Neshaminy Valley Music Theatre seeks actors, dancers and singers of various ages and all levels of experience for its 67th annual musical production Shrek. Auditions will be held for all roles on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and Wednesday, Nov. 20, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Neshaminy High School, 2001 Old Lincoln Highway in Langhorne. Callbacks by invitation are on Thursday, Nov. 21.
The production will be directed and choreographed by Barrymore Award-nominated director/choreographer Stephen Casey, with music direction by Matt South, and performed on March 29 and 30, and April 4, 5 and 6, at the high school.
Shrek, The Musical, is the Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film. Featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori and a side-splitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire, Shrek brings all the beloved characters from the film to life on stage and proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears. Shrek, the ogre, is an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wise-cracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. He encounters a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude, an amorous Dragon, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits on an adventure full of twists and surprises.
The original Broadway production opened in December 2008 starring Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek, Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona and Daniel Breaker as Donkey. The production received a total of 12 Drama Desk Award and eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and garnered wins for the three leads.
Auditions will be held for the roles of Shrek, Princess Fiona, including young and teen Fiona, Donkey, Lord Farquaard, Dragon, Pinocchio, and all the numerous fairy tale creatures and character parts.
No appointment is needed for auditions. Come prepared to sing a song from Shrek (music and accompanist provided) or a song of your choice (bring your own sheet music).
Previous casts included individuals who have performed professionally along with those who have their first performance experience with NVMT. Participants come from throughout the Delaware Valley. All cast and crew are volunteers. The theater has received national recognition for its annual productions, including 32 nominations and six wins from the International Music & Entertainment Awards.
Seven performances are scheduled in March and April at the high school’s Theodore Kloos Auditorium. Those cast in the show should be prepared to attend rehearsals up to three evenings a week, usually held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting in early January, with some weekend dates closer to the opening of the production.
NVMT is also looking for set builders, painters, sewers and stage crew, including lighting and sound, as well as volunteers to work on marketing, ticketing and other administrative tasks.
Neshaminy Valley Music Theatre is a nonprofit scholarship organization offering competitive grants since its founding in 1956 to students graduating from the Neshaminy School District and planning to study the fine or performing arts in college. The proceeds from the annual musical go into a scholarship fund and generous donors have also contributed to build the fund. To date, NVMT has awarded more than $172,000 in scholarships to just over 200 students.
For more information, visit nvmt.org, email nvmt@verizon.net or call 215-860-1584.
