Description:

Auditions for Chess, the musical, will be held, by appointment, on Monday, September 9th, and Tuesday, September 10th, beginning at 7:00 pm. Callbacks will be held on Wednesday, September 11th.

Auditions will be held at PM&L Theatre's Tribute Hall, located at 877 Main Street in Antioch, IL.

The director, Lorrie Ferguson (past PM&L credits include Man of La Mancha and The Game's Afoot) is looking to cast a minimum of 19-20 cast members.

Principal Characters (ages are stage ages):

Florence - Strong belt voice (to E). Mid 30's.

Freddie - Rock tenor (to C). Mid 30's.

Anatoly - Baritone (to G -sharp). Early 40's.

Molokov - Bass (down to F-sharp). 50's.

Svetlana - Strong belt voice. Late 30's.

Walter - Bass-baritone (down to G-sharp). 50's.

Arbiter - Rock high baritone (up to A). 30 - early 40's.

Ensemble: Minimum 12 singers and dancers. Many will be multi-cast in various roles: Dancers, street people, press, waiters, patrons, conference vendors, etc.

Director is looking specifically for 4 strong dancers. Please indicate on audition form if you would like to be considered for a dancing role. Dancers will be seen at the callbacks on Wednesday.

The collaborators on Chess are giants of rock music and rock musicals. The music by Benny Anderrson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA) of Mamma Mia fame, lyrics/concept by Tim Rice (Evita, Aladdin, The Lion King), and book by Richard Nelson. In Chess, the ancient game becomes a metaphor for romantic rivalries, competitive gamesmanship, super-power politics, and international intrigues. A love triangle forms: the loutish American chess star, the earnest Russian champion, and a Hungarian American female assistant who arrives at the international chess match in Bangkok with the American, but falls for the Russian. From Bangkok to Budapest the players, lovers, politicians, and spies manipulate and are manipulated to the pulse of a monumental rock score that includes "One Night in Bangkok", "Heaven Help My Heart", and "I Know Him So Well."

Time Commitment:
Chess opens on Friday, November 8th, and will run Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until Sunday, November 24th. Actors should be available for four nights of rehearsal a week.

Material To Prepare:
Auditioners should prepare and memorize a 16 bar vocal selection in the style of the musical. Songs from the show are encouraged. There may also be cold-readings from the script.