audition instructions: mary · pdf fileplease prepare the following vocal selection:...
TRANSCRIPT
Audition Instructions: Mary Poppins Thank you for your interest in being a part of the Jerry Gibson Memorial Summer Youth Theatre’s production of Mary Poppins! Here are the audition instructions for the June 1st and June 2nd open auditions. Callbacks will occur on June 3rd. Actors interested in the ENSEMBLE: Please prepare the following vocal selection: “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” beginning with the phrase “When you send it flying up there, all at once you’re lighter than air” through to the end of the chorus “Oh let’s go fly a kite!” Male actors interested in PRINCIPAL MALE CHARACTERS: Please prepare the following vocal selection: Bert’s solo from “The Prologue,” beginning with the phrase “Wind’s in the east, there’s a mist rollin’ in” through to the phrase “Chim chiminey chim chim cheree chim che roo.” Female actors interested in PRINCIPAL FEMALE CHARACTERS: Please prepare the following vocal selection: “Practically Perfect,” beginning with the phrase “Both prim and proper and never too stern” through the phrase “Practically perfect in every way.” Young Performers interested in the characters JANE AND MICHAEL BANKS: Please prepare the following vocal selection: “The Perfect Nanny,” beginning with the phrase “If you want this choice position” through the phrase “And never smell of barley water.” There will also be short acting sides (scenes with dialogue) available at the audition. You must choose scene to perform with our reader. CALLBACKS: There will be a dance audition at the callback for characters called back for roles with more challenging dancing. Actors will also be called back for specific characters and will be asked to sing additional songs for specific roles, and read additional acting scenes. You will be notified of your callback information by late evening on June 2nd.
Character List & Song BreakDown Mary Poppins
Female Characters Mary Poppins (20s) is Jane and Michael Banks’ new nanny. She is extraordinary and strange, neat and tidy, delightfully vain yet very particular, and sometimes a little frightening, but always exciting. A mezzo soprano with strong top notes and should be able to move well. Songs: Practically Perfect, Jolly Holiday, A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Chim Chim Cheree, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Brimstone and Treacle (Part 2), Step in Time, Anything Can Happen, A Spoonful of Sugar (Reprise) Winifred Banks (30s) is George’s wife and Jane and Michael’s mother. A former actress, she is a loving and distracted homemaker who is busy with living up to her husband’s expectations. She has warmth and simplicity to her tone. Mezzo Soprano. Songs: Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), Let’s Hope She’ll Stay, A Spoonful of Sugar, Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise), Being Mrs. Banks, Anything Can Happen Jane Banks (11), the highspirited daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, is bright and precocious but can be willful and inclined to snobbishness. Child soprano. Songs: Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), The Perfect Nanny, Practically Perfect, Jolly Holiday, Let’s Hope She’ll Stay, A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise), Let’s Go Fly a
Male Characters Bert (30s) the narrator of the story, and is a good friend to Mary Poppins. An everyman, Bert has many occupations, currently a chimney sweep. Bert watches over the children as well as the goings on of Cherry Tree Lane. He speaks with a cockney accent, and is a strong songanddance man. Baritone. Songs: Prologue, All Me Own Work, Jolly Holiday, Winds Do Change, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Twists and Turns, Chim Chim Cheree, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Step in Time, Down the Chimney, A Spoonful of Sugar (Reprise), Anything Can Happen (Part 2) George Banks (early 40s) father to Jane and Michael Banks, is a banker to the very fiber of his being. He demands precision and order in his household and doesn’t have much to do with his children. His emotional armor, however, conceals a sensitive soul. A baritone. Songs: Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), Let’s Hope She’ll Stay, Precision and Order, A Man Has Dreams, Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise), Good for Nothing, A Man Has Dreams (Reprise), Give Us the Word Michael Banks (9) is the cute and cheeky son of Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Excitable and naughty, he adores his father and tries to be like him. Both he and Jane misbehave in order to get the attention of their parents. Male child voice, unbroken.
Kite, Practically Perfect (Reprise), Step in Time, Anything Can Happen (Parts 1 & 2) Katie Nanna is Jane and Michael’s nanny at the beginning of the show. Overwhelmed and upset, she has absolutely had her fill of the Banks children. Acting audition only. Miss Lark is the haughty nextdoor neighbor of the Banks family who treats her dog, Willoughby, as if he were her child. Mezzo Soprano. Acting audition only. Mrs. Brill is the housekeeper and cook for the Banks family. Overworked and harassed, she’s always complaining that the house is understaffed. Her intimidating exterior is a cover for her warmth underneath. Alto. Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise) Queen Victoria a statue in the park. small movementbased role in Jolly Holiday Miss Smythe the bank Chairman’s humorless secretary. Acting audition only. Bird Woman is covered in a patchwork of old shawls, and her pockets are stuffed with bags of crumbs for the birds. She tries to sell her crumbs to passerby, who ignore her as if she doesn’t exist. Alto. Feed the Birds, Anything Can Happen (Part 1) Mrs. Corry owns a magical gingerbread shop. She is a mysterious woman of great age who speaks with a Caribbean accent (or any accent that would make her seem exotic). Soprano. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Fannie daughter of Mrs. Corry. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Songs: Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), The Perfect Nanny, Practically Perfect, Jolly Holiday, Let’s Hope She’ll Stay, A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise), Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Practically Perfect (Reprise), Step in Time, Anything Can Happen (Parts 1 & 2) Policeman is a neighborhood fixture who is respected by and observant of the households on his beat. Acting audition only. Admiral Bloom is a retired Royal Navy man and neighbor of the Banks family. A physically large man with a loud and booming voice, and has a soft spot for his neighbor, Miss Lark. Can double as another character. Spoken audition only. Robertson Ay is the houseboy to the Banks family. Lazy, sleepy and grumbling, he never gets things right and believes himself to be useless. He doesn’t do a lot of singing but his “Spoonful” solo can be a fun surprise. Tenor. Cherry Tree Lane (Parts 1 & 2), A Spoonful of Sugar, Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise) Neleus a statue of a young boy posed with a dolphin in the park. Neleus was separated from his father, Poseidon, and misses him. Must be a strong dancer. small movement role in Jolly Holiday Bank Chairman is the head of the bank where Mr. Banks is employed. He is an Edwardian stuffed shirt. Baritone. Precision and Order Von Hussler is a businessman seeking a loan from the bank for a shady business deal. He speaks with a German accent. Songs: A Man Has Dreams. John Northbrookis an honest
Annie daughter of Mrs. Corry Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Miss Andrew is George’s overbearing and scary nanny. With her bottle of nastytasting brimstone and treacle to keep naughty children in line, she is a bully who only knows one way of doing things her way. A soprano with an alto belt. Brimstone and Treacle (Parts 1 & 2)
businessman seeking a loan to build a factory for his community. He speaks with an accent from Northern Ireland. Songs: Precision and Order. Park Keeper Uniformed and officious, he makes sure no one breaks park regulations. His life is defined by rules, but he secretly hankers after his childhood. Tenor. Let’s Go Fly a Kite