August 1 – 2
Thank you for your interest in auditioning for a GREAT show!
If you’ve auditioned for us before, welcome back! If this is your first time auditioning at GREAT, we’re thrilled to have you! We are in our 26th season and are excited to add new people, new talent, and new voices to our company as well as welcome returning volunteers to our stages! Whether you’re a seasoned performer or you’ve never been on stage before, we encourage you to audition!
More information about Little Women auditions will be posted in the weeks leading up to auditions, and the initial audition will consist of reading for all auditionees. Monologues will be posted online, along with more information about how to prepare so you can be your most confident!
KEY DATES
- Auditions:Tuesday, August 1 from 6:00-9:00p & Wednesday, August 2 from 6:00p-9:00p
at the Helgeson Learning Lab, 710 Sundial Drive, Waite Park MN 56387 - Call-backs: Saturday, August 5, from 10:00am-2:00pm
- Rehearsals: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm and a few Saturday rehearsals. Not everyone is called for every rehearsal.
- Tech/Dress Rehearsals: October 23, 24, 25, 26 from 5:00pm-10:00pm
- Performances:
Friday, October 27 at 7:30pm
Saturday, October 28 at 7:30pm
Sunday, October 29 at 2:00pm
Friday, November 3 at 7:30pm
Saturday, November 4 at 2:00pm (HOLD) & 7:30pm
Sunday, November 5 at 2:00pm
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Kendra Norton Dando
Scenic Designer: Jeff Brown
Costume Designer: Jessica Mancini
Lighting Designer: Jeff Brown
Sound Designer: Steve Sanders
Prop Designer: Bonnie Bologna
BE PART OF THE STORY
Selected based on feedback from volunteers for a desire to have more opportunities to perform in non-musicals, Little Women is the first of three plays in our season. This new adaptation takes the beloved characters we know from the novel and movies and reveals the charming—albeit messy and chaotic—heart and passion that each embodies. As playwright Kate Hamill says, “… it is a play about the potential—and risk—of growth, and the struggle to stay true to (and believe in) yourself, when the world would rather stick you in a teeny-tiny box.”
With a small cast of well-rounded, dynamic characters, there will be great opportunity to develop your skills in character work and storytelling. From Hamill: “Little Women MUST be cast in an inclusive fashion—particularly the March family. It is an American play and should reflect America today.” This clever reimagining of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel will have audiences falling in love with the March sisters all over again.
Notes on Casting from the playwright, Kate Hamill
The trap in this play—and all plays have traps—is to try to recreate the novel, or some idea of the novel, or some idea of the archetypes found in the novel. This adaptation is a retelling, and in some ways a conscious explosion of those archetypes. It is not polite. None of the characters are good or bad. They are not always likable—and that’s particularly important for young women, the freedom to not be “likable” at all times—but they are human. They are imperfect people, and it is not a perfect family.
What to Prepare for Auditions
Please choose TWO CONTRASTING MONOLOGUES from the provided list which reflect your range and the role(s) you are most interested in. Please click the link below for the monologues and tips!
Please choose a monologue from our provided list that reflects the role(s) for which you wish to be considered. Please click the link below for the monologues and tips!
SPECIAL SKILLS: piano playing, whistling, stage combat, singing, partner dance
A Note on Staged Intimacy
Theatrical intimacy is any action on stage where the given circumstances of the scene or the overall production calls for touch, both physical and imaginative, or moments between actors of simulated sexuality or sexual violence.
GREAT has been learning from Intimacy Directors & Coordinators (IDC) to improve processes and incorporate safer practices for theatrical intimacy in our rehearsals. All scenes with intimacy follow a specific set of staging and rehearsal protocols rooted in consent and safety for the actors.
Many roles in Little Women will require some level of physical intimacy/touch as multiple characters demonstrate physical comfort/affection with one another (such as an embrace or close proximity). Characters who engage in specific moments of physical intimacy and kissing are noted in character descriptions.
Characters
Meg March – The oldest March daughter. Acts as Marmie’s second in the house. A romantic at heart—likes to dress up and have little luxuries in life. Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 21-25.
Jo March – The second oldest March. Does not fit comfortably within the given parameters of her given gender role. A deep fire within her. Extremely ambitious and frustrated by the distance between where she is and where she wants to be. Impatient. Wants to change the world. Very smart and knows it. A mix of insecurity and aspiration. Boyish and rough and tumble. Sometimes antagonistic. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Can be quite awkward or abrupt; bad temper when riled. A great sense of humor. Passionate. Ahead of her time. A warrior. Has a special relationship with Beth. This role requires onstage physical intimacy/kiss as well staged physical violence. Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 18-23.
Beth March – The third March. Very sweet and paralytically shy; had to be removed from school because of her paralyzing social anxieties. An extremely special person. Almost incapable of going out in the world; sheltered by her family. Loves deeply and has deep empathy for everyone. Loves the simple things in life—so much that it hurts. Sees much more than anyone realizes. Brave and sensitive; quick to forgive and heal wounds. An observer. Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 17-21.
Amy March – AMY MARCH. The youngest March. Opinionated and spunky; popular and quite focused on style. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Socially intelligent. Sometimes puts on airs. Perhaps a bit spoiled. A perfect little lady—except for her temper, and her not so great command of vocabulary. Grows up to be quite beautiful and elegant. Madly in love with Laurie, around whom she is never cool. Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 14-20.
Hannah – Irish. The March’s longtime housekeeper, cook and de facto babysitter. A treasure, a terror, a traditionalist. Takes no nonsense. Matter of fact, she’s the boss of that kitchen, for sure. (This role may double with Mrs. Mingott.) Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 40s-60s.
Mrs. Mingott – A very rich, stylish woman. Vanderbilt-eque, condescending, not terribly pleasant, fancies herself charitable. (This role may double with Hannah.) Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 40s-60s.
Marmee – The matriarch of the March family. A social revolutionary, ahead of her time. Good sense of humor. A warrior; keeps the family together. Tough. Strong, Intelligent. (This role may double with Aunt March.) Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 40s-50s.
Aunt March – The most unpleasant old woman imaginable. Has lots of money; privileged. Strong political and personal opinions, which people endure. Judgemental. Has an intermittent, hacking, disgusting cough. (This role may double with Marmee.) Presenting gender: female. Presenting age range: 70s.
Theodore “Laurie” Laurence – A sweet and handsome young man. Sensitive, funny, charming, and caring. In his fantasies, he’s a white knight, riding in to rescue damsels in distress. A natural musician. Wealthy, thanks to his inheritance, generous, does not have to think about money. Does not always fit comfortably within the given parameters of his gender role – he doesn’t want to grow up to be a soldier or tedious man of business. Finds a family in the Marches. This role requires onstage physical intimacy/kiss. Presenting gender: male. Presenting age range: 18-25.
John Brooks – Laurie’s sometimes stiff and awkward tutor. A rule follower. A poor man, well educated. Has a very noticeable limp – probably served in the war and was sent home, although may have been disqualified from service altogether. Feels deeply. Quite madly in love with Meg. (This role may double with Mr. Dashwood.) Presenting gender: male. Presenting age range: 30-40.
Dashwood – A publisher of cheap newspapers and novels. A businessman, working in a man’s world. Fancies himself a realist. Not a nice guy. Fancies himself a nice guy. (This role may double with John Brooks.) This role requires a moment of staged physical violence. Presenting gender: male. Presenting age range: 40s-50s.
Laurence – Laurie’s grandfather, responsible for Laurie’s upbringing. A wealthy man. A gentleman in the strictest sense. Not comfortable with emotional language; bad at expressing himself. Has a rigid sense of what is appropriate behavior, especially for a man. Tends towards gruffness or temper. Probably quite unintentionally frightening. Deeply regretful of incidents in his past, but unable to express it. (This role may double with Robert March.) Presenting gender: male. Presenting age range: 60s-70s.
Robert March – Father to the March girls. Never speaks, but his presence looms large. Is wounded in the war; never quite recovers. A significant limp, struggles with his injuries, both emotional and physical. (This role may double with Mr. Laurence.) Presenting gender: male. Presenting age range: 40s-60s.
Parrot – Aunt March’s parrot: pure evil. A musty, disgusting bird. Probably an actual demon in parrot form. (Yep, this is a parrot…not human…and yes, the bird speaks.)