Thanks so much to all who auditioned for Dear Edwina!  We had many difficult decisions to make, and we thought you all did a wonderful job.  As with all shows, however, there were only so many roles to go around, and we wanted to feature everyone in the cast. 

If you were not cast, please come and see us again!  We have many productions coming up next year, starting with The Real Inspector Hound in the Fall.  Hope we'll see you at auditions!

And now.. congratulations to the cast of Dear Edwina.  Watch this space for rehearsal information - we'll be doing music for the first couple of weeks.  Please come by the OTP office to pick up your script, and confirm that you've accepted your role.  You may also e-mail the director at kate@katebotello.com.

DEAR EDWINA CAST:

EDWINA SPOONAPPLE:  Hannah Gauthier

SCOTT/JOHNNY/FARMER JERRY/WILLIAM: Matt Peters

BOBBY/HARRY/VLADIMIR/SONOMA: Liam Curtis

PERIWINKLE/MARY SUE BETTY BOB: Veronica Faller

CHEF LUDMILLA/ABIGAIL: Laura Witkop

SUZIE/FRANK'S MA/BECKY/QUEEN OF BOOLA-BOOLA: Tara Riedel

LARS/CORDELL/FRANK/BILLY/ZIGGY: Robbie Shields

FAIRY FORKMOTHER, KELLI, LOLA: Hannah Weckler

KATIE SPOONAPPLE/CARRIE/APHRODITE/ANNIE: Abigail Stanton

WOMEN'S UNDERSTUDY: Katie Gildner

MEN'S UNDERSTUDY: Max Copeland

Congrats, all!  Send an e-mail to accept your role, and we'll be in touch about rehearsals.  Recordings of the show will be made available to all of you.

Performances are August 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, & 28.  Tell your friends!  Break a leg!

The Old Town Playhouse Young Company is thrilled to announce the 2011 Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop Production: Dear Edwina, Jr.

The Workshop will be directed by Kate Botello-Weigel.  Musical Direction will be by Kathy Booker-Sheehan, with choreography by Minda Nyquist. 

Students aged 12 to 20 are invited to participate. Performances are August 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, & 28. Tuition ($120) will be taken upon entry into the program.

WHERE/WHEN: Auditions will be held at the Old Town Playhouse Studio Theatre Monday, June 27 and on the Main Stage Theater Tuesday, June  28 from 4 - 6 pm.  

Participation in Dear Edwina does NOT conflict with "Take It From the Top!"

This is an Advanced Workshop, and will involve demanding and comprehensive study of character, movement and song interpretation.  SPECIAL NOTE!  The show's creators, celebrated songwriting team Marcy Heisler (lyrics) and Zina Goldrich (music), have graciously agreed to participate in a workshop session with the cast via Skype.  More details to follow as they emerge.

For audition requirements and more information about Dear Edwina, please click "continue reading".

Currently running in its third year Off Broadway, Dear Edwina is a heartwarming musical about the joys of growing up, from the creators of Junie B. Jones, The Musical. The show's heroine, Edwina Spoonapple, is an advice-giver extraordinaire, like a spunky, singing version of Dear Abby. Told through a show-within-a-show format, Edwina and her friends share wisdom on everything from trying new foods to making new friends through clever, catchy and poignant songs. It's "Glee" for kids, but adults will love it just as much as the children they bring!

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR AUDITIONS?

MUSIC:

Please bring 16-32 bars of a song that works well with your vocal range.  Edwina is a high-energy show, so consider that when you're choosing your material.  The show will be set in the late 1970's, but the style of the music in the show varies from everything from Latin to Opera.  Just sing whatever works best for your voice - if we want to hear something specific from you, we'll teach it to you. 

Please also bring (if you have one) or be prepared to play a "kid's instrument" (recorder, ocarina, drums - the kind of thing you might play in elementary school).  If you play a "real" instrument, please bring it with you and be prepared to play a song along with our musical director.  

CHARACTERS:

Aside from the main leads, there are many small character roles in Dear Edwina.  In order to ensure our actors the best challenge possible, we plan to keep the cast small and cast each actor in two or three roles.  This means that you'll have to be flexible, and create two or three entirely different people.  We'll be casting anywhere from 8-12 actors.

In order to demonstrate your flexibility, please prepare two entirely different "characters" to present at auditions.  Be prepared to do a little improv with each character - to speak, walk, talk, and be able to answer questions as that character.   Ideally, your characters will be children, but the most important focus should be on making them big, high energy - and completely different from one another. 

Try to have fun with it!

REHEARSALS:

The rehearsal schedule for Edwina is somewhat flexible, in that not all actors will be called for all days.  If you have possible rehearsal conflicts, that does not necessarily mean you will not be cast.  PLEASE COME TO AUDITIONS WITH A COPY OF YOUR PERSONAL CALENDAR and BE HONEST about any conflicts you might have.  Please note the performance dates above, as well.

Rehearsals will generally be held from 4-6 PM at the Depot Theater.  We'll begin with music rehearsals beginning the week of July 4th until the week of July 18th - those rehearsals will be at the discretion of the music director, but will probably be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

From July 18th onward, rehearsals will be from Monday through Friday from 4-6 at the Depot, though again, not all actors may be called for all days.

ABOUT MARCY HEISLER AND ZINA GOLDRICH:

Collaborators since 1993, lyricist Marcy Heisler and composer Zina Goldrich are responsible for some of the New York concert scene’s most lovable character songs, including “Taylor, the Latte Boy,” made famous by Kristin Chenoweth, and “Alto’s Lament.”  The pair earned a 2009 Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for their work on Dear Edwina.  They were also recipients of ASCAP’s 2002 Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award and were nominated for the 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for their Off-Broadway musical Junie B. Jones.

For more about your Director, Musical Director and Choreographer, please see our CLASSES AND CAMP page.