AUDITION NOTICE:
The Chester Theatre Group will hold auditions for the NJ Premiere of
Peter and The Starcatcher
Director: Alan Van Antwerp
Assistant Director/Choreographer: Megan Ferentinos
Musical Director: Jack Bender
WHEN: Saturday, April 23 from 12 noon until 3 p.m. and Monday, April 25 from 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Callbacks (if necessary) will be held by invitation only on April 30, 12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Black River Playhouse, Grove Street, in Chester, New Jersey.
Show dates: July 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16 at 8 p.m and July 3, 10, and 17 at 2 p.m.
Auditioners should EITHER:
- Prepare a one-minute monologue they feel the most comfortable with (i.e., dramatic or comedic); OR
- Read a selection from the script that will be provided.
- Auditioners may be asked to stay to read additional materials on the audition night. If you are invited for a callback, you will be emailed sides to prepare.
- Since rehearsals will be based around actors’ availability, please come prepared with ALL conflicts/out-dates from the time of auditions thru the show dates.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Tony-winning Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and written by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker.
From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty, and love. A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, containing a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training, who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
The show has a cast of 12 and EVERY character at least doubles another part, sometimes triples or greater. It is a true ensemble moving, imaginative, creative and collborative show. It is a play with music and we are looking for people who are interested in creating a captivating story for an audience of all ages.
- BLACK STACHE: A notorious pirate, terrorizing the seven seas in search of a worthy adversary. Heartless, hirsute, and suspiciously well read. Partial to the poetical and theatrical, which causes him to behave quite flamboyantly. Gender: Male / Age: 30 to 50
- MOLLY ASTER: A young girl and Starcatcher apprentice who is taken aboard the Neverland as precious cargo. Curious and intelligent, she is only beginning to understand the confusing romantic longings that come with her age. She will risk anything for the sake of what is right. Gender: Female / Age: 13 to 25
- BOY/PETER: A lonely and hardened orphan who doesn't miss much. Nameless, homeless, and friendless at the beginning of the play and a hero by the end. He wants a home and a family more than anything, and dreams of a life of being free. Gender: Male / Age: 13 to 25
- GREMPKIN: The schoolmaster of St. Norbert's Orphanage for Lost Boys. Mean and malodorous, he revels in keeping his boys in the dark and malnourished. Optional Doubling include: FIGHTING PRAWN; MACK; SÁNCHEZ. Gender: Male / Age: 30 to 60
- MRS. BUMBRAKE: Molly's nanny, a stereotypical British cad and outfitted with the duty of teaching Molly about womanhood. She still has enough charm in her age to attract a sailor or two. Optional Doubling as TEACHER. Gender: Male / Age: 40 to 60
- BILL SLANK: The vicious orphaned captain of the Neverland. Does not possess the capacity to lead anyone but himself, which puts himself constantly in disaster. Greedy enough to send boys to their doom for the chance of gaining starstuff. Optional Doubling as HAWKING CLAM. Gender: Male / Age: 30 to 55
- SMEE: Black Stache's first mate. He is single-mindedly dedicated to his captain's every whim. Gender: Male / Age: 25 to 55
- PRENTISS: An orphan, ambitious, hyper-articulate, and logical. He yearns to be leader, even when he knows in his heart that he'll never be one. A bit of a blowhard with a touch of cowardice. Gender: Male / Age: 13 to 25
- ALF: A seafarer, an old sea dog proud of his tenure. His kind heart gives him an appeal to the feminine sensibility. Gender: Male / Age: 50 to 65
- LORD LEONARD ASTER: Molly's father, a loyal subject to the Queen. The very model of a Victorian English gentleman, he is a faithful friend and a secret Starcatcher. Gender: Male / Age: 40 to 60
- CAPTAIN ROBERT FALCON SCOTT: Lord Aster's old school friend, the captain of the Wasp, Britain's fastest frigate. Lives with nautical bravura and heroic patriotism. Gender: Male / Age: 35 to 50
- TED: An orphan obsessed with food. A natural performer with easy wit and quite poetic language. Gender: Male / Age: 13 to 25
Please email the director, Alan Van Antwerp, if you have any questions concerning auditions: vanantwerpa1@gmail.com .
