Auditions at FAA

The Who's Tommy

Music & Lyrics by Pete Townshend

Book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff

Additional Music & Lyrics by John Entwistle & Keith Moon

Originally Produced on Broadway by Pace Theatrical Group and Dodger Productions with Kardana Productions, Inc.

Director/Choreographer: Eugene Sumlin

Musical Director: TBA

When

AUDITIONS – 5-MINUTE TIMESLOTS

Monday/Tuesday, March 6 & 7, 2023 beginning at 6:30 pm in Corning fditorium

Callbacks: Wedenesday, March 8, 2023 – by invitation only

INTERESTED IN AUDITIONING? CLICK HERE TO MAKE APPOINTMENT!

Rehearsals begin – The week of April 23, 2023

Rehearsals will GENERALLY be Mondays thru Thursdays 6:30-10:00 p.m. & Sundays 1:00-5:00 pm

Production Dates – June 9-25, 2023 (no performance Sunday, June 18, 2023)

Fridays/Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Where

The Fine Arts Association’s Corning Auditorium

38660 Mentor Ave.
Willoughby, Ohio 44094

440-951-7500

Requirements

– Come prepared with 16-32 bars of a song in the style of the show. This is a Rock Musical based on the 1969 Rock Opera by the rock band The Who

– Bring sheet music in the proper key. An accompanist will play for all auditioners.

– Bring a detailed list of your conflicts beginning April 23, 2023. This includes any work/school activities/events, sports activities/events and classes you may be taking that would cause you to miss a scheduled rehearsal. All cast members must be available for tech week (June 5-8)

– Bring a headshot (school picture or snapshot will do)

– Resumes will be accepted (not required)

– Covid-19 Information: Fine Arts does not require masks at this time.

Casting Information

Need cast of approximately 30

All roles available, 8 principal/featured roles plus ensemble.

Auditions are open to all actors ages 16 to adult. Also need TWO young, male actors for younger versions of Tommy — ages 5-7 and 10-12

No AEA contracts available for this production.

Roles Available

Mrs. Walker
A weary middle–class woman. Mrs. Walker is tired and frustrated from trying to care for and cure Tommy. Tommy’s mother and Captain Walker’s wife.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: D6
Vocal range bottom: G3

Captain Walker
A former soldier with lingering guilt. He murders his wife’s lover after coming back from a POW camp, resulting in Tommy’s trauma–induced blindness, deafness, and dumbness. Father to Tommy and husband to Mrs. Walker.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 40
Vocal range top: C#5
Vocal range bottom: F3

Uncle Ernie
A lecherous, drunken bachelor. Ernie molests a young Tommy and later runs a children’s camp seeking to profit from Tommy’s popularity. Mrs. Walker’s brother and Tommy’s uncle.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: Bb4
Vocal range bottom: G2

Tommy/narrator
An embittered young genius stricken deaf, dumb, and blind after a childhood trauma. Tommy discovers that he is a natural master of pinball, and later becomes a cult–like hero figure to masses enthralled by his story. Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker’s son.
Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: Db3

Cousin Kevin
A bully with sadistic tendencies. Tortures his cousin, Tommy, when they’re young and later seizes the opportunity to profit from Tommy’s success. Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: Ab2

Gypsy
A brazen drug dealer and prostitute. Tommy’s parents bring him to the Gypsy to experiment with unusual cures.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: G3

The Specialist
A doctor with modern ideas about how to cure Tommy. Tommy’s parents hire him in their desperation to find any cure for their son.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: G#3

Sally Simpson
A bold, sensitive, and excitable teenybopper. Sally develops a fan crush on Tommy and rushes the stage to be close to him.
Gender: female
Age: 15 to 18
Vocal range top: D5
Vocal range bottom: F3

Ensemble
Soldiers; Nurses; Harlots; Lads and Lasses; Guards; Reporters

About the show

Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who’s Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball–playing, deaf, dumb and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years. This five–time Tony Award–
winning musical was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard, Des McAnuff, into a high–energy, one–of–a–kind theatrical event. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother’s lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia and, as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and
neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball and, when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar. The Who’s Tommy features an exhilarating score that is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross–generational appeal that has made it a smash–hit around the world.