Tag Archives: Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy

FALSETTOS
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by James Lapine and William Finn
Directed by Em Ivanov

Audition Information

• Must be 18+ to audition unless auditioning for the role of Jason
• MUST BE able to make show dates: August 1, 2, 3 & 7, 8, 9

Create a Self Tape That Includes Both:

• A song in the style of Falsettos to sing for 32 measures.
• A monologue, 90 seconds max

Email both to: casastudioacademy@gmail.com by MARCH 22nd

Live callbacks will be held at Essex Studios Saturday, April 5th at 7:00 PM
You will be asked to sing parts of/whole songs from the show

It’s 1979 in NYC, and recently out-of-the-closet divorcee Marvin is attempting to incorporate his new male partner, Whizzer, into the nuclear family that he has left in shambles. The situation is further complicated when Marvin’s ex, Trina, begins a romantic relationship with the new family psychiatrist, much to the disgruntlement of their twelve-year-old son, Jason, who fears that the complications in his formerly simple family will ruin not only the coming-of-age ceremony of his bar mitzvah, but the rest of his life. Falsettos navigates love, loss, and the restraints of conformity, giving audiences a poignant image of gay life in the 70s and 80s, and how it intersects with gender roles and faith.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

Marvin: (Male identifying / High Baritone) Jewish. Childish, neurotic, bitingly witty, narcissistic, and high-strung, but just charismatic enough to get away with it. He struggles to reconcile his desire for a traditional family with his love for Whizzer.

Trina: (Female identifying / Soprano / Belt) Jewish. Ex-wife to Marvin, Mother to Jason. Charmingly neurotic in her effort to understand the conflicting feelings she has in the aftermath of her divorce. Very devoted to her son and his well-being. She consults Mendel, her husband’s psychiatrist and eventually marries him.

Jason: (Male identifying / Tenor) Jewish. Marvin and Trina’s son. Clever and awkward, with his father’s sarcasm and his mother’s nervous tendencies. Jason’s impending Bar Mitzvah, his parents’ divorce, and the entrance of Whizzer into his life leave him confused, angry and fearful for his future.

Whizzer: (Male identifying / Tenor) Half-Jewish. Marvin’s boyfriend. Handsome, athletic, and confident, though afraid of commitment. Has a tempestuous relationship with Marvin. Though he claims that he’s only in the relationship for money and sex, it’s a defense to avoid facing his true feelings for Marvin. Has a caring, warm relationship with Jason.

Mendel: (Male identifying / High Baritone) Jewish. Marvin’s endearingly awkward psychiatrist who marries Trina and enters into the tumultuous world of her life with her son, her ex and her ex’s lover. He struggles with his insecurity and lack of experience in holding a family together from the inside.

Dr. Charlotte: (Female identifying / Alto / Mezzo) One of the “lesbians from next door”. Charlotte is a dedicated doctor alarmed by the mysterious illness that is killing her gay male patients. Tough, but extremely nurturing and very much in love with her partner, Cordelia.

Cordelia: (Female identifying / Soprano / High Belt voice) The other “lesbian from next door.” Cordelia is Dr. Charlotte’s partner. She runs her own kosher catering business, and is keen on making a nice home, but also worries that her homemaking fails to live up to the importance of her partner’s medical achievements.

Additional Information: A small stipend will be included if cast.