICH CHARACTER YOU WISH TO READ FOR.
ROLES:
ALL ROLES ARE OPEN. THEY ARE (character ages are indicated):
HENRY HIGGINS: 40s. A professorial man who lives in the upper class but has a contempt for snobbery and no patience with those he considers of less intellect than himself, which includes just about everyone. Standard British accent.
ELIZA DOOLITTLE: 18-20—A poor flower girl who wants Professor Higgins to teach her proper English so she can get a job in a shop. Cockney accent in Act I, Standard British (RP) in Act II.
COLONEL PICKERING: 60s. A former military man in India. A man of manners and means. Standard British.
ALFRED DOOLITTLE: 40s – 50s. A common dustman and the father of Eliza, who can be a charmer and enjoys being one of the undeserving poor. Could double with BYSTANDER. Cockney accent in Act I, more middle class in Act II.
MRS. HIGGINS: 60s. An intelligent woman who respects her son but wishes he would be more respectful of others. Standard British.
MRS. PEARCE: Higgins’ housekeeper, who dislikes but tolerates Higgins’ frequent tirades and lack of manners. Standard British. Could double with PARLOR-MAID.
FREDDY: 20. Son of Mrs. Eynsford Hill. Well-meaning but not extremely bright. Standard British.
MRS. EYNSFORD HILL: 50s—A very proper Victorian lady. Standard British.
CLARA EYNSFORD HILL: Mid 20s—snooty daughter of Mrs. Eynsford Hill and older sister of Freddy. Standard British.
BYSTANDER: 30s to 50s—A local man, not a gentleman. Cockney accent.
PARLOR-MAID: 20s to 40s. Mrs. Higgins servant. Standard British.
A WORD ABOUT ACCENTS (technically, dialects)
All actors will need to affect a British accent, but you need not use an accent when you audition. We will only use two accents: Standard British (RP) and Cockney.
The best way to learn an accent is simply to listen to others. Watching TV is the best way to learn an accent, even a foreign language. A knack for repeating what others say, exactly how they say it, is a big advantage. Most people have this knack to some extent. A few people just lack this ability, even some good actors.
There are YouTube videos on these, but there is no quick and easy way to learn all the nuances of an accent. We will focus on learning the words in the play. A pretty good video on RP is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agUuOtgHdGY
For cockney, a copy of the movie My Fair Lady or of a professional version of the play Pygmalion is the best guide. A good video on modern cockney that is fun to watch is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11qjmvTdJ8
Open Auditions
AUDITION TIMES FOR OPEN AUDITIONS:
Saturday, Jan 15, 4pm
Sunday, Jan 16, 3 pm
These auditions are primarily for those who are not available or not in the age range to appear in Pygmalion (particularly children and teens). However, everyone is welcome to audition for both.
These auditions are very important, because we have not selected a full slate of shows for 2022. Your particular talents may be just what we are looking for. Also of great importance is your availability. So, if you know you will be out of town for a month in September, that will pretty much prevent you from an October show. We may even schedule shows around your availability. We will also ask you if you are a good singer, but we will not be asking you to sing. We will not be casting based on these auditions, but you may get a personal invitation to attend a future audition where we will be casting.
These will be truly open auditions, and whole families are invited to audition. There will be no pressure, and everyone will have a good time. We will probably take a photo of you if you don’t bring one. You will be asked to do a cold reading, selected by our Artistic Director, either by yourself or with another auditioner.