AUDITION DATES:  Sunday, September 15, 2024, and Monday, September 16, 2024
AUDITION TIMES:  7:00 PM
DIRECTOR:  Andrea Stephenson

DIRECTOR’S NOTES:

• Please be sure to bring a list of potential conflicts, as the rehearsal schedule will be built based on cast availability.
• Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Accents will not be required for auditions.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:*

• Helsa Wenzel (m or f, 20s and up): Elsa’s German maid. A complex character who is more than she
  seems. For performances, this character needs to use a German accent.
• Elsa von Grossenknueten (f, 40s and up): A wealthy patron of the arts. She is proud of her family’s
  history of spy-craft in Germany. She’s eccentric, often seeming naïve and flighty.
• Michael Kelly (m, 40s and up): An undercover cop, posing as Elsa’s driver in order to trap the Stage Door
  Slasher. Kelly is laser-focused on his job and keeping everyone safe. He’s often exasperated with Elsa
  and finds the theatre types rather baffling.
• Patrick O’Reilly (m, 30s and up): An Irish tenor—or is he? O’Reilly, if that’s his real name, is actually on
  the trail of a group of German defectors. He begins acting as the stereotypical Irishman and
  tenor—loving the spotlight, drink, and his homeland. His interactions with the others are fraught with
  suspicion, especially when it comes to Helsa. For performances, this character needs to use a somewhat
  passable Irish accent, New York Italian accent, and a good German accent.
• Ken De La Maize (m, 40s and up): The director. Ken is pompous and self-absorbed. He craves fame and
  adulation, routinely dropping the names of celebrities with whom he has supposedly worked.
• Nikki Crandall (f, 20s-30s): Chorus girl and dancer. She comes across as an innocent, sweet, Broadway
  hopeful, but there’s more to her than meets the eye.
• Eddie McCuen (m, 20s-30s): Struggling comedian. Eddie is funny, awkward, and an accidental hero.
  Marjorie Baverstock (f, 40s and up): Broadway producer. She is larger than life, seems silly at times, but
  her whole life is dedicated to a passion for the arts.
• Roger Hopewell (m, 30s and up): Composer who has had many hits with lyricist Bernice Roth. Roger is
  often sarcastic, teasing the others frequently. He has a brother-sister type relationship with Bernice and
  is smarter than he acts.
• Bernice Roth (f, 30s and up): Lyricist with a penchant for drinking. She’s hyper, emotional, easily upset,
  and wildly creative.

*Ages are mostly relative and reflect the character’s age, not the actor’s

“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” is presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. https://www.dramatists.com