Auditions Announced for A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER at Footlighters

Footlighters Announces Auditions for A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER
Book and Lyrics By Robert L. Freedman
Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak
Based on the novel, Israel Rank by Roy Horniman

Director: Chad Brinkman
Music Director: Alan Masters
Choreographer: Emily Brinkman
Producers: Cathy Lutts and Jennifer Day

Auditions

• Sunday, December 4, 2022, from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
• Monday, December 5, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.

Callbacks (if needed)

• Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 7:00 PM.

This production staff is committed to bringing together a diverse group of people dedicated to bringing this story to life. We encourage performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, abilities, body types, and ages to audition. We hope to unite a group of people looking to enhance the arts in our community. No roles have been precast.

Performances
April 20, 2023 – May 7, 2023

Location
The Stained Glass Theatre, 802 York Street, Newport, KY 41071.

• What to Prepare
  Please sign-up for an audition time below. Walk-ins are welcomed but will be assigned to the first available audition slot. Video submissions will be accepted before December 5, 2022, at 5:00 PM. Please email video submissions to GentlemansGuide.Footlighters@gmail.com.
• We are committed to the safety of all members of this production. Please bring proof of your COVID-19 Vaccination. We require the cast, crew, and production team to be fully vaccinated. Masks will be required during rehearsals when not actively engaged on stage.
• Please prepare 16-32 bars of a Broadway-style song of your choice that best highlights your vocal abilities. You may also be asked to vocalize with the music director. Your sheet music should be in the proper key with cuts clearly marked. An accompanist will be provided (no recordings or acapella numbers).
• Please be prepared to tell a humorous story about a personal experience or a story about a time that overcame an obstacle.
• Please bring shoes and clothing appropriate for a dance audition, as you will be asked to participate in a dance choreography combination. The combination will be taught during the audition, but a video of the combination will also be available before the audition.
• Please provide a copy of your theatrical resume and headshot if you have one.

PLEASE NOTE: We are committed to making this process as accessible as possible. Audition materials, including the audition packet, the choreography combination video, possible callback sides, and sheet music, will be made available before the audition and/or callback. Additionally, we will have printed copies of the callback materials available at the audition.

Rehearsals begin in early February but will include some meetings in January for table work and early blocking concepts.

Synopsis
A distant heir to a family fortune sets out to speed up the line of succession by using a great deal of charm… and a dash of murder. When the low-born Monty Navarro discovers that he’s eighth in line for an earldom in the lofty D’Ysquith family, he figures his chances of outliving his predecessors are slight. Monty sets off down a far more ghoulish path. Can he knock off his unsuspecting relatives without being caught and become the ninth Earl of Highhurst? And what of love? Because murder isn’t the only thing on Monty’s mind….

A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER is rated PG.

Character Breakdown

• The D’Ysquith Family
  One actor plays all members of the D’Ysquith family. All D’Ysquith family members are farces of British high society in the early 20th century. The role requires physical solid comedic skills and accent ability to help establish and differentiate multiple characters.
  • Asquith D’Ysquith, Jr., a dandy
  • Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith, Eighth Earl of Highhurst
  • Reverend Lord Ezekiel D’Ysquith, a clergyman
  • Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith, Sr., an elderly banker
  • Henry D’Ysquith, a country squire
  • Lady Hyacinth D’Ysquith, a benefactress
  • Major Lord Bartholomew D’Ysquith, a bodybuilder
  • Lady Salome D’Ysquith Pumphrey, an actress
  • Chauncey D’Ysquith, a janitor
    Age: 20s to 50s
    Vocal range top: G#4
    Vocal range bottom: F#2/Bb3
• Monty Navarro
  Handsome, clever, charismatic, vulnerable, and endearing. He discovers he is in line to become the Earl of Highhurstand intends to kill off the family that stands in his way. Monty is not upper class but has no trouble blending in with high society.
  Gender: Male Identifying
  Age: 20s to 30s
  Vocal range top: Bb5
  Vocal range bottom: Bb3
• Sibella Hallward
  The girl Monty loves. A flirtatious social climber, Sibellahas genuine affection for Monty but also true affection for social status. Sibella is smart, funny, and stylish, and, as far as relationships are concerned, she wants to have her cake and eat it too.
  Gender: Female Identifying
  Age: 20s to 30s
  Vocal range top: Gb5
  Vocal range bottom: F#3
• Phoebe D’Ysquith
  Monty’s cousin. Phoebe comes from the upper class and has romantic fantasies of love. Phoebe serves as a foil to Sibella. She cares more for love than status and espouses a desire to find the true virtue in people. Though she is intelligent and earnest, she can also be naive.
  Gender: Female Identifying
  Age: 20s to 30s
  Vocal range top: high sustained C#6 with an optional Eb
  Vocal range bottom: G#3
• Miss Shingle
  Monty’s unexpected visitor. Sneaky and mysterious, Miss Shingle has a pronounced sense of justice. She comes to tell Monty the secret of his D’Ysquith heritage.
  Age: 40s to 60s
  Vocal range top: E5
  Vocal range bottom: Eb3
• The Ensemble
  A group of strong and dynamic musical theatre performers plays multiple featured roles. These actors will play 40+ roles, including Lady Eugenia, Miss Barley, Tom Copley, Detective Pinckney, The Magistrate, various clerks, newsboys, ancestors, maids, actors, and many others. All Ensemble members are expected to be comfortable with some movement.
  Age: 16 to 99
  Ensemble Vocal Ranges:
  • Soprano (coloratura) Ab4 Bb6
  • Mezzo Bb4 G5
  • Alto Gb3 Gb5
  • Tenor Ab3 B5
  • Baritone Ab3 G#4
  • Bass C2 G#4

Please send questions or video submissions to the following: GentlemansGuide.Footlighters@gmail.com.

Sign-Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0448aeae2babfc1-footlighters13