Auditions! Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls Audition Information

Easthampton Theater Company is excited to announce auditions for the classic musical Guys and Dolls.  We are seeking talented and dedicated actors and singers for a wide variety of roles playing males and females of various ages. There are singing parts and speaking parts, all roles are open and none are precast. 

Synopsis: Guys and Dolls is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but. Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon’s short stories, Guys and Dolls tells of Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new home for his crap game quickly - but he doesn’t have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. Nathan bets Sky that he can’t take the “doll” of Nathan’s choosing to Havana, Cuba, with him on a date. When Sky agrees to the bet, Nathan chooses uptight Evangelist Sergeant Sarah Brown, head of Broadway’s Save-a-Soul Mission. Sky thinks he’s been duped, but he’s in for even more of a surprise when his efforts to woo Sarah are so successful that he falls in love with her himself! Guys and Dolls takes us from the bustle of Times Square to the dance clubs of Havana to the sewers of New York City as it demonstrates the great lengths to which a guy will go when he truly falls in love with a “doll.” Guys and Dolls features some of Frank Loesser’s most memorable tunes, including the hilarious “Adelaide’s Lament,” the romantic “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” the exuberant “If I Were a Bell,” and the classic “Luck Be a Lady.”

Director: Eva Husson-Stockhamer. Music Director: Deb Salli. Producer: Michael O. Budnick.

Auditions: by appointment only - see below for sign-up information. In Easthampton, MA Sunday, Jan. 5 and Monday, Jan. 6 at 6:30-10PM with callbacks scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 pm - w/choreography. 

Rehearsals will be held in Easthampton starting the end of March. as follows: Sundays 6:30-9:30, Mondays 6:30-9:30 & Thursdays 6:30-9:30.  First Read Through March 30th, 6:30PM. Music only March 31, April 3,6.  Full rehearsals start April 7th. There will be time off for Easter and Memorial Day holidays. Not all actors will be called for every rehearsal. However, all actors are required to be available every day during production week, starting on June 16th. 

Performances are June 21-22 and June 27-29th at Williston Theater in Easthampton. Production week starts June 16th. 

Character Descriptions

Suggested age ranges are "as played” and are not absolute. Ages may be adjusted based on the audition pool so we do not discourage anyone from auditioning for any part.  Actors may be of any race, age or gender (16+) as long as the character is played convincingly as specified. 

Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Male Presenting: (Vocal Range D4-B5) Age 30-55 Just like his name suggests, he is the nicest of the gamblers. High-spirited and a bit naive, but sincere and genuine.   He has fantastic comic timing and is naturally funny. Nathan’s loyal friend and lackey.

Benny Southstreet, Male Presenting: (Vocal Range D4-G5) Age 25-55 Nathan’s right-hand man and a gambler himself. Smart, slick, always able to read a situation and adapt to what he thinks are Nathan’s best interest at heart.

Sarah Brown, Female Presenting (Vocal Range B3-G5) Age 20-30: Sarah Brown is the “girl next door” with an adventurous side that’s waiting to escape. She is gently authoritative, the mirror opposite of Sky. Sky is her weakness. Sarah is about substance as much as Sky is about style. She should be an excellent actress as well as singer, and must be able to show two distinct sides of herself.

Arvide Abernathy: Male Presenting, (Vocal Range D4-F5) Age 60+ : Sarah’s grandfather, Kind gentleman who listens well and has a wonderful relationship with all, especially Sarah.

Harry The Horse, Male Presenting, (Vocal Range F3-G5) A gambler. He is a tough guy with dollar signs as his bottom line. Brings Big Jule into Nathan’s craps game and backs him cheating. However ,he is also a man of his word in the gambling community.

Lt. Brannigan, Male Presenting, Age 40-55 (Speaking): A New York police officer who is on to Nathan’s illegal craps games and is dead-set on catching him. A tough, no-nonsense character. Plays the patsy and is outwitted by the Gamblers.

Nathan Detroit, Male Presenting, (Vocal Range D4-F5) Age 35-45: A good-hearted gambler and craps game organizer who could never hit the bigtime. He loves Adelaide, but cannot quit his gambling ways. A broke schemer who loves Adelaide and really does want to marry her. Good timing- big presence on stage but not a cartoon character.

Miss Adelaide, Female Presenting, (Vocal Range A3-E5) Age 25-35: Nathan’s fiancé́ and a lead performer at the Hot Box nightclub. She loves Nathan more than anything in the world and desperately wants to get married. Pretty, outspoken, stubborn. May appear dim witted but Adelaide is always improving herself and sometimes is “dumb like a fox!”

Sky Masterson, Male Presenting, (Vocal Range B3-E5) Age 30-45: A high-stakes gambler whose luck never seems to run out, and a wild card who surprises himself when he falls in love with missionary Sarah Brown. Suave, smart, handsome, confident and very interesting. If he had an honest job he would be a powerhouse!

Big Jule, Male Presenting, (Vocal Range F3-G5) Age 30-50: A big time craps player from Chicago who uses a gun and his own pair of rigged dice to bully his way into never losing. Tough looking. A bit of an oaf.

Ensemble (male & female, various ages, should sing and dance well): Sightseers, Mission Band (Agatha, Calvin, Martha), Crap Shooters (Liver Lips Louie, Angie The Ox, Rusty Charlie), Hot Box Girls, Waiters, Cuban Dancers.

Audition Appointment: (Auditions are by appointment only.) Sunday, Jan. 5 and Monday, Jan. 6 at 6:30-10PM. Sign up for ONE slot only at this Audition Sign-up Link.  For auditions, please prepare a short monologue (no more than 2 minutes) and be prepared to sing from the music selected from the show for the character(s) for which you are auditioning. Sheet music pdf’s  are located HERE. Your monologue should show us both your dramatic skills and comedic timing. You will be asked to perform your monologue, after which you may be given a little direction and asked to perform it again. Your monologue need not be memorized.

AUDITIONS SELECTIONS:

Sky - My Time of Day

Sarah - I'll Know

Adelaide - Bushel and A Peck

Nathan - Luck Be A Lady

Nicely, Rusty, Benny - Sit Down Your Rockin' The Boat

Ensemble Men - Luck Be A Lady

Ensemble Women, Hot Box, Gen. Cartwright - Bushel and Peck

Arvide - More I Can Not Wish You

If you are auditioning for Lt. Brannigan, a speaking role, we may ask you to read from sides of his dialog. Also, please prepare to sing from the ensemble music selection as the Lt. may be asked to sing with the ensemble at times. 

Callbacks  Callbacks are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 pm - w/choreography.    If you receive a callback, information will be provided ahead of time. If called back, please be prepared to stay the entire time, although you may not be needed the entire time. Note even if you are not called back you may still be under consideration for a role.    

Audition Sign-up Information

If you are auditioning, please fill out an audition form HERE and also sign up for an audition slot at this Audition Sign-up Link. You must BOTH sign up for a slot AND fill out and send in the form to book an audition. If we do not have your audition form, we will assume you are not auditioning and your audition may be cancelled. Similarly, if you submit a form and do not sign up for an audition, we will assume you are not auditioning. 

Please note: Easthampton Theater Company is an amateur community theater located in Western Massachusetts. Actors and participants should be locally based within a reasonable commute to our Easthampton, Massachusetts rehearsals and performances.