CASTING CALL: ROCK OF AGES

PRODUCTION DATES:

• First Rehearsal: Monday, August 3, 2020
• Tech: Thursday, August 27, 2020
• First Preview: Wednesday, September 2, 2020
• Press Opening: Friday, September 11, 2020
• Closing: Sunday, October 18, 2020

Equity Principal Auditions

EMC and Non-Equity actors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

When: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 – 10am-6pm

• Lunch 1:30-2:30pm

Where: Chicago Actors’ Equity Office, 557 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60661

PREPARATION:

• Please bring ONE copy of  Headshot/Resume.
• Please prepare a one-minute cut of a classic rock song.

Equity CHORUS Auditions

EMC and Non-Equity actors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

When: Wednesday, February 26, 2020

• Male Dancers 10am-1pm
• Lunch 1-2pm
• Female Dancers 2-6pm
• NOTE: Anyone who does not identify on the binary is encouraged to come to whatever call they feel most comfortable. The male call will be more character based rock movement, the female call will be more dance heavy. The binary gender division is currently a requirement by Actors Equity.

Where: Chicago Actors’ Equity Office, 557 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60661

PREPARATION:

Please bring ONE copy of your Headshot/Resume

Be warmed up and prepared to dance in appropriate attire and bring jazz or tennis shoes for males, character shoes AND tennis shoes for females. You may be asked to sing. Please prepare a one-minute cut of a classic rock song.

Character Breakdown:

A note about casting (adapted from language, with consent, originally created by Kevin Kantor and Emily Traquin of Actors Theatre of Louisville):

Most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns and you will see that in the following character descriptions.  However limiting the descriptions are, our casting seeks to be inclusive as possible and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with.  We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities.  Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.

DREW

• 20s
• Good-guy rocker with great, easy comedic timing, a boyish charm, and vulnerability. Drew works at the legendary Bourbon Room in LA, hoping and waiting for his dreams to come true. He finds an instant attraction to Sherrie, the new arrival from the Midwest, who encourages him to go after his dreams. Vocal: strong rock tenor voice; RANGE: (Bb3 – D5)

SHERRIE

• 20s
• Fresh-faced, innocent Midwestern girl stepping right off the bus into a new world to pursue her dreams of stardom. Strong comedic timing, good dance ability.  Vocal: strong rock belt; RANGE: (G3 – F5)

LONNY

• 20s-30s
• The narrator of the piece.  Charismatic, funny, mischievous, welcoming, vibrant personality, someone who would be fun to spend one crazy night with. Strong and honest with comedic timing/improv skills. Vocal: strong rock voice; RANGE: (D3 – D5)

DENNIS DUPREE

• 40s-60s
• Classic stoner type guy, a former rocker who runs the famous Bourbon Room club. Torn about whether he should sell the club to Hertz, a German businessman. Very strong comedic timing needed. A laid back, easy going dude. Vocal: Bari-tenor rock; RANGE: (D3 – A4)

STACEE JAXX

• 20s-40s
• Quintessential rock star. Decided to leave his successful hair/metal-rock band to try it solo. Very self-important, overconfident and intriguing in all the wrong ways, the ultimate bad boy; he is all about rock-n-roll and its benefits. Must be comfortable in revealing clothing. Vocal: strong rock tenor; RANGE: (C3 – Eb5)

REGINA

• 20s
• A former, hippie earthy girl turned militant protester who fights against the attempted takeover of The Sunset Strip. Strong comedic timing. Vocal: rock belt; RANGE: (A3 – Eb5)

HERTZ KLINEMANN

• 40s-50s
• Uptight, cold, intimidating, German businessman trying to buy up the Sunset Strip to develop it. The “villain” of the piece. Strong comedic timing. Vocal: baritone; RANGE: (F3 – A4)

FRANZ KLINEMANN

• 20s-30s
• Hertz’ foppish, flamboyant German son, works for his father, but not by choice. Pressured and intimidated by his father. Shy, gentle with a big heart. Over the course of the show, he changes and stands up to his father. Strong comedic timing, German accent. Vocal: strong vocals; RANGE: (Db3 – A4; E5 in falsetto)

JUSTICE

• 30s-40s
• Strong presence, an easy sensuality about her, once a performer, she now operates a gentlemen’s club where Sherrie winds up working. Maternal figure with street smarts. Vocal: strong, soulful, belt voice; RANGE: (G3 – E5)

ENSEMBLE

• All ages.
• This is a strong ensemble piece with many featured players. The Ensemble plays a variety of roles including rockers, dancers, bourbon room patrons, waitresses, waiters, bartenders, church choir, groupies, backup singers, riot police, homeless, protesters, rock video MTV dancers, etc.  All should have strong rock voices, dance well, with comedic ability.

PERSONNEL

• Director and Choreographer- Amber Mak
• Music Director- Tom Vendafreddo
• Trent Stork, CSA- Casting Director
• Jim Corti- Artistic Director
• Kaylee Billman-Galuhn- Company Manager

For questions, please contact:

Trent Stork
Broadway Series Casting Director
casting@paramountarts.com