
Casting & Auditions
The Western Stage is committed to inclusive casting practices. We believe in the value that diverse voices bring to telling a story, and the importance of casting that pushes against historical systems. Artists of all ethnicities, genders, and abilities are encouraged to audition.
In-Person Auditions
Call back auditions are scheduled for March 12th. Please continue to submit video auditions. Check back soon for current casting.
Video Auditions
Video auditions are being accepted for the 2023 season. Prepare two contrasting songs (uptempo and ballad) and/or monolouge, along with your headshot and resume to be considered.
Upload your resume and headshot to the form linked below. For videos, first upload your video to a host site, like YouTube or Vimeo, and add the link to the form. Make sure your video is not set to private and is no longer than 3 minutes.
Submit a video audition HERE.
Young Company: The Selfish Shellfish
Book, Music & Lyrics by David Wood
HS apprentices for directing/design teams
Actors ages 10- 13
Boot Camp: February 6 - 19 (required)
Rehearsal Dates: February 21 – April 2
Conflict Cutoff: April 4
Tech Start Date: April 11
Performance Dates: April 15, 16, 22, 23
Sondheim Tribute Revue
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Rehearsal Dates: April 25 – May 25
Conflict Cutoff: May 16
Tech Start Date: May 25
Performance Dates: June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25
By special arrangement with Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)
A customizable revue featuring the work of the incomparable Stephen Sondheim, widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. Song selections from over 20 titles from the Sondheim songbook, including Anyone Can Whistle, Assassins, Company, Follies, The Frogs, A Funny Thing Happened…, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Pacific Overtures, Passion, Road Show, Saturday Night, Sunday in the Park with
George and Sweeney Todd. Sondheim Tribute Revue is for experienced, advanced singers. If interested in auditioning for this show, please choose a song excerpt from one of the shows listed as one of your audition songs.
Saturday Night
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Anyone Can Whistle
Company
Follies
A Little Night Music
The Frogs
Pacific Overtures
Sweeney Todd
Merrily We Roll Along
Sunday in The Park with George
Into The Woods
Assassin
Passion
Road Show
Pages On Stage
Titles To Be Announced Shortly
Title 1:
Rehearsal: May 29-Jun 11
Performance Dates: June 9, 10, 11
Title 2:
Rehearsal: June 19 – 27
Performance Dates: June 23, 24, 25
Title 3:
Rehearsal: July 10 – 23
Performance Dates: July 21, 22, 23
Imaginary
Book & Lyrics by Timothy Knapman
Music & Lyrics by Stuart Matthew Price
Rehearsal Dates: Jun 13- July 27
Conflict Cutoff: July 18th
Tech Start Date: July 28th
Performance Dates: Aug 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26
By special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide (theatricalrights.com)
An exciting, funny and inspiring musical in the spirit of MATILDA and PETER PAN about the wonder of childhood, the power of the imagination and what it means to grow up. Milo is Sam’s only friend and they spend all their time together, using only their imaginations to transform their world into a place of adventure and excitement. But as Sam’s first day at a new school approaches, his mother worries that Milo is holding her son back, stopping him from growing up. School turns out to be a full of surprises – and secrets. With a cast of adults and kids, IMAGINARY center on an enduring friendship with other- worldly twists and turns that change lives forever.
Cast
The Children
Sam 11/12 years old. Any Gender. Clever, brave and loyal, They have an active imagination. Sam is close to their mom but is reaching the
age where they are embarrassed by her. A bit timid when we first meet Sam, they becomes more daring and truly heroic as our story progresses.
Milo Sam’s best friend. Any Gender. Milo is Sam’s imaginary friend, Milo could be the same age as Sam or any age. Milo is a little less mature than Sam, more mischievous and irresponsible. They feed Sam’s imaginative life and often leads Sam astray. Milo, too, matures as the story develops.
Alice Same age as Sam and Milo, a girl in Sam’s year at his new school. Strong, brave and serious. The Headmaster’s “upgrading” technique has turned her beloved sister Jess into an unfeeling robot of a girl, so Alice is shut off emotionally from the other children, bitter anduntrusting.
Dexter Friendly, happy is very much at ease with knowing that they’re not very smart. Simple tasks – such as tying shoelaces – defeat them, but they have a lot of charm.
Grace A good person, clever, hardworking and serious. Finds breaking school rules very difficult, even when they know they haves to –but can be very brave.
Harvey The cool kid. Confident, charming, charismatic – but not very academic
Helen Shy, nervous about going to the new school. Goodhearted but quiet.
The New Kids
Classmates of the above.
The Big Kids (teens/young adults)
All have been transformed by the Headmaster’s “upgrading” technique into robot-like drones, who move and think in a rigidly controlled manner.
Jess One of the Big Kids. Alice’s older sister. We first see them as the poster girl for “upgrading”: severe, serious, unfeeling, hostile. But Alice’s memory of them offers us a glimpse of the person they used to be, creative, guitar-playing and loving.
The Parents
Beth Sam’s mother. A single mother, she’s done everything she can to make Sam’s life interesting and colorful – despite there not being much money about. At the beginning of the story, she and Sam have just moved out of their small flat and into a little house, so things are looking up economically, but she worries that Sam is stuck emotionally – he still has an imaginary friend, even though he’s old enough for secondary school – and she blames herself for indulging his taste for fantasy and daydreaming.
Flick Dexter’s mum. Loving but despairing about her son’s inability to perform basic tasks, she’s sending him to this school because she’s heard how they get amazing exam results out of even the most unpromising students.
Liam and Marco Grace’s dads. Very proud indeed of their academically gifted daughter but also rather emotional about her first day at secondary school. She’s very relaxed about it, they’re the ones feeling the separation anxiety.
Tony Harvey’s dad. An important corporate boss. Very strait-laced and disciplined. Cares a lot about results.
Tash Helen’s mum. Caring but perhaps a little exasperated by her daughter’s shyness.
The Staff
The Headmaster 45 years old. Brilliant, charismatic and megalomaniac, the Headmaster is an evil genius who has developed an “upgrading” technique that removes the imagination from his students, and so enables them to pass exams with machine-like efficiency. This, he hopes, will eventually result in world domination. He had an unhappy childhood, as we see when we flashback to the Boy Headmaster – a miniature version of his older self. His parents encouraged his inventing but then broke his heart when
they told him that his best friend was imaginary. In love with – or at least, strangely drawn to - Miss Stoker.
Miss Stoker The I.T. teacher. Cold-hearted and ruthless, and admiringly in love with the Headmaster.
Dr Goole The Mathematics teacher. Evil, like his colleagues, the only thing he regrets about the Headmaster’s “upgrading” is that the pupils are never naughty, and so cannot be punished.
Frau Rammstein
The Business Studies teacher. A scary, Wagnerian person, she speaks with a heavy German accent.
Mr Gruntt The P.E. Teacher. As his name suggests, Gruntt cannot speak –he communicates in grunts that we, the audience don’t understand, but that the other teachers somehow seem to understand perfectly. As the story develops, we realize that what he’s trying to say every time is “Oogie”, which is the name of his long-lost imaginary friend. During “upgrading” sessions, Gruntt assists the Headmaster, playing Igor to his Frankenstein. Reunited with Oogie, he repents and reveals his good side. The Minister of Education
Charming, devious and utterly unreliable. A future Prime Minister.
The “IFs” or Imaginary Friends (Teens-Adults)
Brenda The weirdest, craziest-looking creature you’ve ever seen, there is no doubt that Brenda was the product
of a child’s very fertile imagination. Initially charming and motherly – and presiding over an Imaginary
Land that is one long party -we later discover that she rules Imaginary Land with a rod of iron – locking
the gates that separate it from the real world, and making all newly-arrived IFs forget their human
friends. We learn this is because she was once the Boy Headmaster’s IF, but they fell out and he
punished her by transforming her from Brenda Jr - a human-looking child - into the monstrously
improbable creature she is today. Female, but could be played by a male actor, in the English
“Pantomime Dame” tradition.
The Brendettes Big Brenda’s henchpersons and backing singers. Cool, superior and fabulous.
Oogie The one rebel in Imaginary Land. Oogie is an IF who has refused to forget his human friend. He lives in
hope of his friend communicating with him, and so has stayed by the large telephone that the humans
can use to call their IFs back into their lives. Alas, the phone has not rung in all the many, many years
since Oogie arrived and his faith is beginning to run out. But he’s an irrepressible character – quick to
embrace hope and eager to do anything to help Milo, his new best friend.
Chutney, Mutley and Frank Three IF friends
4000 Miles
By Amy Herzog
Rehearsal Dates: Aug. 8 – Sep. 10
Conflict Cutoff: September 5
Tech Start Date: September 12
Performance Dates: September 29, 30 Oct. 7, 8, 13, 14, 21, 22, 27, 28
By special arrangement with Concord Theatricals (concordtheatricals.com) /Samuel French, INC
After suffering a major loss while he was on a cross-country bike trip, 21-year old Leo seeks solace from
his feisty 91-year old grandmother Vera in her West Village apartment. Over the course of a single
month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. 4000 MILES looks
at how two outsiders find their way in today’s world.
** This title will be presented in repertory with another 4-person play that is pending licensing.
Cast
Leo Joseph-Connell 20-30
Vera Joseph 91
Amanda 20’s, Asian American
Bec 20-30
The Thanksgiving Play
Will be performed in repertory with 4000 Miles
Rehearsal Dates: Aug. 8 – Sep. 17
Conflict Cutoff: September 12
Tech Start Date: September 20
Performance Dates: Sep. 30, Oct. 1, 6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 28, 29
It's A Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play
Adapted By Joe Landry
Rehearsal Dates: Sep. 19 – Nov. 2
Conflict Cutoff: October 24
Tech Start Date: November 3
Performance Dates: November 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, December 2, 3
By special arrangement with Playscripts (playscripts.com) & Broadway Licensing (broadwaylicensing.com)
This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940’s radio broadcast. With the help of an
ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers
ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.
Holiday drama
75 - 90 minutes
5-25 actors possible: 1-10 W, 1-15 M
Cast plays multiple characters:
STAGE MANAGER
FREDDIE FILMORE (also called ANNOUNCER), the actor playing Joseph and others
JAKE LAURENTS the actor playing George
SALLY APPLEWHITE the actress playing Mary
LANA SHERWOOD the actress playing Violet and others
HARRY “JAZZBO” HEYWOOD the actor playing Clarence and others
MARY HATCH George’s girl
ROSE BAILEY George’s mother
HARRY BAILEY George’s kid brother
OLD MAN GOWER a druggist
BERT a cop
VIOLET BICK a small-town siren
HENRY F. POTTER the richest and meanest man in all the county
BILLY BAILEY George’s uncle
PETE George’s son
ZUZU George’s daughter
CLARENCE George’s guardian angel
JOSEPH the superintendent of angels
YOUNG GEORGE George as a child
YOUNG HARRY Harry as a child
BOYS
YOUNG VIOLET Violet as a child
YOUNG MARY, Mary as a child
GEORGE BAILEY a typical American dreamer
PETER BAILEY George’s father
ERNIE a cab driver
SAM WAINWRIGHT an entrepreneur
OLD MAN COLLINS an eavesdropper
BOARD MEMBERS
DR. CAMPBELL on the board of the Bailey Bros. Building & Loan
MATILDA secretary at Bailey Bros. Building & Loan
RUTH DAKIN BAILEY Harry’s wife
MRS. HATCH Mary’s mother
ED at the run on the bank
CHARLIE at the run on the bank
MAN (at run on bank)
MRS. THOMPSON at the run on the bank
SCHULTZ a German at the Martini house dedication
MARTINI an Italian bar/restaurant owner
HORACE THE TELLER at the bank
SADIE VANCE the state bank examiner
JANIE George’s daughter
TOMMY George’s son
MR. WELCH a schoolteacher’s husband with a temper
RESTAURANT PATRONS
MAN (at Martini’s)
NICK a bartender
BRIDGE KEEPER
BINKY a bouncer
COP
SHERIFF
Show
First Rehearsal
Conflict Cutoff
Tech Start Date
Performance Dates
Squirrel Girl
January 31
March 7
March 17
March 24, 25, 26, 31, April 1, 2
February 6
April 4
April 11
The Selfish Shellfish
April 15, 16, 22, 23
April 25
May 16
May 25
Stephen Sondheim Revue
June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25
May 29
Pages On Stage
Title #1 TBA
June 9, 10, 11
June 19
Pages On Stage
Title #2 TBA
June 23, 24, 25
July 10
Pages On Stage
Title #3 TBA
July 21, 22, 23
June 23
July 18
July 28
Imaginary
August 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26
August 8
September 5
September 12
4000 Miles
Sept. 29, 30, Oct. 7, 8, 13, 14, 21, 22, 27, 28
August 8
September 12
September 20
The Thanksgiving Play
Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 6, 7, 14, 15, 20, 21, 28, 29
September 19