Call for Auditions

Epping Community Theater is inviting you to audition for our summer production of the hysterical, high-energy musical comedy Bye, Bye Birdie.

 

It’s 1958, and chaos ensues when the most famous rock and roll singer in the world, Conrad Birdie, is unexpectedly drafted into the army. Conrad’s manager Albert Peterson and Albert’s secretary (and on-and-off girlfriend) Rosie Alvarez think they’ve found a solution to their problems when they hatch a plan to have Conrad sing one last song and give one last kiss to one of his adoring fans on national television just before he leaves. The lucky girl selected to get that final smooch from Conrad turns out to be Kim MacAfee from the small town of Sweet Apple, OH. But Albert and Rosie don’t realize that bringing teen idol Conrad Birdie to Sweet Apple is going to cause more
pandemonium than they could possibly imagine, as the world-famous young singer and his management team suddenly find themselves coming face-to-face with hysterical teenage fans, jealous boyfriends, and angry parents. Will these show business visitors permanently turn the town of Sweet Apple upside down? And, at the end of it all, will Albert and Rosie finally be able to resolve their differences and get married? 

 

This hilarious show is sure to make for an exciting, fun-filled summer for the entire cast, so sign up for your audition slot today!

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Audition Dates

April 7 - 5:30pm - 9pm

April 8 -  5:30pm - 9pm

They will be held at Watson Academy

 

Please plan to either bring sheet music or Bluetooth capability. We would prefer that you not sing a cappella. Plan to sing 16 bars of any Broadway musical. No pop or rock please. You may be asked to do a reading which will be provided at auditions.

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Reheasals

Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-9pm 
Sundays 1-5pm with some Sundays running 1-4.

Locations will be Watson Academy and Epping Community Theater.

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Mandatory Tech Rehearsals

July 12 - TBA

July 13-16 - 5:30pm
 

Performances

July 17 - 7pm
July 18 - 2pm

July 19 - 2pm - MANDATORY strike immediately following .

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To Audition, please do both of the following items:

1. Fill out the form below

2. Select an audition slot from the Sign Up Genius Here

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PLEASE NOTE: All age ranges for characters are approximate. When appropriate, an actor who looks younger or older than they actually are may be cast according to the age that they can pass for. In other circumstances, costuming and/or makeup may be used to make an actor appear younger or
older than their actual age. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding age suitability for a particular role. Albert Peterson-(age 18-40) The manager of rock and roll singer Conrad Birdie and president of a New York-based music publishing company. Since Conrad is his most successful client,
he panics when Conrad is drafted, but is saved by his secretary Rosie when she books Conrad to make one last appearance on live television before leaving for the army. Albert is in love with Rosie and wants to marry her, but he still feels a loyalty to his controlling, manipulative mother, who doesn’t like Rosie and wants him to stay in the music business. A generally nice guy who means well, but he often tries to present himself as more assertive and put-together than he actually is even though, in reality, he would be completely lost if it weren’t for Rosie, and his efforts to try and keep everybody happy often lead to him becoming overwhelmed and frantic.

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Rosie Alvarez-(age 18-40) Albert’s girlfriend and secretary, who puts together the publicity stunt of having Conrad Birdie go on live television to give a farewell kiss to one of his fans. Fiercely devoted to Albert for nearly a decade, she wants nothing more than for Albert to give up the music business, become an English teacher, and (most importantly) marry her. She is
increasingly frustrated by Albert’s habit of giving in to his demanding mother, who dislikes Rosie and constantly takes jabs at her. Must have a strong, spitfire personality, but also must be likeable, as she is (by far) the most level-headed and sensible character in the show and the audience must root for
her. Heavy dancing, so strong dance skills are essential.

Conrad Birdie-(age 16-21) An idolized rock and roll singer and teen heartthrob who is unexpectedly drafted into the army, upsetting his millions and millions of teenage fans. He is then booked to sing one last song and give “one last kiss” to one of his adoring fans on national television before he leaves. Very flirtatious with all of the teen girls who worship him, he initially
loves all of the attention and adoration that he gets, but also gets fed up with the lack of freedom that comes with being a nationally-recognized star. Moves and dances quite a bit, so good movement and dance skills are preferred.

Kim MacAfee-(age 16-21) A teenage girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio who is randomly chosen to be the lucky girl that Conrad Birdie will kiss on television. Precoscious and considers herself much more mature than she actually is. At the start of the show, Kim has recently started dating Hugo Peabody, and starts to believe that the Conrad Birdie Fan Club is too immature and childish for her. But being chosen as the girl who gets to kiss Conrad on TV turns her into a devoted Birdie fan all over again, despite Hugo’s protests.

Hugo Peabody-(age 16-21) Kim’s boyfriend. At the start of the show, he and Kim have just recently started dating, and he is appalled when she almost immediately agrees to kiss another guy on national television, even though the guy in question is the hugely famous singer Conrad Birdie. Extremely jealous of Conrad, Hugo is willing to take extreme measures in order to
ensure that the kiss doesn’t happen. Like Kim, he is a precocious teenager, but unlike Kim, he’s not very confident and is somewhat of a pushover. Comic timing is essential, as his jealousy and dislike of Conrad should come across as funny to the audience.

Ursula Merkle-(age 16-21) Kim’s best friend and the President of the Sweet Apple Conrad Birdie fan club. Highly energetic and overly excitable, she is very supportive of Kim being chosen as the girl to kiss Conrad on TV and never displays any jealousy, despite the fact that it is obvious that her fanatic devotion to Conrad is even greater than Kim’s. Comic timing is essential.

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Mae Peterson-(age 40-60) Albert’s selfish, domineering mother who will do anything to keep him from giving up the Peterson family’s music publishing business. Overly controlling, she manipulates Albert by laying guilt trips on him and lying to him about her fragile health. She dislikes Rosie and is very rude to her as she strongly disapproves of Rosie’s relationship with Albert. Despite being an antagonist, she has many moments of broad physical comedy throughout the show, and she must be very funny.

Mr. Harry MacAfee-(age 35-55) The stern and authoritative but constantly befuddled father of Kim MacAfee and her brother Randolph. Very suspicious of Conrad Birdie and the fandom surrounding him, and strongly believes that his generation is far superior to the present-day kids and teenagers. However, he’s also a fiercely devoted fan of “The Ed Sullivan Show” (the show that Conrad and Kim will be appearing on) and when he finds out that he will have the opportunity to appear on the show too, his stern demeanor melts away and he becomes absolutely giddy. Comic timing is essential.

Mrs. Doris MacAfee-(age 30-55) Kim and Randolph’s mother, and Harry MacAfee’s wife. Much more caring and outgoing than her husband, she is very conscience of keeping up appearances and maintaining a good social standing within the community, which makes her delighted over the fact that she and her family will be hosting a hugely famous celebrity in their home. Like her husband, she is a huge fan of Ed Sullivan and is thrilled at the chance to appear on his show. But also like her husband, she feels that her own generation is far superior to the current generation of kids and teens.

Randolph MacAfee-(age 10-14) The younger brother of Kim MacAfee. A generally good kid, but mischievous and prone to pulling pranks on his parents and other adults in town. Despite the fact that he is just a typical kid who likes to have fun, he often runs afoul of his father, who has little patience for his son’s antics.

Gloria Rasputin-(age 18-35) An attractive and flirtatious aspiring dancer whom Albert’s mother meets on a bus and brings to Sweet Apple in the hopes of luring Albert away from Rosie. Very confident in her dancing abilities, even though it’s obvious that she’s not very talented. (WILL DOUBLE AS ADULT ENSEMBLE)

Maude-(Any age over 21) The bartender and proprietor of Maude’s Roadside Retreat, where Rosie goes after her argument with Albert. Listens to Rosie vent about her problems with Albert, and then urges her (in song) to listen and talk to Albert when he tries to apologize. (WILL DOUBLE AS ADULT
ENSEMBLE)

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Teen Roles that will double as TEEN ENSEMBLE:
Harvey Johnson
Helen
Nancy
Alice
Margie
Penelope Ann
Karl
Freddie
Deborah Sue
Daisy
Ken
Tim
Lily
Suzie
Roger
Phyllis
Jack
Sad Face Girl (Lead dancer of “Put on a Happy Face”)

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Adult Roles that will Double as Adult Ensemble:
Mayor
Mayor’s Wife

2 Reporters
Mr. Johnson
Mrs. Merkle
Policeman
Train Conductor
Traveler
Ed Sullivan’s Stage Manager
Conrad’s Guitar Man
Head Shriner
Shriners
Voice of Ed Sullivan
Maude’s Bar Quartet (Soloists in “Talk to Me”)

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Teen Ensemble-(ages 13-21) The teenagers of Sweet Apple, OH, who all have wildly different reactions to Conrad Birdie and his visit to their town. The girls are generally all ecstatic, giddy fans of Conrad’s, and greet him with delighted screams and cheers whenever he’s around or even whenever his name is mentioned. The boys, on the other hand, hate Conrad Birdie and are jealous of the fact that all of their girlfriends are madly in love with him. However, all of the teens are eventually happy to run away from home with Conrad in order to escape their parents’ rules and restraints.

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Adult Ensemble-(ages 21 and up) The parents and married couples of Sweet Apple, OH. They all have wildly different reactions to having celebrity Conrad Birdie visit their community. All of them are outwardly suspicious of rock and roll and don’t much care for the fact that their teenage children love it so much. But while the husbands and fathers generally don’t like Conrad, some of the mothers secretly appear to understand their daughters’ love for him. However, all of the adults are outraged when the entire teenage population of Sweet Apple ends up running away from home with Conrad.

Kid Ensemble-(ages 8-12) 5 or 6 kids who are the younger sons and daughters of the parents of Sweet Apple, OH, and the younger siblings of the teenagers. Hang out with the adults during crowd scenes and accompany their parents when they get up in the middle of the night and comb the streets of Sweet Apple looking for the runaway teenagers. (PLEASE NOTE: This is predominantly a Teens and Adults show. The younger kids parts will be relatively small and parents should sign their younger children up only if their child has experience working in Mainstage productions and is good at keeping up with the requirements of participating in a production with an older cast, which will include rehearsals that may run late and the expectation to stay calm and quiet backstage)

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