audition notice - A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM - TheaterWorks - October 13

Director: Peter J. Hill
Music Director: Steve Hilderbrand
Choreographer-Paul Pedersen


A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Musical Comedy
Show Dates: February 15th to March 3rd, 2019

Audition: October 13th, 2018 Open to performers ages 16-Adult
Dance Callbacks: October 17th, 2018 from 6:00pm-9:00pm
Final Callbacks: October 27th, 2018 from 2:00pm-7:00pm

PERFORMANCE PAY:
$250:Pseudolus
$200: Hero, Philia, Hysterium, Senex, Marcus Lycus, Miles Gloriosus, Domina
$150: All Other Roles

Preparation: Please prepare 32 bars of a musical theatre selection that best highlights your voice. An accompanist will be provided. No a capella auditions allowed. Electronic accompaniment is discouraged. Please attend with your sheet music marked ahead of time.

A fast-paced farce that promises to have audiences rolling on the floor. Taking straight from the roots of comedy, Forum combines the ancient comedies of Plautus with a vaudevillian delivery. Pseudolus schemes to win the heart of the beautiful virgin, Philia, for his young master, Hero. In exchange, Hero will grant Pseudolus his freedom once and for all. However, things are never as easy as they seem. Chaos ensues with hair-brained schemes, cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors and convoluted plot twists. One of the funniest musicals ever written, Forum promises: “Something for everyone: a comedy tonight!"

Character Breakdowns

Pseudolus: A Roman slave, owned by Hero, who seeks to win freedom by helping Hero win the heart of Philia. The name Pseudolus means "Faker". .Lead, Baritone.

Hero: Young son of Senex who falls in love with the virgin, Philia. Lead, Tenor.

Philia: (Greek for "love") A virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus, and Hero's love interest. Her name is also a homophone of the Latin word "Filia," which means daughter. This foreshadows her status as the daughter of Erronius. Lead, Soprano.

Hysterium: (Latin for "Hysterical", or "Anxious", the suffix "-um" makes the name neuter, and the character's gender is often mistaken throughout the piece) The chief slave in the house of Senex. Supporting, Baritone.

Senex: (Latin for "old man") A henpecked, sardonic Roman senator living in a less fashionable suburb of Rome. Supporting, Baritone.

Domina: (Latin for "mistress") The wife of Senex. A manipulative, shrewish woman who is loathed by even her husband. Supporting, Mezzo-Soprano.

Marcus Lycus: A purveyor of courtesans, who operates from the house to the left of Senex. (Name based on Lycus, the pimp in Plautus's Poenulus.) Supporting, Baritone.

Miles Gloriosus: (Latin for "boastful soldier," the archetype of the braggart soldier in Roman comedies) A captain in the Roman army to whom Marcus Lycus has promised Philia. Supporting, Bass.

Erronius: (Latin for "wandering") Senex's elderly neighbor in the house to the right. He has spent the past twenty years searching for his two children, kidnapped in infancy by pirates. Featured, Spoken.

Gymnasia: (Greek for "Athletic", with the connotation of nakedness) A courtesan from the house of Lycus with whom Pseudolus falls in love. Featured, Silent.

Tintinabula: (Latin for "Bells") A jingling, bell-wearing courtesan in the house of Lycus. Featured, Silent.

Vibrata: (Latin for "Vibrant") A wild, vibrant courtesan in the house of Lycus. Featured, Silent.

The Geminae: (Latin for "Twins") Twin courtesans in the house of Lycus. Featured, Silent.

Panacea: (Greek for "Cure All") A courtesan in the house of Lycus. A face that can hold a thousand promises, and a body that stands behind each promise. Featured, Silent.

Proteans: Choristers who play multiple roles (slaves, citizens, soldiers, and eunuchs). They accompany Pseudolus in "Comedy Tonight". On Broadway, three people played all of these roles.

Please bring your completed audition form with any known conflicts to your scheduled audition time.

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