From the Tony® and Grammy® award-winning creators of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress), Alice by Heart is an imaginative, moving musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Young Alice Spencer escapes from her London bunker in the center of World War II and into her favorite book. During her adventure, Alice discovers that the line between reality and fantasy has blurred, forcing her to confront the world around her. What was an escape turns into reality, as she uses the story to come to terms with love, loss, dreams, and death in a time of war.

When the story begins to slip away, what remains?

GENERAL INFORMATION

Auditioners must be 15+ to audition (except for two smaller roles for children in updated version). There are roles for teens and adults in this production and casting will take ages into consideration so any relationship arcs or intimacy are appropriate. Additionally, there are roles for two younger children for flashback scenes. CenterStage Theatre Works is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in casting. As such, we encourage performers of all races and ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, abilities, and ages to attend every audition. We expect all actors to exercise respect for each other to allow us to have a safe and inclusive environment to practice their craft. There will likely be two casts for this production, but some roles may be cast only once.

AUDITION MATERIALS

ACTORS/SINGERS: Please provide to us audition form by April 21, 2021. On the audition form, please include links to your headshot, rèsumè, and videos(placed on YouTube or Vimeo) that include the following

• headshot and rèsumè

• Monologue: 45-90 second dramatic or comedic monologue

• Song 1: 45-90 second vocal selection (16-32 bars) in the style of the music represented in Alice By Heart. (You may sing something from the show for this, if desired.)

• Song 2: 45-90 second vocal selection (16-32 bars) in a contrasting music style that demonstrates your range

• Dialect (OPTIONAL): IF you have a British dialect (RP, Brummie, Cockney, Geordie, Scouse, ANYthing), give us this excerpt from One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Dean :
  
  ”What is my life? Am I to eat, drink, sleep, get a good job, marry, honeymoon, have kids, watch them grow up and have kids of their own, divorce, meet someone else, get old, and die happy in my sleep like every other inhabitant of Brighton and Hove? What kind of a life is that? No. I am an artist.“

• Movement/Dance (OPTIONAL): Movement and dance are very important to this show. You may provide a 60-second dance or movement / devised video. If you are called back, there will be a dance call even if you do not provide this optional item.

DANCERS: We may cast some dancers in the ensemble but they will need to be able to move and work in the devised and physical theatre space. Please provide to us your audition form by April 21, 2024. On the audition form, please include links to your headshot, rèsumè, and videos (placed on YouTube or Vimeo) that include the following

• headshot and rèsumè

• Monologue: 60-second monologue (if includes physicality, even better!)

• Movement/Dance: 60-second dance video of choreo that fits the show (modern or lyrical/contemporary)

• Song 1 (OPTIONAL): you may provide a 60-second video of a vocal performance. If you are called back, there will be a song to sing or you may be asked to vocalize with the Music Director.

CALLBACKS

Callbacks will be held May 4 and/or 5. Callbacks will be notified by April 25. Virtual/video callbacks will be due by 11:59 pm May 5.

STIPEND

Due to the licensing requirements for this show, it could only be licensable as an amateur production. No stipends for actors are available.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

All roles are available.

*Note: Ages and gender identities are those of the character, not the auditioner. All listed identifiers are in accordance with the agreement with MTI and the options provided by the book writers in the script. CenterStage Theatre Works is committed to diverse casting for all our productions and it is an important tenet of our creative team. We welcome and encourage actors to audition without regard to ethnicity, gender, experiences, or abilities.

The Cast

Alice Spencer / Alice: Full of questions, wonder, and a tenacious stubbornness when it comes to achieving her goals. Entering a confusing time of transition in her body while trying to survive a distressed situation — living in a tube station, displaced from her family. Possesses a wonderful imagination that allows her to escape her present situation.

Gender: female. Must believably play age 15. Vocal range top: D5. Vocal range bottom: G3

Alfred Hallam / White Rabbit / March Hare: Alice's ailing childhood friend. Alfred contracted tuberculosis while living on the streets and is now being cared for by a small medical staff in the Underground station. Doubles as White Rabbit: Attractive, obsessive-compulsive, and a little manic - running from something he doesn't understand. Strong contemporary pop/rock singing voice.

Gender: male. Must believably play age 18. Vocal range top: A4. Vocal range bottom: B2

Young Alice: Must play between the ages of 6 and 10. Featured in flashbacks

Gender: Female. Vocal range top: A#4. Vocal range bottom: F#4

Young Alfred: Must play between the ages of 6 and 10.

Gender: Male. Vocal range bottom: C#4

Red Cross Nurse / Queen of Hearts: Also appears in the show as Queen of Hearts. Tough, funny, take-charge. Dominates her husband and gets what she wants.

Gender: female. Big singing voice with belt.Vocal range top: D5. Vocal range bottom: F#3. Must believably play age 30-50.

Harold Pudding / Mad Hatter: To play late teens to early 20s; preening; demanding; full of riddles; also plays "Harold Pudding," a soldier who has lost his wits in the war who is manic, funny, charming and nuts.

Gender: male. Vocal range top: F4.. Vocal range bottom: C3

Tabatha/Cheshire Cat: Smart; streetwise; has gravity. Also appears in the show as Cheshire Cat.

Gender: Female. Vocal range top: D5. Vocal range bottom: Bb3

Dodgy / Duchess: A somewhat flamboyant street urchin with sticky fingers. Requires drag for song, comedic chops required.

Gender: male. Vocal range top: E4. Vocal range bottom: C3

Clarissa / Queen of Diamonds: An upper-class young girl who finds herself in the Underground with the rest of the survivors. Doubles as Queen of Diamonds.

Gender: Female. Vocal range top: D5. Vocal range bottom: B3

Nigel / Dormouse / Knave of Clubs: A young boy who has been traumatized by the bombs and the loss of his family. Doubles as Dormouse and Knave of Clubs.

Gender: Male. Vocal range top: Bb4. Vocal range bottom: E3

Angus / Caterpillar 1: A working class youth with a penchant for escapism. Doubles as Caterpillar 1.

Gender: male. Vocal range top: B4. Vocal range bottom: F3

Dr. Butridge / King Of Hearts / Jabberwocky: Falling apart and anxious to a comic extent, a la Larry David. A nervous yet somehow still threatening doctor tasked with managing the Underground station. Doubles as Jabberwocky, King Of Hearts. Character singing voice.

Gender: Male. Vocal range top: G4. Vocal range bottom: C3. Should be able to believably play ages 35-45.

Caterpillar 2

Gender: flexible. Vocal range top: C5. Vocal range bottom: Ab3

ENSEMBLE: Looking for 3-4 dynamic ensemble members who will be students in the tube, as well as play

the following roles in Wonderland. Looking for strong movers/dancers.

KNAVE OF SPADES

MOCK TURTLE

MOCK MOCK TURTLE

MOCK MOCK MOCK MOCK TURTLE

The “Swings”:

• Need two swings to cover all male and female roles in the show for illness and conflicts.

• Need to learn quickly and be able to cover all the roles. May be used as ensemble for some songs.

REHEARSALS:

Rehearsals are usually held Monday-Thursday evenings, Saturday day, and some Sunday afternoons. A full rehearsal schedule will be put out after casting is complete and conflicts are considered. The director works hard to be efficient with actors’ time and plans work in the beginning around conflicts.

PERFORMANCES:

August 8-18:

August 8: 7:30 pm

August 9: 7:30 pm

August 10: 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

August 11: 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

August 16: 7:30 pm

August 17: 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

August 18: 2:30 pm

COVID POLICY

For the well-being of our actors and theatregoers, we promote a healthy and safe environment. We reserve the right to require masks or other precautions if COVID-19 conditions change in our area. If actors develop symptoms, you may be asked to follow current COVID protocols. We are an independent theatre and rely on other rented physical spaces to perform our shows. For this reason, we may doublecast or cast swings for principal or supporting roles so that our show “will go on.”