GMTG are delighted to invite you to audition for our first production of Term 1, "American Idiot".
Please read the following info carefully.
DROP IN VOCAL AUDITIONS
Thursday 28th September: 5pm-10pm (Tolkein Room)
Friday 29th September: 5pm-10pm (Tolkein Room)
*PLEASE NOTE- there is no need to book a slot. Feel free to drop in any time.
COMPULSORY DANCE AUDITIONS
Saturday 30th September: 12pm-2pm (Rosa Parks)
*PLEASE NOTE-Everyone who attends a vocal audition is required to attend a dance audition. You can sign up for a specific time at vocal auditions-either 12-1 or 1-2. Please bring suitable shoes (such as trainers) and clothing you can move in!*
ADVANCED DANCER AUDITIONS
Sunday 1st October: 4pm-5pm (Dance Studio)
(This audition is for advanced dancers)
*PLEASE NOTE that those auditioning for this will still be required to attend a vocal audition. You can sign up for the advanced dancer audition at your vocal audition. Please bring suitable clothing and trainers/practice shoes.*
CALLBACKS
Sunday 1st October: 10am-5pm (Mandela Room)
(These will be for lead characters only. Minor parts/ensemble/dancers will be cast based on auditions. Time slots will be given in an email if a callback is received.)
SHOW DATES
November 21st-November 25th
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This is a high commitment show, usually with 4 rehearsals a week, so auditionees will need to be available for the entire rehearsal process including sitzprobe and tech and dress runs. PLEASE NOTE that anyone cast in 'Venetian Twins' will be not be able to take part in 'American Idiot' as the show dates clash.
SYNOPSIS
“The characters are wanting to figure things out, step up, and stand up for things they believe in… It’s about learning the hard lessons” - Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day frontman.
Set against the backdrop of the infamous Bush administration and the stupefying propaganda of the mainstream media, American Idiot takes Green Day’s chart-topping 2004 punk rock album and brings
it to life in the most spectacular fashion. The story follows the conflicted anti-hero, Johnny, the self-proclaimed “Jesus of Suburbia”, and his two friends Will and Tunny, as they attempt to break out of their mind-numbing, aimless suburban existence. The musical simultaneously charts the story from the perspective of the girls - Whatsername, Heather and Extraordinary Girl - who all must deal with the pressures and frustrations of independent adult life. All are hopelessly stuck in a monotonous and unfulfilling daily routine, struggling to find the balance between “rage and love”, a conflict that seems to define their lost generation. With Green Day’s heart-pounding, visceral, beautiful songs, American Idiot is guaranteed to bring down the Deb.
CHARACTERS AND AUDITION SONGS
-Please only audition for one lead role on the drop in vocal auditions on the Thursday or the Friday, and please specify if you would like to be considered for another part! Furthermore, when two songs are given please learn just one. Then, if successful, we will allocate people callback slots!
-We encourage you to listen to the soundtrack before you audition to get a feel for the show, and particularly the role you are auditioning for!
-The production is very character driven so please really invest in performing and characterizing your chosen song.
-The Spotify link for The music is here: https://open.spotify.com/user/juliefreedman/playlist/5ysnd2hZQ7klESL0nKiigz
-Any other musically related questions please contact Aron Sood directly.
JOHNNY (M)
The self-proclaimed “Jesus of Suburbia.” Bored of his do-nothing, go-nowhere existence,he takes off for the city to get a new lease on life. He wages an inner war between a budding love for
Whatsername and growing dependency on St. Jimmy and drugs. Thinks he’s cooler than he is.
-Baritone
-Songs: Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Whatsername *PLEASE NOTE in the rehearsal process Johnny will be taught to play the guitar. If you already play the guitar, we encourage you to play it in the audition for either song, although this is not compulsory*
WHATSERNAME (F)
?A girl in the city who falls for Johnny. A headstrong rebel who remains extremely faithful to Johnny, but urges him to understand and embrace their relationship in favour of his tragic decline into drug addiction. Tough and sexy.
-Mezzo
-Songs: Letterbomb/21 Guns
WILL (M)
?Johnny’s friend who ends up staying behind in Suburbia to take care of his pregnant girlfriend Heather. The more he sits on the couch, the more he becomes slowly disconnected from the world
and his relationships. A difficult personality but very sympathetic.
-Tenor
-Song: Give me Novacaine
HEATHER (F) ?
Will’s girlfriend who also lives in Jingletown. She discovers she is pregnant but has difficulty telling her boyfriend of the news. Once she settles down with him, she struggles to maintain their relationship with his despondency and eventually leaves him for a successful rocker. No-nonsense character despite being victim of circumstance.
-Mezzo
-Song: Too Much Too Soon
TUNNY (M)
?Johnny’s friend who follows him to the city and eventually enlists in the army, travelling to the Middle East. A dreamer who is easily swayed, first by Johnny’s ideas, and then by patriotism and the American Dream. He is saved by the Extraordinary Girl after being injured in battle. Brave and idealistic.
-Tenor
-Songs: Are We Waiting/Give me Novacaine
EXTRODINARY GIRL (F)
?A girl in the Middle East who appears as a hallucination to the injured Tunny. She later appears as his nurse and accompanies him home after the war, meeting his hometown friends. Attractive and mysterious.
-Mezzo
-Extraodinary Girl
ST JIMMY (M/F)
Johnny’s alter ego, known as the “city badass.” Throughout the musical he is a manifestation of Johnny’s heroin habit presented as a separate person. A charismatic and outlandish figure who gets Johnny addicted to drugs, and grows jealous of his relationship with Whatsername, leading him to commit suicide at the climax of the show.
*Please note that this chararacter is very high energy, so please give it your all! We would love to see you have fun-there is no such thing as too much energy with Jimmy!*
-Tenor/Mezzo
-Songs: St Jimmy/Last night on Earth.
FAVORITE SON (M)
A high-ranking officer in the government who encourages Tunny to enlist in the army. His apparent pseudo-celebrity status, coupled with his entourage of glamorous girls and extravagant promises immediately seduce Tunny into an army life.
-Tenor
-Song: Favorite Son
We are so excited to see you all! If you have any questions at all about auditions or anything else related to the show, feel free to contact any of the team.
Tom Noyes: Director- txn548@student.bham.ac.uk
Aron Sood: Musical Director - aps595@student.bham.ac.uk
Hattie Kemish: Choreographer- hattiekemish@hotmail.co.uk
Chaz Webb: Stage Manager- cxw583@student.bham.ac.uk
Megan Farquhar: Co-Producer- mef568@student.bham.ac.uk
Sarah Allwright: Co-Producer- sxa690@student.bham.ac.uk