RHINEBECK THEATRE SOCIETY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE AUDITIONS FOR MY FAIR LADY!
In early 20th-century London, a lower-class Cockney flower girl named Eliza Doolittle is selling violets to upper class Opera patrons when, to her horror, she discovers her words are being written down in a mysterious hand by an elocutionist named Henry Higgins, who boasts that he can pass her off as a sophisticated duchess in only six months with little more than improvements to her speech and diction. To improve her social status and thereby obtain a respectable job working in a flower shop, Eliza agrees to become a pawn in Higgins’ game, but she has no idea she’ll be subjected to psychological stress, threats of physical abuse, and constant degradation not only because she is strong person who dares to stand up to those who threaten her, but also because she is a woman and a member of the lower class. Will Eliza fulfill Henry’s vision of what the ideal woman should be, or will she carve a new path for herself and rewrite the role society has prescribed for women of her class, income, and education?
Rhinebeck Theatre Society is proud to announce auditions for My Fair Lady, arguably the crown jewel of America’s Golden Age of musical theatre. With lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, and a libretto based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the show features a treasure trove of musical theatre standards, including Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, On the Street Where You Live, I’m Getting Married in the Morning, I Could Have Danced All Night, and I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face. When it premiered in 1956, My Fair Lady catapulted Julie Andrews into the ranks of musical theatre legends and provided Rex Harrison with a role he continued to perform until his death at the age of 82. The original Broadway production ran for six and a half years before transferring to London’s West End, where it ran for another five and a half years.
Performance Dates:
Friday, June 14 (8:00 pm)
Saturday, June 15 (8:00 pm)
Sunday, June 16 (3:00 pm)
Friday, June 21 (8:00 pm)
Saturday, June 22 (8:00 pm)
Sunday, June 23 (3:00 pm)
Friday, June 28 (8:00 pm)
Saturday, June 29 (8:00 pm)
Sunday, June 30 (3:00 pm)
Friday, July 5 (8:00 pm)
Saturday, July 6 (8:00 pm)
Sunday, July 7 (3:00 pm)
The production will appear at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck (661 Route 308, Rhinebeck, NY 12572).
Audition Dates: Auditions will be held on Saturday, March 16th at 1:00 pm, and Sunday, March 17th at 7:00 pm at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck (661 Route 308, Rhinebeck, NY 12572).
To Audition: Your audition will consist of three parts: singing, accent work, and dancing.
Singing: Please prepare a one-minute cut from a musical theater song that shows off your legit voice (no rock musical songs, please). If possible, be encouraged to learn a song from the call back materials. Bring sheet music or a backing track – whichever is most comfortable for you. If you use a backing track, please download or save it locally to not rely on Wi-Fi.
Accent Work: Before the auditions begin, we will lead a brief tutorial on speaking with “high” and “low” British accents. We recommend that you view Matt Pocock’s helpful videos How To Do A Cockney Accent In UNDER TWO MINUTES (youtube.com) and How To Do A Posh British Accent (with our FREE APP) (youtube.com) before the audition. After you’ve completed your singing audition, you’ll be asked to say a few simple sentences using both accents.
Dancing: No matter what your level of experience, we want everyone to participate in some dance numbers, so we are asking everyone to TRY. Although all kinds of dance styles will be incorporated into this production (including step dance and Broadway-style), our dance audition will focus have two components:
1. We ask that you do your best to learn this choreo excerpt to "A Little Bit of Luck".
2. We will also have a live waltzing component, for which you will need to decide whether you wish to lead or follow. If you wish to lead, please bring a pair of dress shoes, preferably with non-rubber soles. If you wish to follow, please bring a pair of shoes with heels that are between approximately 1½- and 2½-inches. Character shoes with heels would work well but aren’t required.
Resume: Please bring a resume detailing your theatre experience or be prepared to list your performance experience. Bring your schedule and be prepared to list conflicts through July 7 of this year.
Audition Materials
Please review materials in this folder so that you are prepared for callbacks, should we need you. You may consider choosing a musical selection from the folder for your first audition as well.
If unfamiliar with the music for the show, please be encouraged to listen to the soundtrack here.
Who will be in the room?
Director: Robb Fessler (he/him)
Musical Directors: JoAnne Schubert (she/her) & Paul Schubert (he/him)
Assistant Director: Eric Leary (he/him)
Choreographer: Liv Larson (she/her)
Producer: Dot Luongo (she/her)
Stage Manager Mike Clark (he/him)
Virtual Audition Submissions: Email a YouTube link or Google Drive link of your singing audition to rhinebecktheatersociety@gmail.com by Sunday, March 17th at 7:00 pm.
About the Company: Rhinebeck Theatre Society is committed to providing community-minded, inclusive and welcoming theatre experiences. We seek to present stories in a way that reflects a richly diverse world. Feel free to email director Robb Fessler (he/him) or producer Dot Luongo with any questions at rhinebecktheatersociety@gmail.com, including questions about accessibility and accommodations.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Eliza Doolittle: A 20-year-old Cockney flower girl from Lisson Grove desperately striving to earn what she considers an honest living. Her potential to become “a lady” is the object of a bet between Higgins and Pickering and begins her transforms from a naive lower-class girl with limited education to an empowered woman who sees all the options and limitations before her. Sings “Wouldn’t it be Lovely?”, “Just You Wait,” “The Rain in Spain,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Just You Wait” reprise, “Show Me,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” reprise, and “Without You.” Vocal range: Soprano (high note: G5/low note: A3)
Henry Higgins: A British upper-class professional bachelor of about 30 and 40. A world famous phonetics expert and teacher and author of Higgins’ Universal Alphabet, Higgins sees himself as patient, easy to work with, and reasonable – a far cry from the adjectives those who work with and for him would use to describe him. A workaholic, Higgins appears to be what we might today say is asexual. Frequently insults and berates Eliza. “Why Can’t the English?”, “I’m an Ordinary Man,” “The Rain in Spain,” “You Did It,” “Hymn to Him,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” Vocal range: Baritone (high note: E4/low note: B2)
Colonel Pickering: A genial and resolute retired British officer in his 50s or 60s who has lived in India for a considerable time and is newly returned to England in search of Higgins’ expertise on linguistics. He is the author of Spoken Sanskrit. He is always a gentleman and very kind to Eliza, but he fails to really see her as a full human being. Something of a father figure. There is much that an actor playing Pickering can bring to the table. Sings “The Rain in Spain,” and “You Did It.” Vocal range: Baritone (high note: D4/low note: C3)
Alfred P. Doolittle: Eliza’s father, a streetwise, charming garbage collator whose gift of gab wins him friends, women, and, most important, free drinks. Very like Falstaff. Not afraid to use corporal punishment or threats on Eliza if it’s required to set her straight. Sings “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “With a Little Bit of Luck” reprise, and “Get Me to the Church on Time.” Vocal range: Baritone (high note: E4/low note: G3)
Mrs. Pearce: Henry Higgins’ housekeeper between the ages of 40 and 60. Every trying to accommodate Higgins and his unconventional ways, she is nevertheless always exasperated by them. Always tries to make sure that details are attended to. Develops a soft spot for Eliza over time. Sings “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “You Did It.” Mezzo soprano/Alto (high note: G4/low note: E3)
Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Upper class young man of about 20 to 30 years old who becomes completely smitten with Eliza and her most unconventional ways. Maybe a bit geek-like, romantic, or silly. Sings “On the Street Where You Live” and “On the Street Where You Live” reprise. Vocal range: Tenor (high note: F4/low note: C3)
Mrs. Higgins: Henry’s long-suffering mother in her fifties or sixties. A regal and impeccably well-bred woman raised under Victoria’s rule. Mrs. Higgins somewhat surprisingly becomes genuinely fond of Eliza. She sees the character defects of her son Henry better than almost anyone but is rarely flummoxed by them as most others are. Non-singing role.
Harry: A drinking companion of Alfie Doolittle. Sings “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “With a Little Bit of Luck” reprise. Vocal range: Tenor
Jamie: A drinking companion of Alfie Doolittle. Sings “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “With a Little Bit of Luck” reprise. Vocal range: High baritone
THE FOLLOWING ROLES WILL BE SELECTED FROM WITHIN THE ENSEMBLE
Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: A somewhat snobby and easily rattled friend of Mrs. Higgins in her forties or fifties. She is Freddy’s mother. Non-singing role.
Bystander: A friend of Eliza’s hawking wares at Covent Garden. Male or female of any age.
Another bystander: A man or woman of any age working at Covent Garden.
Hoxton man: A man or woman of any age working at Covent Garden.
Selsey man: A man or woman of any age working at Covent Garden.
Cockney Quartet: Four Cockneys who form a quartet. Sing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” reprise.
George, a bartender: A genial middle-aged bartender who is annoyed but not surprised by Doolittle’s inability to pay his bar tab. When Doolittle makes a fortune, no one is happier to grovel to Doolittle than George, the bartender.
Angry woman: An uptight Cockney woman awoken by Doolittle and his boys, she’s unafraid to call it like she sees it.
Angry man: An uptight Cockney man of any age awoken by Doolittle and his boys, he’s unafraid to call it like he sees it.
Mrs. Hopkins: A middle-aged cockney woman of Tottenham Court.
Butler: A stoic member of Higgins’ domestic staff of any age. Sings “The Servant’s Chorus”
Two maids: Members of Higgins’ domestic staff of any age. Sing “The Servant’s Chorus” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.”
One or two cooks: Members of Higgins’ domestic staff of any age. Sing “The Servant’s Chorus”
Chauffeur: A member of Higgins’ domestic staff of any age. Sings “The Servant’s Chorus”
Lord Boxington: A very old man who is very hard of hearing. A friend of Mrs. Higgins.
Lady Boxington: An older woman who tries to help her husband communicate. A friend of Mrs. Higgins.
Policeman: A kindly English bobby of any age.
A flower girl: An innocent young girl who sells flowers on Wimpole Street.
Footman 1: A fop of any age who announces the guests arriving at the Embassy Ball.
Footman 2: A fop of any age. Non-speaking role
Dr. Themistocles Stephanos: A suspicious looking, sophisticated middle-aged man. Non-speaking role
Prof. Zoltan Karpathy: A bearded and unctuous Hungarian; former phonetics students of Henry Higgins who appears warm and affable at first, but quickly resorts to blackmail when it suits him.
Queen of Transylvania: A regal and imposing middle-aged woman who has seen it all and is seldom if ever impressed.
Mrs. Higgins’ maid: Domestic staff in her twenties.
Children (ages 8-15): We will possibly consider adding 1-4 children into the ensemble for this production