Wheaton Drama

Wheaton Drama is pleased to announce auditions for Hauptmann by John Logan (playwright of the Tony Award winning Red, and screenplay writer of Gladiator, The Aviator, Skyfall, and others). Hauptmann is a gripping drama about the 1932 kidnapping and death of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. and the man tried, convicted and executed for that crime, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, whose “Trial of the Century,” according to H. L. Mencken, was “the biggest story since the Resurrection.” Hauptmann tells the story from Hauptmann’s own perspective just prior to being sent to his fate in the New Jersey electric chair in 1936.  He enlists the assistance of six guards in recounting his tale who play multiple roles in the process.

Hauptmann will be performed March 20 – April 5, 2020. Show times are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30p, Sundays at 3:00p.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, January 19 & Monday, January 20 from 7:00p to 9:30p at the theatre, 111 N. Hale Street, Wheaton [with time extended, if necessary.] Callbacks will be conducted on Wednesday, January 22.  Auditions are by appointment at 10-minute intervals, but walk-ins will be heard, if time permits.  

To reserve an audition time, email HauptmannWDI@gmail.com with your preferred date and time. We will do our best to accommodate your request, but the slots will be filled first come, first served. Audition forms can be found here. Please bring the completed form with you to your audition.

First auditions will consist of any monologue of the auditionee’s choosing, from 1:30 to two minutes in length which shows that person’s abilities to best advantage.  Callbacks will consist of readings from the script which will be available for viewing upon making an appointment for the first round of auditions.  Every effort to adjust to conflicts will be made.  Not everyone will be called back.  If auditioning for the role of Richard or Anna Hauptmann, a second monologue [or the same one repeated] will be necessary employing a German accent. Additionally, the Hauptmanns and one of the guards speak some of their lines in German. German Accent Workshops will be conducted by Mackenzie Grattan on Sunday, January 5 from 4:00p to 6:00p and on Saturday morning, January 11 from 10:00a to noon at the theatre. To sign up for the workshop in advance, click here. Walk-ins will also be allowed, but advanced notice is preferred. Attendance at the Workshops is not required. Either or both are available to those who would like assistance with performing a German accent.

All roles are available and are as follows:

Bruno Richard Hauptmann – Age 36 at the time of his execution.  A carpenter and stockbroker living in the Bronx until his arrest, he was an illegal immigrant from Germany with some criminal charges in his background.  While he had some of the ransom money in his possession, leading to his arrest, he always claimed to have been given the money to hold by another man.  He proclaimed his innocence until his death, even though his sentence would have been commuted to life in prison had he confessed.  Has some lines in German and speaks throughout the play with a German accent.  Heavy line and rehearsal commitment.  

The Guards – 4 males and 2 females – They all play multiple roles throughout, and they rarely leave the stage.  Some of the roles portrayed by the guards include but are not limited to: 

• Anna Hauptmann, Richard’s wife who proclaimed his innocence to the world and campaigned to overturn his conviction until her death in her nineties; 

• Charles and Anne Lindbergh, America’s golden couple, the famous aviator hero and his reserved, poetic wife; 

• David Wilentz, the lead prosecutor striving to obtain the death penalty; 

• Dr. John Condon who acted as the intermediary between the Lindberghs and the kidnapper(s); 

• Judge Thomas Trenchard, the police, reporters, and trial witnesses.  

Actors may or may not match the particulars of the the people they are portraying in Hauptmann’s narrative.

The Hauptmann creative team includes – Production Manager and Set Designer: Randall Knott;  Director: Ken Kaden; Assistant Director/Assistant Stage Manager: Linda Spadlowski;  Director’s Assistant:  Dee Hicks;  Director of German Language and Dialect: Mackenzie Grattan;  Fight Director: Andrew Trygstad;  Stage Manager:  Bruce Ebner;  Costumes: Ben Vargas;  Lighting:  Jim Van De Velde;  Choreographer:  Sarah Malloy.

Wheaton Drama, Inc. will hold auditions for Little Women, The Broadway Musical on Sunday, November 3rd and Monday, November 4th at 7pm. Callbacks (if needed): Tuesday, November 5th, 7pm. All auditions will be held at 112 N Wolf Road Northlake, IL 60164. NOTE – This is NOT Wheaton Drama. Auditions are being held off site for this production. The show runs January 17th – February 9th, 2020.

Little Women, The Broadway Musical is a heartwarming look at the lives of the four March sisters as they grow up and find their own voices against the backdrop of the Civil War. Full of hope and adventure, memorable songs, humor and heartbreak, the show (and beloved book) is based loosely on Louisa May Alcott’s life.

Audition slots are available by appointment only. Director Krystyn Wells would like to see a 30 second – 1 minute story or “elevator” pitch about a favorite thing (book, play, TV show, recipe, vacation). Please also prepare 16-32 measures of musical theatre style in appropriate key; please provide copy as an accompanist will be provided.  Please no a cappella or recordings. You may be asked for additional singing for range placement.

To request an audition time or to ask questions: please write to the show’s email: LittleWomenMusicalWDI2020@gmail.com and indicate preference for Sunday or Monday, as well as preference for earlier or later in the evening. We will do our best to accommodate your requests. Audition forms can be downloaded by clicking the link below:

Download audition forms here. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W5Y5oSB7_FrSMb-is8jqxT9lsYThOigwNGg2UFX7yAg/edit?usp=sharing

Available roles:
Jo March – Our protagonist who stands up for everything she believes in. Passionate, adventurous and brave. (Vocal Range E3-A5 (Belt/Mix), Age Range 18-23)

Professor Bhaer – A German Professor who exemplifies proper manners. He is a boarder in Mrs. Kirk’s boarding house. (Vocal Range G2-F#4 (Baritone), Age Range 25-45)

Amy March – The youngest March sister, impulsive, energetic, and striving for a more sophisticated life. (Vocal Range Cb4-Gb5 (Soprano/Mix), Age Range 14-18)

Meg March – The world-weary, yet hopeful, oldest sister who yearns for a great life. (Vocal Range A#3-Gb5 (Soprano), Age Range 20-25)

Beth March – The second youngest sister who tragically dies of Scarlet Fever. Peace-maker, giving and optimistic. (Vocal Range A3-G5 (Soprano), Age Range 16-21) 

Marmee March – The girls’ mother. She is the strong backbone of the family, courageous in spite of difficulties. (Vocal Range Eb3-Eb5 (Mezzo Soprano), Age Range 45-55) 

Mr. Laurence – Laurie’s grandfather who lives next door. Slightly crotchety. (Vocal Range D3-E4 (Baritone), Age Range 55-70) 

Laurie Laurence – The bright-eyed-boy-next-door with considerable charm. (Vocal Range Bb2-Bb4 (Tenor), Age Range 18-23) 

Aunt March – A formidable, over-bearing matron and great-aunt to the March sisters. (Vocal Range E3-F5 (Soprano), Age Range 35-60) 

Mr. John Brooke – Laurie’s tutor and a rather stiff man; shows very little emotion until he falls in love with Meg. (Vocal Range C#3 – F#4 (Bari-Tenor), Age Range 25-35) 

Mrs. Kirk – The woman who runs the New York boarding house where Jo lives. Slight Irish accent. (Vocal Range D4-G4 (Soprano), Age Range 45-60) 

Weekly Volcano Press Characters –  (Troll, Clarissa, Rodrigo II, Knight, Rodrigo, Hag, Braxton) – May be cast as separate roles within the ensemble or double cast with Amy, Meg, Beth, Mr. Laurence, Laurie, Aunt March and John Brooke (Various Vocal Ranges, Age Range 14+) 

Ensemble – Dancers at the ball, ice skaters, beachcombers, hags, trolls and monks. (Various vocal ranges, Age Range 14+) 

Wheaton Drama proudly announces auditions for “Addams Family, the Musical” on Sunday July 21 and Monday July 22.  Callbacks will be scheduled for Tuesday July 23 if needed. The show is directed by Dan Hitzemann, Musical director is Amy Brockman and Choreographer is Kate McIlvain. The show will run Friday-Sunday, September 13 – October 6, with TWO shows on Saturdays (2p and 7:30p). There are no Thursday performances.

Auditions on Sunday July 21 will begin at 2PM.  Auditions on Monday July 22 will begin at 7PM.

We ask you that you sign up for auditions at  WDIAddams@gmail.com.  You can request which day you would prefer, but we will assign the times on a first come, first serve basis.  Each day will have three one-hour blocks to which you will be assigned. These blocks will rotate between singing, dancing and some cold readings.

Please complete the audition form found here and return to WDIAddams@gmail.com with your preferred audition date.  Something will get back to you with a confirmation of your time and any further information.

Audition Requirements

Please prepare 32 bars of a song, not from this musical but in the style of the show.  You must provide your own sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. You will also be asked to learn a simple dance combination, so please dress to move.  Cold readings will be provided, and you will have an opportunity to read for any desired role as well as at the director’s discretion. All roles are available. 

This is a non-Equity production; there is no pay.

DANCE WORKSHOP

A dance workshop will be provided for those who would like to shake off the rust or just get a sense of the steps that will be used for the audition.  This is NOT MANDATORY but provided for those who want to learn a step or two.

This will be held Sunday July 14^th at 2PM at WDI.  Please come in comfortable clothing and shoes.  

Show Description

This is the Addams family, based on the Addams cartoons with nods to the 60’s TV show and the 90’s movies. The Addams children have grown, and Wednesday has fallen in love with a very normal boy.  Chaos ensures as the Addams roll out the red carpet for the boy’s family and secrets, potions and love help to win the day.

We are presenting this in a 30’s style “spotlight” show, with plenty of surprises and involvement for our ancestor chorus.

Character Breakdown

Please note, age ranges are ages of the characters, not necessarily the actors portraying them with the exception of Wednesday who must be 18 or older.

Gomez Addams –  Aged 35-55

“Husband to Morticia, if indeed they are married at all… a crafty schemer, but also a jolly man in his own way… though sometimes misguided… sentimental and often puckish – optimistic, he is in full enthusiasm for his dreadful plots… is sometimes seen in a rather formal dressing gown… the only one who smokes.“

Morticia Addams – Aged 30-55

“The real head of the family… low-voiced, incisive and subtle, smiles are rare… ruined beauty… contemptuous and original and with fierce family loyalty… even in disposition, muted, witty, sometimes deadly… given to low-keyed rhapsodies about her garden of deadly nightshade, henbane and dwarf’s hair…” 

Wednesday Addams – Aged 19-25

“Child of woe is wan and delicate…sensitive and on the quiet side, she loves the picnics and outings to the underground caverns…loves the color black…a solemn child, prim in dress and, on the whole, pretty lost…secretive and imaginative, poetic, seems underprivileged and given to occasional tantrums…has six toes on one foot…” 

Pugsley Addams – Aged 13-17

“An energetic monster of a boy… blond red hair, popped blue eyes and a dedicated troublemaker, in other words the kid next door… genius in his own way, he makes toy guillotines, full-size racks, threatens to poison his sister, can turn himself into a Mr. Hyde with an ordinary chemical set… his voice is hoarse… is sometimes allowed an occasional cigar” 

Uncle Fester  – Aged ?

“Uncle Fester is incorrigible and, except for the good nature of the family and the ignorance of the police, would ordinarily be under lock and key… the eyes are pig-like and deeply embedded… he likes to fish, but usually employs dynamite… he keeps falcons on the roof which he uses for hunting… his one costume, summer and winter, is a black great coat with an enormous collar… he is fat with pudgy little hands and feet.” 

Lurch – Aged ?

” This towering mute has been shambling around the house forever… He is not a very good butler but a faithful one… One eye is opaque, the scanty hair is damply clinging to his narrow flat head… generally the family regards him as something of a joke.” 

Grandmama – Aged ?

“This disrespectful old hag is the mother of Gomez… she willingly helps with the dishes, cheats at solitaire and is roughly dishonest… the complexion is dark, the hair is white and frizzy and uncombed… she has a light beard and a large mole… foolishly good-natured… fumbling, weak character… is easily fooled.” 

Mel Bienkie – Aged 35-65

A midwestern conservative businessman.  Has done well for himself, but has spent too much time at the office to understand his wife or his son.  Would rather be anywhere else.

Alice Bienkie – Aged 35-65 

Mid-western housewife and Mom.  She has been waiting for something to come along to shake up her humdrum existence.  

Lukas Bienkie – Aged 19-25

College student who desperately doesn’t want to be his Dad.  Very in love with Wednesday as she represents all the adventure he is missing and is unsure of in his life.

Addams Ancestors – Chorus

15 Chorus members

Some of the chorus will be youth from 12-18 and the rest will be adults 18+.  Numbers may vary.

The Chorus will be made up of various characters from throughout Addams history.  The actors will also be used as scenery, puppeteers and extra dancers for various scenes.  We are looking for creative singers, dancers and actors who are willing to create these various characters (cavemen, soldiers, flappers, nurses, farmers, lords and ladies, etc…) and also play a variety of roles on the stage from statue to lamp.

Wheaton Drama (WDI) proudly announces auditions for the hilarious comedy, Murdered to Death, by Peter Gordon.  Directed by Annie Walker-Bright and produced by Rebecca Poole-Dumper.

Auditions will be held Sunday, January 6 and Monday, January 7, 2019 starting at 7pm, with callbacks as needed on Tuesday, January 8^that 7:30 p.m.  Auditions will be held at Wheaton Drama’s Playhouse 111, located at 111 N. Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois.  Auditions are open, with no appointments required.  Cold readings from the script and sides will be provided for each character at auditions.

Murdered to Death will run March 22 through April 14, 2019; Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm. Performances will take place at Wheaton Drama’s Playhouse 111, located at 111 N. Hale Street in downtown Wheaton.

Synopsis:

Murdered to Death is the first in the ‘Inspector Pratt’ trilogy of spoofs of the Agatha Christie ‘whodunnit’ genre, with a dash of Inspector Clousseau thrown in for good measure.

The play, set in the 1930s, takes place in an English manor, slightly worse for ware, with worn out decor and furnishings.  It introduces the inept and bungling Inspector Pratt, who battles against the odds and his own incompetence to solve the murder of the house’s owner. It soon becomes clear that the murderer isn’t finished yet; will the miscreant be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom or will the audience die laughing first?

Characters:

The characters in Murdered to Death are all deliberately based upon ‘whodunnit’ stereotypes. All of these characters are caricatures of typical English gentry, but according to director Walker-Bright, “My experience in directing most comedies shows that the humour works best when they are played relatively ‘straight’.”  Character ages below are for guidance only and can be varied, provided that the overall balance is maintained.  Director Walker-Bright gives the following advice: “I would rather see huge characters at first.  Show no fear in presenting over the top performances as one is then able to be pulled back if necessary.”

Mildred– Late fifties. Moderately wealthy owner of Bagshot House.

Dorothy– Mildred’s niece. Late twenties and rather plain but very appealing.

Bunting– The butler. Sixties. Pedantic and rather creepy.

Colonel Charles Craddock– Early sixties. Dresses in tweeds. Confident but over the top bluster.

Margaret Craddock– The long-suffering but acerbic wife of Charles.

Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington – Mid twenties. Attractive and stunningly dressed. Very high society.

Pierre Marceau– A french art dealer in his early thirties. An exaggerated french accent.  Will need to hear cockney from this character as well.  Aha!!!!

Joan Maple – A spinster in her sixties. Amateur sleuth. Think of all the Miss Marples you have ever seen and this is Joan Maple.

Constable Thomkins– Young, bright uniformed village policeman, but well aware of Inspector Pratt’s pratness!!!!

Inspector Pratt – Inept, posing and clumsy. Thinks he so clever but we know better.  A master of malapropism, but this is not intentional.

Audition forms will be available at the theater during auditions or you may download for completion here: Murdered to Death Audition Form

Contact Director Annie Walker-Bright with questions at Bebrightannie@aol.com.

Wheaton Drama is a non-equity theater and offers no pay. Cast members will be required to complete membership with Wheaton Drama in order to participate.

Wheaton Drama (WDI) proudly announces auditions for the Pulitzer Prize winning drama, “Wit”, by Margaret Edson.  Directed by Lisa Dawn and produced by Mike Boyna.

Auditions will be held Sunday, November 11th and Monday, November 12th starting at 7pm, with callbacks as needed on Tuesday, November 13th.  Auditions will be held offsite at 112 N Wolf Rd, Northlake IL. To request an audition, please fill out the audition form and email it to WDIWitAuditions@gmail.com, along with your preferred audition date.  The date and scheduled time for your audition will be emailed back to you, along with sides for you to prepare and directions to the audition site. Walk-ins are welcome but will only be seen as time allows.

Performances of “Wit” will take place January 18 through February 10, 2019; Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 3pm.

Audition Form available for download here: Wit Audition Form

Synopsis:  

Vivian Bearing, Ph.D., a renowned scholar and professor of English who has spent her life studying and teaching the metaphysical sonnets of John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer.  During the course of her illness – and during her stint as a patient in an experimental chemotherapy program – Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that are transformative both for her and the audience.

“[A] brutally human and beautifully layered play…you feel both enlightened and, in a strange way, enormously comforted.” – The New York Times

Characters:  

NOTE: All characters in “Wit” are open to all ethnicities.  Age preferences are listed*

Vivian Bearing, Ph.D. (Age 50’s) – The play’s main character and narrator.  As a professor, she is infamously tough, and as a scholar she is unrelenting in her pursuit of knowledge.  But as her disease and its painful treatment progress, she begins to question the single-minded values and standards that have always directed her, finally coming to understand the aspects of life that make it truly worth living.  You’ll also find that she contains elements of…humor.

Harvey Kelekian, M.D. (Age 50’s) – Chief of Medical Oncology and not only responsible for Vivian’s treatment but all of the medical fellowships, including that of Jason Posner.  Vivian and Kelekian are like-minded peers who speak different languages.

Jason Posner, M.D. (Late 20’s) – A medical fellow in Dr. Kelekian’s Oncology unit responsible for much of Vivian’s care.  Coincidentally, he was once a student of Vivian’s. Much like Vivian, his passion for research far outweighs his interest in personal connections.  

Susie Monahan, R.N. (late 20’s-30’s) – Vivian’s primary care nurse.  Though not considered “book smart” by scholarly standards, she shows Vivian that there is more to life than what can be taught in a classroom.  

E.M. Ashford, Ph.D. (Age 50-80’s) – Professor Ashford is Vivian’s college professor/mentor.  Though Ashford passed on to Vivian her unrelenting work ethic and thirst for knowledge, she also urged Vivian to find balance in life through personal connection – which she gives to Vivian in her time of need. Ashford is first seen at age 50 in a flashback, and then again at age 80.

Mr. Bearing (Played by the same actor as Kelekian) – Vivian’s father seen in a flashback from Vivian’s early childhood during the moment she acquired her passion for words.

Lab Techs, Clinical Fellows, Vivian’s students, Code Team (Age 20-30’s, preferably 2M, 2F) – Each of four actors will play four distinct characters, one from each of the above groups. These are roles that drive the action and represent aspects of Vivian’s journey, past and present, continually.  Seeking actors well versed in characterization and improv.

“Wit” is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Services, Inc., New York, NY.