Auditions
Private Lives
Michael Fontaine, Stage Director
Sunday, October 19 from 5:00PM - 7:00PM
Mercury Theater is holding auditions Sun, Oct. 19 for Noel Coward’s Private Lives.
Seeking a male or male-presenting actor for the role of Victor (30–40). Victor is handsome, athletic, and conservative, beginning his first marriage with Amanda. The roles of Amanda, Sybil, and Elyot have been cast.
Rehearsals begin mid-Jan with 10 performances Mar 6–22.
A Standard/BBC British dialect will be used.
Compensation: This is a volunteer position. To support your participation, Mercury Theater will provide an expense reimbursement of up to $595, payable after the production's completion.
Auditions are 10-minute appointments with readings from the script; an optional comedic monologue may be prepared.
Woody Guthrie’s American Song
Elizabeth Craven, Stage Director
Sunday, October 19 from 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Tuesday, October 21 from 6:00PM - 8:30PM
Rehearsals begin on or near November 15, 2025 at the Mercury Theater (formerly the site of Cinnabar Theater), 3333 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma.
Performance dates are: January 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25. (Th/F/Sat at 7:30 Sun at 2pm)
Compensation: This is a volunteer position. To support your participation, Mercury Theater will provide an expense reimbursement of up to $595, payable after the production's completion.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The audition will consist of a readings from the script. Several PDF excerpts are attached to this form and may be downloaded and/or printed out as a PDF document. Keep scrolling to find them. You will only be asked to read a portion of each of these monologues as they are lengthy.
SINGING: We are asking that you prepare a song for your audition, something that reminds you of the folk eras of the play 1930s - 1940s. It can be a song from the score (list provided) or one of your choice. We only need about a minute of singing so please plan accrdingly. You may sing with our accompanist or accompany yourself on the guitar. Please provide sheet music if you want to be accompanied.
WOODY GUTHRIE'S AMERICAN SONG: LIVE AT THE FREIGHT AND SALVAGE COFFEEHOUSE
DO YOU PLAY THE GUITAR? If the answer is yes, then you are invited to bring your instrument and show us a little ditty of your choosing. You do not have to play in order to be in the show, however.
WHAT TO WEAR: You may wear most anything you deem appropriate for the the show. Characters are living during the Dust Bowl era in America and later in New York City in the 1940's. Each actor plays a variety of roles and will at times don the role of the Folksinger (Woody Guthrie)
WHO ARE YOU AUDITIONING FOR? Present at your audition will be the show's director (Beth Craven) and the play's Musical Director.
CHARACTERS YOU ARE AUDITIONING FOR
MEN’S ROLES:
FIRST YOUNG MAN (FYM) age range 20s to 30s; Characters: SEARCHER, CISCO (guitarist preferred); Vocal range: Baritone
SECOND YOUNG MAN (SYM) Age range: 30s to 40s; Characters: FOLKSINGER, HOBO BOY (guitarist preferred); Vocal range:Tenor
MAN (M) - 50s-60s; Characters: WRITER, DAD, CRIPPLE WHITEY; Vocal range: bass
WOMEN’S ROLES:
WOMAN (W) - Age range; 30s and up; Characters: MAMA, SALOON SINGER, HOBO WOMAN, Vocal range:mezzo-soprano
YOUNG WOMAN (YW) Age Range 20s - 30s; Characters: DAUGHTER, HOBO GIRL, BOWERY GIRL (simple guitar skills preferred); Vocal range: soprano
The vocal style of this musical is much more in the folk/blues/gospel styles than it is traditional musical theater.
MUSICIANS (3 to 5 players) The show is scored for three musicians, who cover guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica, acoustic bass, and possibly some piano. Over the years, other instruments used have included include dobro, dulcimer, mandocello, whistle, musical saw, etc. The musical director has flexibility, based on taste and the talents of the ensemble.
ABOUT THE PLAY
American Song is not so much a tribute to Woody Guthrie as it is a portrait of America as seen through the poet's eyes. It uses Guthrie's own songs and writings to illuminate (or bring to life) the historical and social forces that shaped him and the nation, such as the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and labor struggles. The show brings to life the spirit of Guthrie's music as a celebration of American history, its people, their struggles, and their joys.
The ensemble of five actors and three musicians take us on a journey from California to the New York Island, from the redwood forests to the deep sea waters, from 1920s Dust Bowl to New York City’s 1940s Bowery, this play is made for you and me. The audience follows Woody from his origins in Okemah, Oklahoma all the way to his early demise of Huntington's disease.
The score for WGAS contains thirty of Woody Guthrie’s songs that are brilliantly arranged for multiple voices by Jeff Waxman in a complex composition that retains the authentic impact of the original folk music while adding bursts of gospel and blues harmony.
For further information, contact Elizabeth Craven, Director at ehcraven@gmail.com