Audition Notice: "The Wiz"

"The Wiz"

Book by William F. Brown

Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls

From the Story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Directed by Ansley Valentine

Choreographed by TBA

Music Directed by Jonathan Swoboda

About "The Wiz"

A beloved Broadway gem, "The Wiz" infuses L. Frank Baum’s "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel and soul music. This timeless tale of Dorothy’s adventures through the Land of Oz is a fun, family-friendly, modern musical.

Please use this link to access the libretto and callback materials.

Rehearsals

Music Rehearsal: (Tentative) Monday through Wednesday December 2-4 at 6-10 p.m.

Staging and Choreography Rehearsals: January 13-February 12, Monday through Friday and Saturday OR Sunday 6-hour block or 7 out of 8 hours.

Sitzprobe: Thursday, February 13, 2025

Technical Rehearsals Begin: (tentative) Friday, February 14, 2025

Performances

February 21 through March 22, 2025 (10:00 a.m. High School Matinee on February 26)

Casting Statement

"The Wiz" will cast from the BIPOC Kent State community.

Preliminary Auditions

Open to ALL Kent State University students. Auditions will be held in conjunction with auditions for other spring productions, including "Trial By Fire" and "Men on Boats." Directors and stage managers from all three production teams will be in present for your audition – you may audition for all three productions (presenting a monologue and song) or choose to only audition for the plays or non-sing roles in the musical (presenting only a monologue accordingly).

When/Where:
Tuesday, November 12 and Wednesday, November 13 (6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) Center for the Performing Arts – Room D205.

Callbacks:
Thursday, November 14 beginning at 6 p.m., Center for the Performing Arts, location TBA.

Sign-Up:

Auditions will be scheduled in 3-minute slots.
Sign Up for Auditions Here
More slots will be added in the 9-10 p.m. hour when previous slots fill up.
Fill out and submit this audition form by Monday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m.. Please be prepared to upload a headshot and performance resume through this form.
Fill Out Audition Form

What to Prepare

60-90-second monologue from a play written after 1850.
1. Monologues can be comedic or dramatic. If you are auditioning for "Men on Boats" and "Trial By Fire," we recommend choosing a character you connect with whose gender identity differs from your own. If you are only auditioning for "Trial by Fire," feel free to prepare a monologue/character that aligns with your gender identity.
2. If the monologue isn't memorized, that is fine, please audition anyway.
For "The Wiz," prepare a cut of a song that is 60 seconds or less in the style of the show. Bring sheet music in the correct key, accompanist provided. We understand all B.F.A. Musical Theatre majors are required to audition with a song. "The Wiz" will cast from the BIPOC Kent State community.

Character Breakdown

DOROTHY: Female, 13-16 (Range: Mezzo Soprano, G3-Bb5)
Bright eyed and alive as can be. Would rather remain a child as long as possible instead of accepting the responsibilities of adulthood.

SCARECROW: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Tenor, A2-A4)
Tired of being a scarecrow and the prospect of not going anywhere. Embarks on the journey to see The Wiz in hopes he can provide a brain.

TIN MAN: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Baritone/Tenor, D3-Bb4)
Human at one time. Lost all his limbs to a cursed axe. Joins in the journey in hopes the Wiz will provide him a heart because “it isn’t enough to be good-looking.”

LION: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Baritone/Tenor, G2-Bb4)
Travels around the jungle scaring people, but has “a yellow streak a mile wide.” Coward state stems from deeper mother issues and gets regular counseling from an owl. Joins in the journey to see the wiz to gain some courage.

THE WIZ: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Tenor, C3-A4)
All-powerful leader over the land of Oz. Hides his true nature behind the façade of a temperamental leader. His true identity is an enigma.

AUNT EM: Female, Late 30's (Range: Mezzo Soprano/Alto, G3-C5)
Dorothy's Aunt. Life has not been easy for her and promises little else. Harsh towards Dorothy at times, but acts out of love.

UNCLE HENRY: Male, Late 30's (Non-Singing)
Dorothy's Uncle. Physically run-down from years of hard work on the farm. Often acts as the voice of reason towards Aunt Em.

ADDAPERLE: Female, Age Flexible (Range: Alto, F3-C5)
Good Witch of the North. Has magic powers she refers to as "doing tricks." Her magic abilities don't always pan out as well as she would like them to.

EVILLENE: Female, Age Flexible (Range: Alto, G3-Db5)
Wicked Witch of the West. Low-down evil. Not a kind bone in her body nor kind thought in her rotten mind.

GLINDA: Female, Age Flexible (Range: Mezzo Soprano/Soprano, C4-D6)
Good Witch of the South. Prettiest of all the witches. Very wise in the way of show-business.

YELLOW BRICK ROAD: 4 Actors, Male or Female, Age Flexible (Range: Flexible, F3-Db4/F4-Db5)
Four dancing actors combine to create the Yellow Brick Road. Metaphorically represents the road Dorothy travels down, encouraging her along the way.

GATEKEEPER: Male, Age Flexible (Non-Singing)
Guards the gate to the Emerald City.

LORD HIGH UNDERLING: Male, Age Flexible (Non-Singing)
Weak coward. Evillene's number one.

WINGED MONKEY: Male, Age Flexible (Non-Singing)
Servant of the Wicked Witch of the West. Summoned to do her bidding. The mere mention of him brings fear.

ENSEMBLE: PIT SINGERS, TORNADO, MUNCHKINS, CROWS, KALIDAHS, POPPIES, FIELD MICE, EMERALD CITY CITIZENS, SOLDIER, MESSENGER.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR BFA MUSICAL THEATRE AND MFA STUDENTS

“B.F.A. Musical Theatre candidates are required to audition for all theatre division main stage productions and accept roles if cast. Exemptions to the audition requirement may be granted under certain circumstances. Circumstances include but are not limited to: religious beliefs, moral objection, psychological triggers with the play, and physical concerns. In order to be exempted from the audition requirement, students must submit a written petition to the performance faculty prior to the beginning of the casting process for the production in question. The performance faculty will make a good faith effort to deliberate and come to a decision on the petition at the first performance area meeting after the receipt of the petition. At no point will a student be asked to disclose sensitive personal information.”

For information on all the B.F.A. Musical Theatre requirements please go to the following. https://www.kent.edu/theatredance/revised-requirements-bfa-musical-theatre-program