Wheaton Drama

Wheaton Drama announces auditions for “Fiddler on the Roof.”

This poignant classic musical, running Sept. 15 through Oct. 8, kicks off our 2017–18 season. Theater veteran Carrie Dabelow is directing.

Sign up for an audition slot here.
Download the audition form (required) here: FIDDLER_ audition form

Auditions for adults (age 16+) will be Monday, July 24, and Tuesday, July 25, starting at 7 p.m. Adult callbacks will be Thursday, July 27, beginning at 7 p.m.

Auditions for performers 15 and younger will be Saturday, July 29, starting at 10 a.m.

Auditions, rehearsals (unless otherwise specified) and performances will be held at Playhouse 111, located at 111 N. Hale St., Wheaton. Rehearsals will be Sundays through Thursdays; tech week is Sept. 10–14. Performances are Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Auditions will include cold readings from the script. Performers will be asked to sing 32 bars of a song from musical theater. An accompanist will be provided. Please bring sheet music in the proper key; no CDs or a cappella singing, please.

Please wear comfortable shoes; a short dance audition will be required for those interested in the bottle dance or the daughters’ ballet.

Characters:
Tevye, the dairyman: Baritone, 40–65
Golde, his wife: Mezzo-soprano, 35–60
Tzeitel, their eldest daughter: Mezzo-soprano, 17–25
Hodel, their second daughter: Mezzo-soprano, 17–25
Chava, daughter: Mezzo-soprano, 17–25
Shprintze, daughter: Soprano/Alto, 9–15
Bielke, the youngest daughter: Soprano/Alto, 7–15
Yente, the matchmaker: Alto (character), Any age
Lazar Wolf, the butcher: Baritone, 30–65
Motel, the tailor (loves Tzeitel): Tenor, 17–35
Perchik (loves Hodel): Tenor, 17–35
Fyedka (a Russian): Tenor, 17–35
Constable: Spoken, Any Age
Rabbi: Baritone, 30 +
Grandma Tzeitel: Mezzo-soprano, Any Age
Fruma-Sarah: Mezzo-soprano (belt), Any Age
Nachum, a beggar: Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Yussel (male): Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Shaindel (Motel’s mother): Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Sasha (male): Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Mendel (male): Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Mordcha (male): Lines/Ensemble, Any Age
Avram (male): Baritone/Ensemble, Any Age
Fiddler: Must play the violin, Any Age
Ensemble members will sing and have some movement in various scenes.

Wheaton Drama announces its audition dates for the 2017–18 season.

Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Carrie Dabelow: Auditions are July 24–25 at 7 p.m. for adults; July 29 at 10 a.m. for children; callbacks are July 27 at 7 p.m.

Sense and Sensibility, directed by Randall W. Knott: Auditions are Sept. 17–18 at 7 p.m.; callbacks are Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

The Cinnamon Bear, directed by Ben Dooley: Auditions are Nov. 4–5 at 2 p.m.; callbacks are Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

Sex in the Title, directed by Jay Fontanetta: Auditions are Nov. 19–20 at 7 p.m.; callbacks are Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.

A Piece of My Heart, directed by Mike Boyna: Auditions are Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.; callbacks are Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.

Company, directed by Pam Turlow: Auditions are March 25–27 at 7 p.m.; callbacks are March 28 at 7 p.m.

Auditions and callbacks, unless otherwise specified, will be held at Playhouse 111, located at 111 N. Main St., Wheaton.

Audition dates are subject to change; please check our website www.wheatondrama.org for updates as audition dates approach.

Spend a few moments in the Irish Midlands.

“Outside Mullingar” runs through April 15.

(Videographer: Ben Dooley.  Vocals: Teresa Reinalda)

Director Craig Gustafson proudly announces the cast of the hilarious musical comedy, “The Producers,” running May 26 through June 18.

The cast is as follows:

Max Bialystock — Ken Kaden

Leo Bloom — Benedict L. Slabik II

Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yonsen Tallen-Hallen Svaden-Svanson — Heather
Pauliks

Franz Liebkind — Lars Timpa

Roger DeBris — Mark A. Hutchison

Carmen Ghia — Steven Krage

Usherette 2 (Others) — Lauren Bass

Donald Dinsmore (Others) — Joe Billquist

Lick Me, Bite Me (Others) — Breanna Ghostone

First Nun (Others) — Abigail Hamilton

Springtime for Hitler Tenor (Others) — Scott Kelley

Hold Me, Touch Me, Pretzel Girl (Others) — Aimee Kennedy

O’Houlihan (Others) —  TBA

Beer Girl (Others) — Emma Lanners

Mr. Marks, Jason Green (Others) — Jim Martin

Kiss Me, Feel Me (Others) — Kate McIlvain

Judge (Others) — Anthony Mele

Shirley Markowitz, Sausage Girl (Others) — Heather Miller

Valkyrie Girl (Others) — TBA

Jack Lepidus (Others) — Jeff Pripusich

Trustee (Others) — Alex Rogers

Wheaton Drama is excited to announce next season’s shows and directors.

The season will open with the classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” a
story of maintaining traditions and transitions in an ever-changing
sociopolitical climate—a message as important today as when the show was
written. “Fiddler” will be directed by Carrie Dabelow, who has directed
productions for Steel Beam Theater, Riverside Theatre, and Woodstock
Musical Theatre Company, as well as in public schools in Illinois and
Minnesota.

Next on the schedule is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic romance
“Sense and Sensibility,” in which we follow the Dashwood sisters, Elinor
and Marianne, as they seek love and happiness in 1790s England. This
promises to be a show for families and Jane Austen aficionados alike and
will be directed by WDI veteran Randall W. Knott, who last directed “Play
It Again, Sam” and “Amadeus” for Wheaton Drama and “One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest” at Woodstock Opera House.

Wheaton Drama will continue its tradition of holiday radio plays by
presenting that childhood classic “The Cinnamon Bear.” This old-time radio
show was first produced in 1937 and became popular nationwide, particularly
in Chicago when it was broadcast on WGN radio. It will be directed by Ben
Dooley, who has done numerous radio show reproductions with his own
company, Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, and who directed the Christmas
classic “Miracle on 34^th Street” for Wheaton Drama.

Kicking off the new year, WDI will present a modern farce, “Sex in the
Title” by local playwright George Zahora. It concerns two playwrights whose
shows always have the word “sex” in the title, though their shows have
nothing to do with sex. This farce involves doors and windows—and lots of
people coming and going through them. It will be directed by Jay
Fontanetta, a newcomer to WDI who has directed extensively at North
Riverside Community Theatre, at Circle Theatre and in numerous area high
schools.

Following up in stark contrast, WDI will present a searing drama, “A Piece
of My Heart,” which tells of the role women played during the Vietnam War.
Like many of their male counterparts, their service went largely
unappreciated and unrecognized. This show will be directed by WDI veteran
Mike Boyna, who last directed the hilarious and successful “Shrek: The
Musical.”

The season will conclude with the perennial Stephen Sondheim favorite
“Company.” Though it debuted on Broadway in 1970, its theme of coping with
cultural changes and social upheavals remains relevant today. “Company”
will be directed by Pam Turlow, who has directed “A Christmas Carol” and
“Mad Mid-Mod Musicals” for Wheaton Drama.