Sunday, July 10, 2011

Character Descriptions

Willy Wonka
AUGUSTUS GLOOP: 7 Lines, Solo Augustus is the overachieving eater who represents the evils of eating too much. Either a boy or a girl acting like a boy can play Augustus. Augustus sings “I Eat More!” along with his mother and Phineous Trout. The song is on the difficult side, but does not need to be sung with a polished pretty voice, in fact, the more character the better.

CHARLIE BUCKET: 77 Lines, Solos The role of Charlie Bucket is the emotional heart and soul of the musical. The actor performing Charlie should have an unchanged voice and lots of pluck and enthusiasm. Think a male “Annie.”

GRANDMA JOSEPHINA12 lines, GRANDMA GEORGINA 13 lines, and GRANDPA GEORGE 10 Lines: Charlie’s three grandparents are mainly non-singing character roles. Cast performers that are innately interesting, who have good comic timing and are solid actors.

GRANDPA JOE 58 lines, Solos: Grandpa Joe is the grandfather we all wish we had when we were Charlie’s age. He is caring, patient, sweet and always reminds Charlie to remain cheerful. Cast an actor who can be kind and funny. The role sings a bit.

JAMES 3 Lines, Solo: James is Charlie’s friend from school. He has a few lines and sings the introduction of “The Candy Man” along with Matilda and Charlie.

MATILDA 3 Lines, Solo: Matilda is also a schoolmate of Charlie’s, but she’s a bit of bully. Matilda has a few lines and sings the introduction of “The Candy Man” along with James and Charlie.

MIKE TEAVEE 22 Lines, Solos:
For this adaptation Mike is not just a TV junky. He is also addicted to video games, the Internet and any other mindnumbing technological device. Mike is bratty, loud and obnoxious. He does not know the word “no.” Mike and Ms. Teavee sing “I See It All On TV”. Mike could also be portrayed by a girl playing a boy

MR. BUCKET 33 Lines, Solo MRS. BUCKET 17 Lines, Solo: These are great roles for young people who have nice voices, and are natural nurturers. Both sing solos; Mr. Bucket performs the number “Think Positive” with Charlie and Mrs. Bucket sings “Cheer Up, Charlie” with Mr. Bucket and Grandpa Joe.

MR. SALT 14 Lines, Solo: Mr. Salt’s solution to most problems is to buy his way out. He is upper class, and usually portrayed with a high British accent. (But this accent is not necessary—just make sure Veruca and Mr. Salt sound like they hail from the same place.) He sings very little.

MRS. BEAUREGARDE 6 Lines, Solo: Mrs. Beauregard is a teacher of geography and has invested a great deal of hard-earned money on therapy for her orally fixated daughter, with less than stellar results.

MRS. GLOOP 10 Lines, Solo: Mrs. Gloop is Augustus’ mother who has overindulged her son with food. She accompanies Augustus on the tour of the factory, and sings “I Eat More!” The role requires a character actress who isn’t afraid to take positive risks both in her acting and her singing.

MS. TEAVEE 9 Lines, Solo: Ms. Teavee is a take on all television moms of the distant past. Think June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver) or Marion Cunningham (Happy Days) or even Carol Brady (The Brady Bunch). She’s perfectly put together and a bit vacant. She sings “I See It All On TV”.

PHINEOUS TROUT 30 Lines, Solo: Phineous is the reporter who announces the winners of the Golden Ticket contest throughout the show. The role requires some singing. Either a boy or a girl can play the role.

VERUCA SALT 22 Lines, Solo: Veruca is the wealthy, class-conscious, spoiled brat. Veruca’s solo number “I Want It Now”.

VIOLET BEAUREGARDE 21 Lines, Solo: Gum chewer extraordinaire, Violet hails from Snellville, Georgia, she is a blue-collar brat. She sings “Chew It” along with Willy Wonka.

WILLY WONKA 125 Lines, Solos: Willy Wonka is an enigmatic character; at once mysterious and mischievous but also charismatic. The actor should be able to be funny and serious and change between the two on a dime.

Candy Man 18 Lines, Solos: Can be played by the same person as Willy Wonka or another Actor. He portrays a kind and gentle person.

CHORUS OF COOKS: The Cooks appear during “I Eat More!” presenting Augustus with a smorgasbord of food choices.

OOMPA-LOOMPA CHORUS: The Oompa-Loompa Chorus will participate throughout the factory scenes

SQUIRRELS: The squirrels are non-speaking, non-singing role.

THE CANDY MAN KIDS: (a.k.a. SOPHIE, DANNY, ALFIE, BILLIE and additional kids as needed) These kids sing “The Candy Man”.


Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat
There are very few spoken lines in this show, but almost every Character is singing and dancing throughout the entire show.

Narrator: One or two Females. The Narrator tells the story through word and song, guiding the audience gently through the story of Joseph and his brothers. Major Singing and Dancing Role.

The Wives: The wives to the eleven brothers (ensemble). These multi-talented women appear in the play as many characters: Jacob’s wives, saloon girls, dancing girls, and so on. Singing and Dancing Roles

Jacob: The father of twelve sons, Jacob definitely favors Joseph. At times he may appear unfair and shallow, but he is, more importantly, the prophet who recognizes the future and the calling of Joseph, thus saving the House of Israel. Solos.

Joseph: Obviously his father’s favorite, Joseph early on shows a talent for interpreting dreams and telling the future. This gets him into trouble with his brothers when he predicts his future will include ruling over the other eleven. However, it saves his life when in Egypt he correctly interprets Pharaoh’s dreams. In the end he has risen to a great position of power, but he still forgives his brothers and brings his family to Egypt to partake of the bounty he has accumulated there. Major singing role.

Ishmaelites: Men and women of the desert, they buy Joseph as a slave, take him to Egypt, and sell him to Potiphar.

Potiphar: A powerful and rich Egyptian, Potiphar purchases Joseph and puts him to work in his household, where he soon realizes that Joseph is honest, hard-working, and a great addition to his pool of help. When he grows suspicious of his wife and Joseph, however, he grows angry and has Joseph thrown into prison. Solo.

Mrs. Potiphar: Beautiful but evil, Mrs. Potiphar tries to seduce Joseph (unsuccessfully), thus condemning him to prison. Dancing.

Baker: One of Pharaoh servants, the Baker is in prison with Joseph who correctly interprets his dreams and predicts that he will be put to death. Solo.

Butler: Another of Pharaoh servants, the Butler is also in prison with Joseph who also correctly interprets his dreams, this time that he will be released and taken back into Pharaoh's household. It is the Butler who tells Pharaoh about Joseph and his uncanny ability with dreams. Solo.

Pharaoh: The most powerful man in Egypt, Pharaoh is considered a god on earth. When Joseph interprets his dreams, he promotes him to one of the highest positions in his government. In most productions, Pharaoh is portrayed as an Elvis Presley-style figure. Singing Role.

Joseph’ Eleven Brothers: Although acting usually as a group, they each have their own different personalities, talents, and flaws. As a group they sell Joseph into slavery, but as individuals they deal with the following years and how they can make amends. They sing and dance their way through many situations and places. The performers also double as Egyptians in many cases. Singing and Dancing roles.
Reuben: Eldest son of Jacob; showed kindness to Joseph and was the means of saving his life when his other brothers would have put him to death.
Simeon: Second son of Jacob; detained by Joseph in Egypt as a hostage.
Levi: Third son of Jacob, by Leah; he went down with Jacob into Egypt.
Judah: Fourth son of Jacob; he pleads with Joseph when Benjamin is falsely arrested for theft of a goblet; one of his descendants was to be the Messiah.
Dan: Fifth son of Jacob; the tribe of Israel descended from him.
Naphtali: Sixth son of Jacob, by Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid.
Gad: Seventh son of Jacob, by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; brother of Asher.
Asher: Eighth son of Jacob.
Issachar: Ninth son of Jacob.
Zebulun: Tenth son of Jacob; he had three sons.
Benjamin: Twelfth son of Jacob. Joseph accuses him of stealing the golden cup. After Joseph went missing Benjamin was beloved.

Children's chorus

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Ages are not actual ages, parts will be cast according to size to show age difference.
Character Name, Description, Stage Age, Number of Lines

Mother, Grace Bradley : Cool, calm, and collected, 30-40, 249

Mrs. Armstrong, Bossy and managerial,25-60, 40

Mrs. Edna McCarthy, Wants to be Mrs. Armstrong, 30-60, 35

Mrs. Irma Slocum, Telephone Ladies, 25-60, 21

Mrs. Jane Clark, Telephone Ladies, 25-60, 2

Mrs. Vera Clausing, Telephone Ladies, 25-60,1

Father: Mr. Bradley
, Solid, family man, 30-45, 39

Reverend Hopkins, Leader of the church, 20-60, 15

2 Fireman,6 lines

Beth Bradley, Narrator; a bit cynical, 10-15, 143

Imogene Herdman, Loud and bossy; tough, 11-15, 60

Gladys Herdman, Small, fiery, and crafty, 7-11, 33

Alice Wendleken , Stuck up, very meticulous, 10-14, 72

Maxine , Friend and Gossip, 8-14, 68

Charlie Bradley , Traditional little brother, 8-15, 64

Leroy Herdman, Tough, sure of himself, 10-14, 17

Ralph Herdman, Tough, adolescent cool, 12-15, 12

Claude Herdman, Tough and combative, 8-12, 11

Ollie Herdman, Looking for trouble, 7-10, 8

Elmer Hopkins, Pessimist; gloomy, 8-16, 10

Beverly, Small Lines, 7-12, 1

Shirley , Small Lines, 7-12, 1

Juanita , Small Lines, 7-12, 1

Doris , Small Lines, 7-12, 1

Hobie , Small Lines, 7-12, 7

David, Small Lines, 7-12, 6

Youth Chorus: In all church scenes and Pageant 5-16
Extra unassigned lines 11

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Spanish Fork Youtheatre 2011-2012 Season

Spanish Fork Youtheatre is offering three great opportunities for the youth in Utah County, to be involved in a positive theatre experience. We will be presenting three different shows this year. All three shows will be a wonderful way for your child to develop their theatre talents. All shows will cost $40.00 a month plus a lab fee, with a $5.00 a month discount if paid before the second class of the month. To be registered for a class, you will need to pay for Sept. tuition. You may pay your lab fee at this time, but just paying the lab fee will not insure a spot in the class. Online registration begins Mon. Aug. 8th , at www.reconline.spanishfork.org. All classes are limited enrollment. One of the reasons we are doing three shows is that we have so many talented children, and this will give an opportunity for more parts. Auditions are not required, everyone who signs up will participate in the show. We will hold auditions Wed. Aug. 24th and 31st. You only need to come if you are wanting to audition for a speaking or dancing part. You will only need to attend one day and after you have gone through the audition process you may leave. Please feel free to sign up for the class or classes of your choice, but if you would fit into a part in a different show please let us put you where you will have the best experience.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Class will run on Tues. 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Larsen Elementary, Sept. through Dec. ages 5 to 18. Lab fee is $40.00. This is for t-shirt, costume rental and script rental. This is one of our most beloved plays. It is about The Herdmans, who are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. No one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant. None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever. There are a good number of parts for both boys and girls, teens are also needed to play the adult roles.

Willy Wonka and Children’s choir in Joseph: Class will run on Wed. 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Larsen Elementary. Sept - Apr. with performances in Feb. This class will also perform as the children’s choir and special scenes in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which performs in Apr. There will be one combined lab fee for this class of $60.00, this is for 2 t-shirts costume rental and script rental. Ages 5 to 18. Willy Wonka is a fun and exciting show filled with special effects and magic. Five lucky Children find a golden ticket and win a chance to tour Wonka Chocolate Factory. The Adventure begins as one by one the children make poor choices until only Charley is left. There are a lot of parts for both boys and girls. Teenagers are needed to play the adult roles.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Class will run on Wed. 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. at Larsen Elementary, Sept - Apr. performing in Apr. Ages 12 - 18. Lab fee is $40.00, this is for t-shirt, costume rental and script rental. This will be a fabulous experience for your child to participate in. This is a high energy, singing and dancing show. Your child will learn a ton of different kinds of dance styles as they sing and dance their way through the Bible Story of Joseph. There are a large number of parts. 12 brothers, 2 female narrators, At least 20 main female specialty dances and many more. Come and join us and bring a friend!
Any questions please call,
Karma 801-494-4730