Schenectady Light Opera Company is pleased to announce auditions for
The Glorious Ones
Book & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Steven Flaherty
Based on the Novel by Francine Prose
Director: Brian Clemente
Musical Director: Robert Soricelli
Producers: Michael Camelo and Amy Clark
Stage Manager: JJ Paul
Audition Dates:
Tuesday, August 24th and Thursday, August 26th at 7pm. Sign in begins at 6:30pm
You only need to attend one of these sessions.
If needed, Callbacks will be held on Monday, August 30th (invitation only)
Location:
Schenectady Light Opera Company Education Building
418 Liberty Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
Free parking is available in the city owned lot across the street
Performance Dates:
November 12-21, 2021 (Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm)
SLOC Mainstage, 427 Franklin Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
What to Prepare:
Please prepare 16 to 32 bars of music from a Broadway show – ideally in a style similar to the show or from the show itself.
Please bring your own sheet music; an accompanist will be provided.
Readings from the script will be provided.
Please bring a calendar with all your conflicts to the audition as well.
Audition form is HERE and is available at www.sloctheater.org, as well
Rehearsals:
Rehearsals will be held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, and on Sunday afternoons. This is subject to change based on cast/crew availability.
Rehearsals will begin on Sunday, September 12th
Attendance is mandatory for Tech Week and all performances.
Commitment to COVID Safety:
The health and safety of our artists, staff, and audience members are our first priority. We will be following all safety guidelines at this time and ask that you wear a mask if unvaccinated and follow other guidelines per the CDC & NYS DOH.
All actors, staff and crew will need to be fully vaccinated by the time rehearsal begins
About the Show:
The Glorious Ones is a clever backstage musical about the lives, loves, ambitions, and disappointments of the performers in a roving Commedia Dell’arte troupe during the Italian Renaissance. Based on the novel by Francine Prose, and on several real life historical figures, the musical dramatizes how the troupe came to be, and how it captured the public’s adoration before changing artistic fashions altered its way of life. Its seven archetypal characters are what the foundations of comedy have been built on: the charismatic leading man, the sly harlequin, the quack doctor, the elderly miser, the witty maidservant, the devoted dwarf, and the beautiful maiden. With a book and score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical, Once On This Island), the shows continually asks whether life, or art, is the one imitating the other? Is the stage really a worthwhile pursuit? And mostly, is it even possible to reach immortality in something so fleeting as the theatre?
Characters:
*Flaminio Scala*
The charismatic, larger-than-life leader of the troupe. A proud and groundbreaking theatre artist whose first love is the stage. Hardheaded and unable to change with the times.
Age: 35 to 50
Vocal range A2 to F4
*Columbina*
Voluptuous, comic and passionate. The mistress of Flaminio. Loves her husband, but longs for him to love her the way he did when they first met. Ultimately embraces the change in theatre and her position in it.
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range E3 to D5
*Francesco Andreini*
Handsome, charismatic, and ambitious. The quintessential leading man, who is marries to Isabella. Attempts to promote the progressive art-form in theatre.
Age: 20 to 30
Vocal range top: G2 to E4
*Isabella Andreini*
Beautiful, ethereal, and rebellious of her parents’ high-society lifestyle. Writes plays and has great comedic talents. Later become Francesco’s wife.
Age: 18 to 26
Vocal range top: G3 to D6
*Armanda Ragusa*
An endearingly innocent dwarf who plays comic roles. Unrequitedly in love with Flaminio, and very protective of him and his legacy.
Age: 25 to 45
Vocal range F3 to D5
*Pantalone*
An older tailor with a broken heart who was plucked from his shop by Flaminio. Plays misers and fathers in their troupe’s plays.
Age: 50-70
Vocal range top: A2 to E4
*Dottore Graziano*
A failed elixir salesman who now plays the pompous, quack of a doctor. Frequently speaks in Latin to sound smart. Excellent pantomime.
Age: 25-50
Vocal range A2 to G4
In regards to the casting of Armanda Ragusa, the author’s note in the Preface to the Libretto states that:
Armanda Ragusa is described as a dwarf in the script, but please feel free to use anyone who seems right for this role. They do not need to mime a physical deformity. Simply being short is enough.
Schenectady Light Opera Company pledges to continue to advocate for, and are aiming to build a diverse cast reflective of the Schenectady community. Any and all ethnicities, BIPOC actors and actors of all gender identities are encouraged to audition for all roles.
If you have any questions, please contact the Producers Michael Camelo (m.camelo@aol.com), Amy Clark (aclark@bhbl.org), or the Director Brian Clemente (bclemente612@gmail.com)