Auditions

Auditions for Lend Me a Tenor
September 19 & 20
7:00 - 9:00 PM

 

RVTC is a non-profit community theatre. Auditions are open to everyone; you do not need to be an RVTC member to audition. All performers are unpaid volunteers.

 

RVTC is proud to present the hilarious Ken Ludwig comedy Lend Me a Tenor, directed by Cristopher Tibbetts.  Performance dates are Nov 11 - 13 & 18 - 20.  Rehearsals will take place weeknights beginning September 26 at Shakopee Junior High, with most weeks having 3 - 4 nights per week, generally 7 - 10 PM, until tech. 

Audition appointments are highly encouraged but not required.  To schedule your appointment, please see our online audition form.

Please choose 7:00 or 8:00 PM for your group audition appointment.  If you cannot make any of these dates or times, please email us for an alternate time - rvtc411@gmail.com

Please bring your calendar and complete list of conflicts as well as a headshot and resume.  Dress comfortably for movement and be prepared to sing a few bars if auditioning for Max or Merelli.  Auditions will consist of readings from the script, which are now available by clicking here. 

 

About the Play

Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards, Lend Me A Tenor is set in September 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world famous Tito Morelli, Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he’s dead. In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli's Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume ready to perform. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo. A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.  (from kenludwig.com)

Lend Me a Tenor is a straight show which includes a small amount of singing - see Author’s Note below. 

 

Characters

Max (20s - 30s) Assistant to Saunders.  Max tries really, really hard; he works for Saunders, is in love with Maggie - is unappreciated by both.  If Merelli can help Max unleash his passion, he just might steal the show.

Maggie (20s - 30s) Max’s girlfriend & Saunders’ daughter.  Maggie is a bit spoiled and yearns for something “wonderful and romantic” before she settles down with Max.

Saunders (40s - 60s) Maggie’s father, General Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company.  Loud, brusque, authoritarian, the pills he takes to control his “nerves” can’t help as the situation spins out of control.

Tito Merelli (40s - 60s) A world-famous tenor, known also to his fans as “Il Stupendo.” Italian superstar with ego and appetites to match, Tito is larger than life and more complex than he might at first appear.

Maria (30s - 50s)  Tito’s wife.  Proud, passionate, and jealous, Maria is by turns shrewish and motherly to Tito. 

Bellhop (20s - ?)  A bellhop.  The nameless bellhop is an enigmatic character; shrewd, opportunistic, and determined to audition for Tito.

Diana (20s - 40s) a soprano.  Sultry, sexy, confident, Diana knows what she wants and how to get it.  

Julia (40s+)  Chairman of the Opera Guild.  Julia is vivacious and charming and passionate about opera.

 

Author’s Note (from the actors edition)

In casting the roles of Tito and Max, by far the greater emphasis should be on acting ability as opposed to singing ability.  Of course a fine singer in either role is all to the good; but the director should bear in mind that both actors have to act - and extremely well - for about 118 minutes, and need to sing for only about 2 minutes. Thus, provided that the actors have basically good voices, vocal coaching will do the trick and the illusion of voices of operatic quality can easily be pulled off . . .

 

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