Summer Place Theatre to Hold Unified Auditions for 2019 Productions

South Pacific, My Three Angels, and a surprise musical spectacular looking for wide range of talents and experience

NAPERVILLE, Illinois (February 11, 2019) - The Summer Place Theatre will hold Unified Auditions for all three of this summer’s productions on Thursday, March 28, and Saturday, March 30, at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center in downtown Naperville. Actors of all ages and levels of experience and talent are encouraged to audition for any or all of the shows.

Those auditioning will be asked to sing a prepared song and/or read a prepared monologue, depending on which show(s) and roles they are auditioning for. Those auditioning may be asked to sing songs or read for scenes from a particular show upon request of the director(s). Each show will hold an additional round of auditions and/or callbacks if needed.

South Pacific

Naperville’s community theatre will begin its 53rd season by celebrating the 70th anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s American classic South Pacific, featuring some of the most beautiful and recognizable musical theater songs in history. There are a wide range of singing and non-singing roles, and a large ensemble of male and female singers and dancers who can move well for a handful of Broadway’s best ensemble numbers. South Pacific will be directed by Jorge Bermudez. The music/vocal director is Emma Gingold, and the choreographer is Nickel Hays.

Additional callbacks for South Pacific, if needed, will be held on Monday, April 1, and Wednesday, April 3, at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center. Rehearsals will begin Sunday, April 7, with a mandatory full cast first rehearsal and script readthrough . The rehearsal schedule will run for eight weeks, typically Monday through Thursday evenings and Saturdays. Tech week will begin on Sunday, June 2, and the show will open on Friday, June 7, running for two consecutive weekends on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons.

Role Breakdown

ENSIGN NELLIE FORBUSH: Character age, 25-29
Heroine; military nurse with a sense of optimism, in spite of the looming peril of war. Beautiful and naive, a self-described lovable hick, she is a product of her Southern upbringing in Little Rock, Arkansas, she struggles with her own racism when she falls in love with Emile DeBeque, an older Frenchman living in the South Pacific who is raising two children of mixed race. The actress must have a sincerity that defies her faults and subtle comic timing. Mezzo-soprano to Db5 with good belt mix and a good mover.

EMILE DE BECQUE: Male, Character age, 45-49
Wealthy, cultured and self-made French plantation owner. In spite of the character’s worldliness and sophistication, actor must be capable of revealing the darker side of a man who once committed murder in self-defense, as well as the vulnerabilities of an older man afraid of falling love with a younger woman. Bass/baritone; A2 - E4.

LIEUTENANT JOSEPH CABLE: Male,  Character age, 20s
Young, handsome officer with a bright military future. In spite of the unspoken rules of his privileged Philadelphia upbringing, Cable falls in love with Liat, a young Tonkinese girl. The actor must have a strong physical presence and be believable as a hot-shot Marine. Soaring tenor; E3 to G4.

BLOODY MARY: Female, Character age, 35-55
Shrewd and abrasive; cunningly capitalizing on the war by selling souvenirs to the American sailors occupying her island. Fiercely protective of her teenage daughter Liat and is searching to find her a suitable husband. Must have great comedic timing. Mezz-soprano to C5 with good belt mix.

LUTHER BILLIS: Male, Character age, 30-45
Lovable “wheeler dealer;” a conniving and mediocre entrepreneur. Friend to all, but is hampered by his lust for the ladies and his fascination with island trinkets. A funny everyman who is believable as an army tradesman. Bass/baritone down to G2.

CAPTAIN GEORGE BRACKETT: Male, Character age, 40-60
Pompous but competent navy officer who hides a heart of gold. With a roaring bark, he is known as “Old Iron Belly." Stationed on a remote island in the South Pacific, he navigates his own frustration as he awaits his opportunity to make a contribution towards winning the war.  Non-singing role.
 

COMMANDER HARBISON: Male, Character age, 35-50
an officious Navy man and Brackett's second-in-command. Once had a bright future but has not been able to live up to his early expectations. Non-singing role.

LIAT: Female, Character age, 13-19
Beautiful, young girl who is heartbreakingly delicate and the picture of purity. The actress must move well or have a dance background. Plays Tonkinese. Non-singing role; all physically suitable submissions encouraged, in spite of acting background.

STEWPOT: Male, Character age, up to 35
Brawn of the group; known for his physical strength and loyalty, not his intelligence. Must have strong comedic timing and a strong singing voice. Luther Billis' cohort and the Professor’s best friend.

PROFESSOR: Male, Character age, up to 35
Earned his nickname because he is one of the few Seabees to have attended college; a character man of the studious type who jumps to problem solving in order to make up for his lack of physical strength. Luther Billis' cohort and best friend of Stewpot. Strong singer.

NGANA: Female, 7-14
DeBeque’s first born who takes full advantage of being the older sibling. Child alto.

JEROME: Male, 5-11
DeBeque’s youngest child; a precocious and curious young boy. Child alto.

HENRY or female name (Chorus / Ensemble): Male or female, Character age, 25-49
DeBeque’s trusted servant who helps raise Ngana and Jerome. Spoken French lines.
ETHNICITY: Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander

GIs/Ensemble: Male
Heart and soul of story. From across the United States; pulled from their everyday lives to defend their country by putting their lives on the line. Find a sense of community in each other that temporarily replaces family and loved ones. Their fascination with Bloody Mary serves as a distraction to the impending dangers ahead. Strong singers with varied vocal ranges. Dance or gymnastics experience a plus but not mandatory.

Nurses/Ensemble: Female
Adventurers of their time; well-educated and independent; pursued service over the expectations of traditional family values. Must sing well; varied vocal ranges. Dance experience a plus but not mandatory.
 

My Three Angels

My Three Angels by Samuel and Bella Spewack takes place in Cayenne, French Guyana on a blazing hot Christmas in 1910.  Felix Ducotel’s general store is in disarray.  His kindness and absent-mindedness combine to make him a victim to every thief and freeloader in the town.  His wife Emilie is loving but dissatisfied.  His daughter Marie Louise longs for her unrequited lover, Paul.  And Felix’s creditor, his tyrannical cousin Henri, is coming to inspect the books.  Things are not looking up.  But assistance comes in the form of three convicts who are repairing Felix’s roof.  Joseph, an enterprising embezzler, Jules, a sensitive murderer and Alfred, a headstrong young murderer, find a way to bring joy into the Ducotel’s life… even if murder is an option.

Adapted as a movie in 1955, We’re No Angels starred Humphrey Bogart as Joseph, Peter Ustinov as Jules, Aldo Ray as Albert (formerly Alfred) and Basil Rathbone as Henri. My Three Angels will be directed by Craig Gustafson.

A second round of auditions and callbacks for My Three Angels will be held on Sunday, May 5, and Monday, May 6, at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center. Rehearsals will begin shortly after the cast is announced on Wednesday, May 8. Tech week will begin on Sunday, June 23, and the show will will run one weekend beginning June 28, with performances on Friday and Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon.

Characters:

NOTE: The three convicts are upper-class, sophisticated men with a working knowledge of reality and a firm sense of justice.

JOSEPH: 30s-50s.  Energetic embezzler, con man and forger.  Extremely enterprising in dealing with emergency situations.

JULES:  30s-50s.  Romantic and sad, in a thoroughly French way.  An otherwise decent man who killed his wife upon finding her in bed with another man.

ALFRED:  20s-30s.  A young Parisian socialite who had a constant need for money and a hot temper.  Murdered his stepfather for not bailing him out with a loan.  Alfred is very strong.  He has a sense of decency, but you do not want to mess with Alfred.

FELIX:  Late 30s-50s.  A gentle, childlike dreamer.  Utterly impractical, he runs a store he is incapable of running.  Does the best he can.

EMILIE:  Late 30s-40s.  Beautiful, loving, but deeply unhappy at having two children to look after – her daughter and her husband.

MARIE LOUISE:  18-early 20s.  Giddy, mercurial, head-in-the-clouds romantic.  She gets her beauty from her mother and her disposition from her father.

HENRI:  40s-60s.  Cold, inflexible, mercenary, callous and evil.  Underneath his harsh exterior is a harsher interior.

PAUL:  20s-30s.  Handsome stinker.  Not as cold as Henri, only because he hasn’t had time yet.  Not as rigid as Henri because he doesn’t have a spine.

MME PAROLE:  30s-60s.  Felix’s deadbeat customer.  Pretentious, judgmental, stingy and mean.  Puts on airs.

LIEUTENANT:  18-20s.  Stalwart young naval lieutenant.  Would be Our Hero if he didn’t make his entrance so late in the show.
 

Surprise Musical

Our super-surprise, super-cool third show is slated to run beginning July 19, and we're so excited about it we're doing it for three weekends! But it's so new, the publisher won't let us tell you the title until April 1st. The director and choreographer for this production will be Samantha Sieghart.

Additional auditions for this musical will be held on Saturday, May 18, and Monday, May 20 at the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, with callbacks to follow on Wednesday, May 22. The cast will be announced on Friday, May 24, followed by a mandatory full cast readthrough on Tuesday, May 28. Tech week will begin on Sunday, July 14, and the show will run for three consecutive weekends beginning Friday, July 19, with performances on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons.

Role Breakdown

Since we can't supply the title of the musical until April 1, we can't list the characters here. We can share that there are about a dozen key roles as well as chorus and ensemble roles. Read through the rest of this article and talk to your fellow actors for more clues, take a chance on the audition, and come back April 1 to see the title announced on the site.

Unified Auditions FAQ

Question: Can I audition for more than one of the three Summer Place productions being held at the unified auditions on March 28 and March 30?

Answer: Yes you may. You will be asked to indicate which show or shows you are auditioning for on the audition form, then again when you actually audition.

Question: Do I have to make a reservation for an audition spot?

Answer: While not required, Summer Place is asking those planning on auditioning to reserve a time slot for the day and time they plan on auditioning to better facilitate the process.

Question: If I want to audition for both My Three Angels and one of the musicals, do I need to prepare both a song and a monologue?

Answer: Yes. See above for preparation guidelines.

Question: Will I be told what the surprise musical will be the day of the audition?

Answer: Yes. The public reveal is on April 1, but those auditioning will be told the name of this dynamic, modern musical.

Question: Will I be asked to audition for a show other than the one(s) I indicate?

Answer: You might. If the production staff from one of the other shows sees something they may want for their show, they may ask you audition for them, too.

Question: If I want to audition for a non-singing role in a musical, do I have to sing?

Answer: No, a monologue would suffice.

Question: Do I have to attend the Unified Auditions to be cast in the “Surprise Musical?”

Answer: We highly recommend all those interested in being cast in any show this summer to attend the Unified Auditions. However , those wishing to audition for the “Surprise Musical” only and who are unable to attend the Unified Auditions may attend only the Second Round auditions on May 18-20 and will be offered the same considerations as those who audition at the Unified Auditions.

Question: When do rehearsals start for each show?

Answer: For South Pacific, a mandatory, full cast read-through will be held on Sunday, April 7. For My Three Angels, rehearsals will begin shortly after their second round of auditions and callbacks on May 5-6. Rehearsals for the second musical will begin shortly after their second round of auditions and callbacks on May 18-20.

Question: Do I have to attend all rehearsals and performances?

Answer: We make allowances for an occasional absence and in fact structure the rehearsal schedule to accommodate the majority of the cast. Provided an absence or two does not impact the preparation of you or your fellow actors. Attendance during tech week is mandatory, as are the performances.