Theatre

Small Mouth Sounds – by Beth Wohl

General Auditions: Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 6:00PM in the Century College West Campus Theatre

• Call Back Auditions: November 10, 2022, at 6:00PM
• Rehearsals: Monday-Thursday, January 9-February 9, 2023
• One Script Read Thru & Company Meeting on November 10 @6:00PM
• One additional rehearsal on Friday, February 3, 2023
• All Roles Open to Century College Students, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members

What to Prepare for Auditions:

Auditions will be conducted using solo and group situation improvisations, readings, and interviews. No prepared monologue needed.

Before Audition Insights to the Play:

For insight to the play before auditions, scripts may be checked out for 48 hours by Will Slayden in the West Campus Theatre. Scripts may also be found for purchase on Amazon or other sites, and maybe the Century College Bookstore. There is also a great deal of information about the play (and some video clips) available by searching the title in an online search engine.

Characters include: 3 Men, 3 Women, 1 Male or Female

Although the characters are of specific gender and cannot be changed (pardoning the one character called “Teacher”), All the roles are open to any actor without discrimination in regard to gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or identity status.

Characters:

Joan: A therapist and sex educator. Warm, open and compassionate, she is also incredibly, mind-bendingly angry underneath.

Judy: Joan’s partner. Works at O magazine as a top editor in the art department. She’s the kind of person who only needs four hours of sleep per night—she’s direct, competent and capable. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and, as the doctor said, she “will not have a good outcome.”

Alicia: From Southern California. She is the kind of person who manages to make a lot of noise even when she’s “in silence.” She recently went through a very bad breakup and is looking for something– or somebody–to make her feel okay again.

Ned: A Jewish guy from Great Neck who works for a non-profit called Earthwatch and has had a severe run of bad luck worse than the worst country western song. Anxious, insecure, and angry.

Rodney: Ageless, fit, gorgeous, grew up in the Pacific Northwest, teaches yoga in New York and the Hamptons. Though he is married, his extensive man jewelry does not include a wedding ring.

Jan: From a small town in Finland. He does not speak much English. He is pale and sweet, with a wide-eyed, continually curious air about him, like a sprite or a woodland creature. He is a pastor at a small, Lutheran church back in Finland.

Teacher: A disembodied, androgynous voice with a strange, slightly accented way of talking. The androgynous tone might be the result of some kind of sickness or might be just the way the teacher sounds. Never seen, only heard. Although never seen, the character has the most lines in this mostly silent play!

RENT: The Musical – Book, Music, & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

General Auditions: February 13 & 14, 2023 in the Century College West Campus Theatre

• Callback Auditions: February 15, 2023
• Performances: April 14-30, 2023
• Rehearsals: 6:00PM-10:00PM Monday-Thursday: February 21-March 2, 2023
• (No Rehearsals March 3-12, SPRING BREAK)
• Rehearsals: 6:00PM-10:00PM Monday-Friday: March 13-April 13, 2023
• ALL Roles Open to Century College Students, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members
• ALL the roles are open to any actor without discrimination in regard to gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or identity status (pardoning for a specific role which must be played by an actor of color. Please refer to the character descriptions below).

What To Prepare for Auditions:

• Option A): A one (1) minute song cut of your choice. It may be from RENT, from any other musical, or a pop song. We suggest the song be in the rock music style of RENT but one which you feel best shows your vocal capabilities. Please bring sheet music. A piano accompanist will be provided. No a cappella singing or singing with a recording.
• Option B): Learn and sing a song cut taught at the audition by the music director to the whole group auditioning and then sung back, solo, by each person auditioning.
• Dance Audition. The choreographer will teach a dance sequence to the auditioning group followed by the auditioning actors dancing the sequence just taught to them in small groups and/or solo. Note: Please wear clothes and shoes you can dance, kick, jump, and roll on the ground in.
• For those asked to return for the Call Back Auditions, further singing (solo, duet, and small group), script reading, interviews, and possible dancing will be conducted.

Character Breakdown:

Roger Davis: A struggling musician and former drug addict. He is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. Roommates with Mark in the loft and battles with being HIV-positive.

• Gender: Male
• Age: 20 to 25
• Vocal range top: A4
• Vocal range bottom: F2

Mark Cohen: Filmmaker and video artist. Knee deep in his own soul-searching, Mark is the typical young artist. He and Roger are roommates in the loft. A bit of a nerd.

• Gender: Male
• Age: 20 to 30
• Vocal range top: G4
• Vocal range bottom: A2

Tom Collins: A computer genius and liberal professor. He is a nurturer with a smooth and relaxed disposition. Used to be a roommate in the loft and is HIV-positive. Typically, African-American or other POC.

• Gender: Male
• Age: 25 to 35
• Vocal range top: A4
• Vocal range bottom: F#2

Benjamin Coffin III: The landlord of Mark and Roger’s apartment building. A former roommate in the loft, Benny traded in his personal morals for power and wealth.

• Gender: Male
• Age: 25 to 35
• Vocal range top: F#4
• Vocal range bottom: Bb2

Joanne Jefferson: A public interest lawyer and headstrong lesbian. She is smart and purposeful in all her decisions. Carries on a tumultuous relationship with Maureen.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 25 to 40
• Vocal range top: E5
• Vocal range bottom: G3

Angel Dumott Schunard: The eccentric HIV-positive street drummer. A drag queen with an incredible gift of dance and a magnetic personality. He becomes Tom’s lover.

• Gender: Male
• Age: 20 to 30
• Vocal range top: A4
• Vocal range bottom: C3

Mimi Marquez: An HIV-positive stripper with drug addictions. Slender and sickly, she conceals it all at her job in the local strip club. She lives in the same building as the loft.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 18 to 21
• Vocal range top: E5
• Vocal range bottom: Eb3

Maureen Johnson: An unpredictably zany performance artist. Maureen oozes sexuality and used to live in the loft. She has recently dumped Mark for Joanne.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 20 to 25
• Vocal range top: F5
• Vocal range bottom: C4

Ensemble (Note: There are many solos, duets, & small group character vocals, as well as individual character scenes and moments, and a diversity of identities within the ensemble. The ensemble members may double many of these roles. The ensemble members are also onstage interacting, singing, and dancing throughout a large portion of the show and are tightly and visually tied to the principal characters). Some of the ensemble characters include:

Homeless Men & Women; Junkies, Parents (Mrs. Cohen, Mr. & Mrs. Jefferson); Life Support Group (Steve, Gordon), Alexi Darling-The Producer of Buzzline, Mrs. Marquez (Mimi’s Mother), Squeegee Man, and many more characters.

Before Audition Insights to the Play:

With RENT being the iconic musical that it is, you may find complete productions online to view, as well as an overwhelming amount of information about the show. Scripts are also available for purchase at online sites, such as Amazon, and in bookstores.