OPEN AUDITIONS FOR 2024-2025 SEASON – Date to be Announced
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CASTING NOTICE
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Casting Notice (PDF)
New Stage Theatre, Mississippi’s professional theatre located in Jackson, is seeking actors for its upcoming production of Beautiful, The Carole King Musical with book by Douglas McGrath; Words and Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King; Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. The show will be directed by Francine Reynolds with musical direction by Carol Joy Sparkman.
Rehearsals begin on May 7, 2024. The show opens on May 28 and plays through June 9, 2024.
Casting is currently ongoing for all of the musical’s characters. If you would like to submit for the production, please send picture and resume to submissions@newstagetheatre.com and put the name of the character you wish to be considered for and where you live in the subject line. The deadline for submissions in March 5 2024. Seeking AEA (Guest Artist Tier III) and non-union. Travel and housing included.
New Stage Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Actors of all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to submit their information.
In addition to Carole King, this show features Music Legends like the Shirelles, The Drifters, Neil Sedaka, Little Eva, Bobby Vee, The Righteous Brothers, and Don Kirschner. NOTE: In casting the characters of the Drifters, the Shirelles, the Righteous Brothers, Little Eva, and Bobby Vee, focus will be on representing the accurate racial/ethnic identities of these real-life people, since they appear only briefly and must be instantly recognizable.
Character Breakdown
CAROLE KING: An aspiring singer/songwriter. A unique, appealing, funny, and vulnerable girl from a Jewish family in Brooklyn. Talented, good-natured, unassuming, and often the peacemaker in difficult situations. A reluctant star with no pretense and a passion for music. Gender: Female: Age: 18 to 45: Vocal range top: Eb5 – bottom: Eb3
GERRY GOFFIN: Carole’s boyfriend, songwriting partner and eventual husband. Innately sympathetic, wounded and tortured. An ambitious artist always striving for more. Gender: Male; Age: 18 to 45, Vocal range top: A4- bottom: D3
BARRY MANN: A songwriter who becomes romantically involved with Cynthia. He is good natured, appealing, and neurotic. Ambitious, but likable. Gender: Male, Age: 18 to 50, Vocal range top: A4 – bottom: C3
CYNTHIA WEIL: A songwriter who becomes romantically involved with Barry. Carole’s best friend. She is sophisticated, smart and chic with a quick wit. Although self-confident and sarcastic, she is also extremely likable. Gender: Female, Age: 18 to 45, Vocal range top: E5 – bottom: G3
DON KIRSCHNER: An influential music publisher and producer. He is a fast talking, energetic force of nature. Powerful, direct and sometimes intimidating, but he has a real affinity for his writers and artists. A hit maker. Gender: Male, Age: 30 to 60, Vocal range top: C#4 – bottom: A2
GENIE KLEIN: Carole’s Jewish mother. Once an aspiring playwright, she has been broken down by life and her husband’s infidelity. Protective of Carole and unforgiving of her husband’s mistakes. Gender: Female, Age: 40 to 65
NEIL SEDAKA: A singer-songwriter/ LOU ADLER: A record producer and music executive/RIGHTEOUS BROTHER #1/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Male, Vocal range top: G#4 – bottom: A#3
NICK: A musician/RIGHTEOUS BROTHER #2/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Male, Vocal range top: F5 – bottom: F3
MARILYN WALD: A singer/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Female, Vocal range top: C5 – bottom: G3
BETTY: Carole King’s childhood friend/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Female, Vocal Range: Alto
BOBBY VEE: A singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Male, Vocal range top: C4 – bottom: C3
LEAD DRIFTER/ENSEMBLE & BACK-UP DRIFTERS (3)/ENSEMBLE: Gender: Male, Vocal range top: Eb5- bottom: B2 and vocal range top: C5 – bottom: B2 Members of the African-American doo-wop group The Drifters.
LEAD SHIRELLE & BACK-UP SHIRELLES (3): Gender: Female. Vocal range top: Db5 – bottom: G3 Members of African-American pop group The Shirelles.
SHIRELLE #1/JANELLE WOODS/ENSEMBLE: A pop singer, notably performing the hit “One Fine Day.” An artist whom Carole and Gerry write music for. Janelle becomes a focus of Gerry’s extramarital affairs.
SHIRELLE #2/LITTLE EVA/ENSEMBLE: A pop singer who begins working as a babysitter/nanny for Carole and Gerry’s daughter. When Carole and Gerry struggle to find the right person to perform Carole’s latest tune “Locomotion,” they realize Little Eva is the perfect fit.
SHIRELLE #3/LUCILLE/ENSEMBLE: Alto w/ High Extension, Donnie’s secretary.
SHIRELLE #4 is also “UPTOWN” SOLOIST/ENSEMBLE
Actors interested in future auditions should send their photo and resume to submissions@newstagetheatre.com. New Stage also sees professional actors in New York City by appointment, at the UPTA auditions in Memphis each February, and at SETC in March. Auditions for Unframed are ongoing and information can be found on the Unframed at New Stage Theatre Facebook page. Artistic and production personnel may submit picture and/or resume to Artistic Director Francine Reynolds at submissions@newstagetheatre.com. To receive information about future auditions sign up to receive our e-newsletter by scrolling to the bottom of our home page.
Thank you for your interest in New Stage Theatre.