Wheaton Drama

The Wheaton Drama Board of Governors, on advice from the Artistic Committee, has approved the following slate of directors for next season:

Maria Bakalis will direct Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, running Sept.14 – Oct.7, 2018.

Craig Gustafson will direct Silent Laughter, an homage to silent film comedies, running Nov.16 – Dec.9, 2018.

Lisa Dawn will direct the poignant drama Wit, running Jan. 18 – Feb. 10, 2019.

Annie Walker-Bright will direct Murdered to Death, a murder-mystery spoof running March 22 – April 14, 2019.

Randall W. Knott will direct Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, running May 24 – June 16, 2019.

Thank you to all students who applied for our 2018 scholarship award!

Please check back in early 2019 for further opportunities to apply.

Our military personnel give so much of themselves. Wheaton Drama wants to give something back.

As part of our community outreach program, our theater troupe, founded in 1931, proudly offers free tickets for “A Piece of My Heart” to military veterans, current military members and local high school classes studying the Vietnam War era.

“A Piece of My Heart” is a true story of six women—three nurses, a Red Cross volunteer, a USO entertainer and an Army intelligence officer—who share their stories about the experience and aftermath of women’s service in Vietnam. Joining the six women is one man who plays 28 male roles.

A limited number of free tickets for each performance will be available (first-come, first-served) until one week before each performance date (listed below).

Please note:

• These tickets cannot be reserved online. Please direct all inquiries to the Wheaton Drama box office, at (630) 260-1820. Please leave a message specifying the date you would like tickets, the total number of tickets desired, and the number of military or students in your group.
• The free ticket offer applies only to military personnel and veterans. Guests joining them must buy a ticket. For educational groups, any teacher escorting a group of 10 or more students will also receive a free ticket.

“A Piece of My Heart” runs March 23 through April 15, 2018. (There is no performance on Easter Sunday, April 1.) Performance times are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The theater is located at 111 N. Hale St., Wheaton, Illinois.

Playhouse 111 is wheelchair accessible. Audio-enhancement devices are available at no charge. For further details, please visit http://www.wheatondrama.org.

Wheaton Drama Inc. is a volunteer-based 501(c)3 charitable organization.

Wheaton Drama seeks teachers for our 2018 Summer Workshop, a weeklong experience in which students learn about theatre, dance and music.

Students will spend time with each teacher (dance and theatre), learning about each performance process and developing lifelong skills. We stress process over product, but parents will see what their children have been working on during a showcase performance at week’s end.

The Wheaton Drama Summer Workshop provides comprehensive theatre instruction for children in grades 1–5 during Week One and in middle school (grades 6–8) and high school students during Week Two.

Teachers will be hired in two areas:
1. Theatre
2. Dance

Hours and dates:
Elementary Week One (July 9–14) 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., performances on Saturday, July 14.
Middle and High School Week Two (July 16–21) 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., performance on Saturday, July 21.

Pay:
Each teacher will be paid $500 per session.

Please fill in and submit the WDI_2018 Summer Workshop teacher application form by March 10, 2018, to wdieducation@wheatondrama.org.

If you have any questions please contact Elyse Willis, Wheaton Drama Education Governor, at wdieducation@wheatondrama.org.

Wheaton Drama proudly announces auditions for the brilliant Stephen Sondheim musical, “Company” at 7 o’clock the evenings of Sunday, March 25th, Monday, March 26th, and Tuesday, March 27th (if necessary), with callbacks scheduled for Wednesday, March 28th. Auditions are by appointment. Audition slots will be scheduled in 5-minute increments, and will be followed with a short dance audition. Auditions will take place at Wheaton Drama’s Playhouse 111 located at 111 N. Hale Street, Wheaton, IL 60187.

Beginning Sunday, February 25th, email wdicompany18@gmail.com with your preferred appointment time ( i.e., 7:00 p.m or 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25th). We will respond to your request with an email containing an audition form, your scheduled appointment time, and further instructions. We will do our best to honor your choice. However, we reserve the right to issue a different appointment time if the one you choose is already full. Appointments will be given on a first come, first serve basis. If there are walk-ins, they will be seen as time allows.

Audition requirements: Director Pam Turlow is seeking to cast an ensemble of exceptional actors who sing well and are adept at treating songs as monologues. All ethnicities are encouraged to audition. Come prepared with a 1-minute contemporary monologue. Prepare 32 bars of a Sondheim song. You must provide your own sheet music in your key. An accompanist will be provided. You will also be asked to learn a simple dance combination, so please dress to move. All roles are available. This is a non-Equity production; there is no pay.

Show description:

On the night of his 35th birthday, Robert struggles to think of a wish to make. The lone bachelor, surrounded by “those good and crazy people” — his married friends – Robert struggles with finding his way out of his self-made constriction, yearning to embrace vulnerability but not sure how. Over a series of dinner parties, first dates, and thoughtful conversations, Robert attempts to understand the pros and cons of marriage from his diverse and frequently hilarious friends, and begins to make sense of his own persistent bachelorhood. Set in 1970, at the tail end of the turbulent 60s, Company, Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking modern musical, is a mature, intelligent, and wildly funny look at relationships, vulnerability, and “being alive.”

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Robert. Age range: must be able to believably portray age 35.
The story’s protagonist, the “constant in a world of variables”. He is the only one of his friends who is still single. Terrified of marriage yet fearing lifelong loneliness, he slowly learns how to embrace vulnerability, in all its messiness and uncertainty. Requires an exceptional actor who can take the audience along on his journey. Vocal range top: G5. Vocal range bottom: G3 (Baritone)

The Couples. Age range: 30s to 50s
Sarah
Harry’s often critical wife. She is an avid learner of karate and tends to overeat as a way of filling a void. Requires an excellent physical comedienne. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: A3 (Alto)

Harry
Sarah’s husband. He is a recovering alcoholic continually falling off the wagon. Talks a big game. Believes the advantages of marriage outweigh the disadvantages. Requires an actor with excellent comic timing and physicality. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: A3 (Baritone)

Susan
A delicate southern belle. Peter’s perfect wife. Motherly in her affection towards Robert. Requires a light Southern accent. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: A3 (Mezzo)

Peter
Susan’s perfect husband … and ex-husband. We learn he is questioning his sexuality. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: B3 (Baritone)

Jenny
Quietly manipulative, simultaneously square and wise. Loves her husband, David, and will indulge him from time to time. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: A3 (Soprano)

David
Jenny’s husband, he is relaxed and always in control. Believes a man should be married and that the sacrifice of freedom is worth what you get in return. Vocal range top: A5.Vocal range bottom: B3 (Tenor)

Amy
A frantic neurotic engaged to Paul but terrified of marriage. After a mental breakdown, she finally realizes that Paul is, in fact, her soulmate. Requires a fearless comedic actress. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: G3 (Alto)

Paul
Amy’s fiancé. Mildly clingy, but patient to her neurotic nature. He is fully committed to the idea of marriage and encourages Robert to do the same. Requires a strong vocalist. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: B3 (Tenor)

Joanne
Acerbic, demanding, and blunt,, but extremely loving in her own way. Puts on a brassy front that melts when she is alone with her husband. Requires a strong, fearless, dynamic actress. Vocal range top: B5. Vocal range bottom: G3 (Alto)

Larry
Joanne’s husband. He is solid and centered, but is also comfortable with letting his hair down. Indulges his wife’s behavior but knows when to rein her in. Vocal range top: A5 Vocal range bottom: B3 (Tenor)

The Girlfriends. Age range 20s to 30s:
Marta
A girlfriend of Robert’s. A free spirit, an unbridled soul, who dives into the energy of NYC. She’s part muse, part mystic, and part Greek chorus. Requires an actress with a strong belt voice. Vocal range top: A5 Vocal range bottom: A3 (Mezzo)

Kathy
An old girlfriend of Robert’s, who is now considered a good friend. She plans to leave the City for a life of domesticity. Sweet and loving, she may be the “one who got away”. Vocal range top: A5 Vocal range bottom: A3 (Mezzo)

April
A girlfriend of Robert’s. Flight attendant who is, at turns, ditzy, wise, and innocent. Requires an actress who is able to tap into those layers. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: A3 (Mezzo)

Please note, this is an ensemble cast. Ages listed above are approximations. Ages could be skewed depending on those auditioning. Any questions, please contact the director, Pam Turlow, at wdicompany18@gmail.com or message her on Facebook.

Production Team:

Director: Pam Turlow
Production Manager: Leah Rae Witt
Music Director: Bryan McCaffrey
Choreographer: Katy Smith
Assistant Director: Ben Dooley