Auditions

Fun Home

Beechmont Players Inc. is proud to announce auditions for our Fall production of Fun Home, a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori & books and lyrics by Lisa Kron.

Director: Arlene Balczo

Producers: Michael Yarick and Kiya Fix

Music Director: Amy Prestridge

Auditions: May 13th and 15th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

Callbacks: May 20th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

Where: Cherry Grove United Methodist Church, 1428 8 Mile Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45255

What to bring:

32 bars of a ballad or contemporary song that shows your range (bring sheet music if you need an accompanist)
Theatrical resume and headshot (if able)
A complete list of conflicts from August 25th through October 28th. You must be available all dates between October 29th and November 16th

Synopsis:

Based on a memoir by the same name, Tony Award-winning Fun Home centers around graphic novelist Alison Bechdel's relationship with her father. After his unexpected death, Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

Character Breakdown:

Adult Alison: On stage for the entire show. Portrays a 43 year old. She is now a self-aware adult who is reflecting insightfully on her own life and her relationship with her father prior to his tragic death. Alison now sees her parents with adult eyes. She is a cartoonist and a Lesbian protagonist of the show. Alison is a mezzo-soprano and has to be able to move seamlessly from singing to speech.

Medium Alison: A 19-year-old college student who is very well-read and hyper-intelligent. She is coming of age and discovering her sexuality, albeit a little awkwardly. She's slightly socially awkward, but it comes across as cute. Has an onstage kiss with Joan. Medium Alison is a mezzo-soprano and has to seamlessly go from singing to speech.

Small Alison: Around 9 or 10. Very precocious and full of energy and spunk. Quite opinionated and on the cusp of finding herself and forming her own views but still falling prey to her father’s passive aggressiveness and opinions. She is tomboyish and feels very uncomfortable dressing and looking like a girl. Alto. Needs a strong voice and strong skills in pitch and harmony.

Bruce: Alison’s father. Has to look mid 40’s to mid 50’s. He is a high school English teacher and a funeral home director. His passion is restoring his historical home. He's a complex man with passive-aggressive tendencies as well as a hot temper, most likely due to having to suppress his true self and desires for so long. Though quick to anger, he can be caring and attentive to his children. I think there are some bi-polar tendencies as well. Baritone.

Helen: Alison’s mother. She’s an actress in New York. She loves Bruce but suffers from the knowledge of knowing she’s not the object of his desires and the town is beginning to get a whiff of this as well. She’s frustrated and exhausted from her tumultuous marriage. She always tried to turn a blind eye to it, but it’s getting increasingly harder due to Bruce’s behavior and choices he’s making. Helen is a strong motherly character and is determined that her kids never have to go through what she’s endured. Helen has to go seamlessly from singing to speaking. She’s a mezzo-soprano.

Pete/Roy/Bobby Jeremy/Mark: This actor has to play a range of characters and sing Tenor. Pete is in his 30’s or 40’s and is mourning the loss of his wife. Roy is in his 20’s, good-looking, in shape, an object of interest to Bruce. He has to be comfortable unbuttoning his shirt on stage. Bobby Jeremy is the lead singer of a Partridge Family-type band in Small Alison’s mind. He has to have a 70’s pop sound. Mark is a high school junior who is a jock type.

Joan/Susan Dey singer: Joan exudes sexual energy with a dry sense of humor. She is unlike Alison, in that she’s very comfortable in her own skin. She openly identifies as a lesbian. She becomes Alison’s girlfriend and shares an onstage kiss with her. As one of the two Susan Dey singers, she has to be comfortable singing harmonies (Alto).

Christian: Alison’s older brother (around 12) who likes being a leader but sometimes gets lost in Alison’s shadow with her strong personality. Has to have good pitch and skills in harmonizing. (Singing needs to be a good natural sound).

John: Alison’s younger brother (around 6) who has lots of little boy energy and enthusiasm. In the Fun Home commercial song he starts the song off and has to be strong vocally and with movement. Has to come across as adorable. (Treble / Boy Soprano).

Performances run November 8-16 at the Anderson Center Theatre (7850 Five Mile Road, Cincinnati, OH).

FUN HOME is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com