City Island Theater Group Casting Call for "Lend Me a Tenor"

Here is something on a more positive note. The City Island Theatre Group is seeking performers for their next production.

Gregory
******

Lend Me A Tenor
By Ken Ludwig
Directed by Chris Arena

THE STORY:
This night in September of 1934 is the biggest in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company—world-famous tenor Tito Morelli is to perform Otello, his greatest role at the gala season-opener. Saunders, the General Manager, hopes this will put Cleveland on the operatic map. Morelli is late; when he finally sweeps in it is too late to rehearse with the company. Through a hilarious series of mishaps, Il Stupendo is given a double dose of tranquilizers which mix with the booze he has consumed and he passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he is dead. What to do? Max is an aspiring singer and Saunders persuades him to get into Morelli’s Otello costume and try to fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo!

SEEKING:
Max: (20's to mid 30's) Assistant to Saunders - An aspiring singer, his worst enemy is his own lack of self-confidence. He spends his time as a doormat to his future father-in-law and trying to convince Maggie that he is marriage material. (Singing Ability a Plus!)

Maggie: (20's to 30's) Max's Girlfriend - pretty, quirky; a young woman who doesn’t want to settle for the seemingly mundane life she has with Max. She longs for an adventurous fling, one which will allow her to "hear bells."

Saunders: (mid 50's) Maggie's father and the general Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company - authoritarian; an uptight man with a short fuse, most of which he takes out on Max.

Tito: (30's to 40's) A World Famous Tenor known also to his fans as Il Stupendo - imposing; a womanizing Italian who loves Maria, but finds difficulty resisting the advances of the opposite sex, who seem to advance frequently and with considerable momentum. (Singing Ability a Plus!)

Maria: (30's) Tito’s wife - Sophia Loren-type: busty, proud, and excitable; a passionate and temperamental Italian woman who is growing weary of her husband’s wandering eye (and body) for the opposite sex.

Bellhop: (age open) A bellhop - a highly energetic fan of Tito’s, who uses his occupation to get close to the international star. (Singing Ability a Plus!)

Diana: (mid 30's) a soprano with the Cleveland Grand Opera Company - beautiful, sexy; a member of the opera company who has been "flinging her way through the whole cast." Playing Desdemona opposite Tito, she thinks that he might be her ticket out of Cleveland into the big time.

Julia: (60's) Chairman of the Opera Guild - over the hill, ex-diva, for whom the Cleveland Grand Opera Company is the center of her small, pretentious world.

NOTE: Max, Tito, and the Bellhop engage in operatic singing on a couple of occasions within the play. All of these roles will be cast with the best actors, regardless of their singing abilities.

AUDITIONS:
Thursday, March 17th @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19th @ 12:00 p.m.
AT GRACE HALL, 116 CITY ISLAND AVENUE

Performance Dates Are:
5/13, 14, 19, 20, 21 @ 8 p.m. & 5/15 @ 3:00 p.m.

For more info email: auditions@cityislandtheatergroup.com