In preparation for the August 26-28 auditions, Brian Ricker, Barbara Holt and Marilyn duBrisk of Tusculum College Arts Outreach (from left) discuss costuming ideas for Theatre-at-Tusculum’s November production of “The Addams Family” musical.
They’re creepy. They’re kooky. They’re coming to Tusculum College.
Auditions have been announced for Theatre-at-Tusculum’s annual fall production. This year Director Marilyn duBrisk and her talented team are bringing a touch of the macabre to East Tennessee with their production of “The Addams Family Musical.”
Actors, singers and dancers are needed to fill roles in a cast of 23, a decidedly smaller number than the usual cast requirements for many of duBrisk’s fall productions, which have numbered close to 100 in the past few years.
The musical comedy, which is based on the single-panel cartoon characters originally created by Charles Addams in 1938, features the well-known Addams Family: the patriarch and fencing enthusiast, Gomez Addams; his voluptuous wife Morticia; and their slightly demented children, Wednesday and her younger brother Pugsley.
The show includes other major members of the Addams Family clan, living and dead, including Gomez’s brother, Uncle Fester, Grandma Addams and their loyal-to-the-grave-and-beyond butler, Lurch.
In addition, the show’s cast includes members of the Addams Family clan that have departed the living world in the form of a chorus of 12 ghostly Addams Family ancestors that span the ages, each from a different era.
Other roles include the Beinekes, a normal midwestern family, who get pulled into the creepy, kooky, and mysterious world of the Addams Family for one evening. Lucas Beineke is Wednesday’s love interest, and his parents, Mal and Alice, are invited to dinner with the Addams Family.
Auditions for adults, including high school students, will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 26 and 27, at 6 p.m. in the Annie Hogan Byrd auditorium at Tusculum College. Registration begins at 5 p.m. with auditions starting at 6 p.m.
Junior auditions for “Pugsley Addams” will be held on Thursday, Aug. 28, for boys in fifth through eighth grade. Registration will start at 4 p.m. with auditions beginning at 5 p.m., also in the Annie Hogan Byrd auditorium.
No prepared pieces are required for either audition.
This musical comedy, which is the first stage show featuring the classic characters, made its debut on Broadway in 2010 starring Nathan Lane as Gomez Addams and Bebe Nuewirth as Morticia Addams. It received Tony Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Kevin Chamberlin in his role as Uncle Fester. The show is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who also co-wrote “Jersey Boys.” The music and lyrics were written by Andrew Lippa.
For more information please contact Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620.