Tampa Creative Camps Audition Packet: The Phantom Tollbooth
Thank you for you and your child's interest in participating in the first musical of summer 2014. Below is information pertaining to the show and the audition process. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions!
ABOUT THE SHOW:
In The Phantom Tollbooth Jr. Norton Juster’s beloved children’s book becomes an acclaimed musical about a boy who must save the princesses Rhyme and Reason and reunite the brother Kings Azaz and the Mathemagician, who rule over the cities of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis respectively. Aided by a trusty time­keeping dog, Tock, Milo successfully brings harmony to the Land of Wisdom and learns many things about words and numbers over the course of his journey. Perhaps the most important lesson he takes with him, however, is that everything we learn has a purpose and everything we do affects our surroundings. When he returns home, Milo realizes there is never a reason to be bored in a world full of things to discover.
WHY DO AUDITIONS HAVE TO BE RUN AS IF FOR A PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION?
Our goal is to see if your child is ready to be given the responsibility of solo speaking lines, and if so, to place him or her in a role in which s/he will have the most success. The production staff will not make their casting decisions lightly; if your child doesn't get the part they want, please have faith that the director has put them in the part that is the best “fit” for their current level of experience. Every child who auditions is quarenteed a role in the show and every part will be very fun!
HOW WILL THINGS BE RUN DURING THE AUDITIONS?
When you arrive, parents will be asked to sign in and fill out an information form. Parents are not allowed to be in the room during auditions; we will have a waiting area. Children will be taught a dance combination, cold reading, and will be given the opportunity to sing a song of choice, preferably from the show. PRINCIPLE ROLES:
Principle roles will be given to children who demonstrate a high level of maturity, readiness, and experience. All levels of expertise are welcomed and encouraged to participate. More often than not those who DO audition will be given a more significant role than those who DO NOT audition, even if the child who did not audition holds a greater experience level. PREPARATION:
Preparation counts! In the same way that your baseball coach wants to see that you've been batting at home, we want to know which students are dedicated enough to do lots of at home practicing. The production staff can immediately tell who is prepared and who is not.
PROFESSIONALISM:
We have no desire to “bring down” any child; we want all theater to be a positive experience. In the interest of efficiency and giving everyone an equal opportunity, however, we will be running auditions in a professional, real­world manner, which does involve the need for participants to demonstrate objectivity and emotional resilience. For example, if a child chooses not to sing her song when their turn arrives, we have a limited amount of time to encourage them before having to give the floor to the next participant.
NERVOUSNESS:
Remember, every adult in the room is rooting for you to do your best. There's no one hoping you'll be embarrassed. Take deep breaths, and remember that you're not in any real danger. Keep a positive attitude, and think of this as an opportunity to share with others. To minimize nervousness, make your at­home practice as similar to audition conditions as possible (for example, rather than only practicing your song/monologue while mom drives you to soccer, make time to clear a space in the living room, wait on the sidelines, and walk onto your practice “stage” as if you were in front of a real audience). When practicing, go “full tilt” and think about how the character would move his body, use his face, and feel on the inside. One good way to combat self­consciousness is to “lose yourself” in the character.
GENDER:
Gender of the character being portrayed may be changed at the discretion of the director and production staff. Casting will depend upon who is the best “fit” for the part, and how the principles, as a group, look and feel together. For example, a past show Suessical Jr., the lead character of Jojo, who originally is a little boy, was changed to a little girl. Having said that, there are some strict genders that will not be modified at times, for example Belle will always be played by a female.
INTERPRETATION:
We're not looking for you to mimic the exact delivery of the characters from the shows and movies. It's okay if they influence your interpretation, but don’t be worried if you can’t mimic “the perfect” character, we're looking for actors to make the roles their own.
CHARACTER DISCRIPTIONS:
Milo is a boy who is completely under­stimulated by everything around him. Cast an extremely likable actor who has a solid voice and acting chops. This actor should be able to remain focused over a long period of time as the character almost never leaves the stage.
The Tollbooth is the perfect role for an excellent singer who has solid musical skills. The role can be performed equally successfully by a male or female performere who has a powerful and confident voice. The role is usually performed offstage and unseen by the audience, but it does have two large feature moments in the show. Tock is an extremely energetic, lovable dog with an alarm clock in his or her belly. Good for a very physical actor comfortable crawling and sliding across the floor on his or her knees. The actor should also have a solid voice and a strong ability to focus onstage.
Azaz is the king of words! While he deeply misses the Princesses, he doesn't want to work with his brother, the Mathemagician, to save them. The actor must have a classic "king" presence and strong acting chops.
Mathemagician is the king of numbers. Much like Azaz, he secretly misses the Princesses but refuses to save them with his brother. This is a great part for an energetic actor with a good sense of rhythm and comedic timing.
Rhyme & Reason are the Princesses banished to the Castle in the Air. They are great classic ingenue roles and require actresses with strong voices.
Whether Man is an eccentric individual not to be confused with a "weather man"! This is a great part for an actor with good physical comedy chops.
Demons are dark and scary entities that persuade Milo into not doing anything. They are sinister and love to be in control. They should all be good physical actors with strong acting skills and terrifying, evil laughs!
Narrators are parts that may or may not sing that require focus and good public speaking skills. These boys and girls are neighborhood kids that want to play with Milo. Lethargarians are slow motion, unmotivated, incredibly lackadaisical beings. That said, they will be ensemble members with lots of energy as to not risk the audience falling asleep with them!
The Vendors (Adjective Sellers, Adverb Sellers, Noun Sellers, Pronoun Sellers, Verb Sellers) are marketplace sellers of all types of words in Dictionopolis. These are great roles that feature ensemble members with solo singing, and they require excellent character work. These May or may not be non­speaking roles.
Guard, Page, Advisors and Lackeys are all subjects of the royal kingdom of Dictionopolis, led by King Azaz. These roles are a great feature ensemble members roles who have strong physical comedy skills. They may or may not be non­singing roles.
Miners are the subjects of Digitopolis. These are great physical comedy roles! Seeking ensemble members who aren't afraid to be ridiculously silly onstage.
MATERIALS TO PREPARE:
Below are the materials that we will use in the audition room. Please come with one or two sides prepared along with one or two of the following songs. It is okay to use a side/song for a character you are not auditioning for. We want to see how well you can read and interpret the dialogue along with your singing capabilities. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with all sides because we might ask you to read for multiple roles. Please note: your child does not need to say the words within the parentheses, they are usually stage notes used for blocking or emotions. For the music: if the character you are auditioning for does not sing, please sing something anyway! Along those lines, if you are auditioning for a particular character and their song is not apart of music provided, sing something else! We will ask if you have a particular role in mind and take that into consideration when casting. Thank you and break a leg!
Sides
Milo and Tock
(TOCK enters, barking and growling fiercely, scattering the LETHARGARIANS, who flee in all directions in ‘fast‘ slow motion. TOCK is an ordinary dog, normal in all respects except that in his chest is a large alarm clock, which is now ringing loudly. When the LETHARGARIANS have all been routed, he shuts of the alarm and turns his attention to MILO.)
TOCK
(fiercely, like a traffic cop) All right! What do you think you‘re doing?
MILO
I, uh… I don‘t know... just killing time, I guess. (TOCK’S alarm rings; he shuts it off.)
TOCK
(Outraged, he shields his clock unconsciously.) Killing time! It‘s bad enough wasting time without killing it! (TOCK sniffs MILO, then surveys him head to toe.) Say… what are you doing in the Doldrums anyway?
MILO
I was on my way to Dictionopolis when I got stuck here. TOCK
And do you know why you got stuck? MILO
I guess I just wasn‘t thinking. TOCK
Precisely. Now, since you got here by not thinking, in order to get out you must start thinking.(TOCK looks at MILO’S car.) I do love chasing cars. (forcefully) Start thinking! MILO
About what? TOCK
Anything! Use your brain. That‘s what it‘s for. MILO
Think about what? TOCK
Think! MILO
(stares at TOCK and has an idea) I know! I‘ll think about animals. (MILO concentrates; it isn‘t easy for him.) There are birds that swim... and fish that fly. (The car lurches forward, then stops.) TOCK
It‘s working! Keep thinking!
MILO
Animals... Some have spots… (The car moves forward then stops.) Some have stripes… (It moves again.) Some have quills… (It moves again.) And some have scales! (It moves again.)
TOCK
You‘re moving! Keep thinking! (As MILO thinks, we see that he is becoming genuinely curious and interested.)
MILO
I‘ll think about comets – and rocket ships! (It moves again.)
TOCK
Blast off! TOCK
You did it! Isn‘t it amazing what you can accomplish with just a little thought?
MILO
I guess I should thank you for helping me out of the Doldrums. TOCK
You‘re welcome. By the way, what‘s your name?
Narrator
NARRATOR
As the car entered a broad, green valley, the road dipped and turned. Milo soon began to daydream and pay less and less attention to where he was going. Before he knew it, he had taken a wrong turn. (The CHILD exits, shaking his or her head in dismay. The music slows down and the NARRATORS speak more slowly.)
Everything began to change... (yawns) The car slowed down and finally stopped.
Lethargarins and Milo
(Their clothing is loose, voluminous and shapeless. MILO wakes with a start. Bizarre as the LETHARGARIANS look, MILO senses that they are harmless, so instead of being frightened he is merely intensely curious. MILO is now wide awake.)
MILO
(to the nearest LETHARGARIAN)
Where am I?
SOLO (the nearest Lethargarian)
(speaking slowly and lazily) You‘re in the Doldrums... MILO
(speaking at his usual tempo) What are the Doldrums? SOLO
The Doldrums are where nothing ever happens... GROUP
And nothing ever changes. MILO
Who are you? SOLO
We are the Lethargarians. MILO
I think I‘m lost. SOLO (the Authoritarian)
Don‘t say think! SOLO (Legal Expert)
That‘s against the law! MILO
That‘s a ridiculous law. Everybody thinks.
GROUP
We don‘t.
SOLO
And most of the time, you don‘t. GROUP
That‘s why you‘re here. SOLO
(growing sleepier and sleepier) People who don‘t think... often get stuck in the Doldrums... (He or she topples over, fast asleep, and begins to snore. MILO can‘t help laughing.) SOLO (the Authoritarian)
Stop that at once! (The music stops abruptly.) SOLO (Legal Expert)
Laughing is against the law! MILO
But if you can‘t laugh or think, what can you do? SOLO
Anything... as long as it‘s nothing... SOLO
And everything... as long as it isn‘t anything. (Music to THE LETHARGARIAN SHUFFLE begins.)
SOLO
Oh, there‘s lots to do. We have a very busy schedule.
Rhyme, Reason, Milo, and Tock
REASON
Just a little further! Hurry!
RHYME
You‘re very near! You‘re almost here! (The music fades out as MILO and TOCK enter. THEY are out of breath and seem dazed. They stop and stare at the PRINCESSES in awe.) REASON
Welcome to the Castle in the Air. We‘ve been hoping someone would come. RHYME
To reach this place, afloat in space, you both endured a fearful chase! MILO
You must be the Princess of Sweet Rhyme! RHYME
That is true. (MILO bows awkwardly; she curtsies.) And who are you?
MILO
My name is Milo. TOCK
I‘m Tock. (to REASON) And you must be the Princess of Pure Reason!
REASON
(seriously, but with a twinkle in her eye) Based on the evidence, and through the process of elimination, that would be a most logical assumption. (TOCK bows; she curtsies.) MILO
We‘ve come to rescue you. (Both PRINCESSES are deeply moved.) RHYME
How ever did you get permission from Azaz and the Mathemagician? REASON
You must have been wondrously clever! TOCK
Indeed, he was, Princess. MILO
(shaking his head sadly) Well, I don‘t feel very clever. (Music begins: the introduction to MILO.) Now that we‘re up here, I don‘t know how to get us back down without the demons catching us. The truth is... I don‘t know much about anything. It never seemed to matter before.
Mathemagician, Milo, and Tock
(Music: THE MATHEMAGICIAN‘S ENTRANCE. The MATHEMAGICIAN enters majestically. The MINERS clear a path for him. He is dressed as he was when we last saw him and carries the same staff, an oversized #2 yellow pencil. The MATHEMAGICIAN punctuates his speeches by pounding it on the floor.)
MATHEMAGICIAN
(bellowing as he enters) Well, of course, it does! By the one hundred and seventeen thousand four hundred and fifty­eight hairs on my head,(He gestures, taking in the whole mine.) this mine is mine and it‘s all mine!
MILO
You must be the Mathemagician! MATHEMAGICIAN
But who are you? And what brings you here? MILO
My name is Milo, your Majesty. TOCK
And I‘m Tock. MILO
We‘ve come from Dictionopolis to see you, sir. MATHEMAGICIAN
Azaz! So you‘ve met that obnoxious brother of mine, have you? I‘ll wager he‘s filled your heads with wordy nonsense! Well, I‘ve got his number! Let me set you straight: Dictionopolis doesn‘t add up! Words can mean anything, depending on your mood or your tone of voice! But numbers are always exactly what they‘re supposed to be! (Realizing that he has been lecturing his ‘guests,‘ the MATHEMAGICIAN softens and says:) But how inconsiderate of me! After your long journey here, you must be famished. (The MATHEMAGICIAN turns towards the MINERS and claps his hands.) Lunch for two! (Some MINERS immediately hurry offstage.) (to MILO and TOCK) How very thoughtless of me. MILO
Thank you, your Majesty. I am hungry.
Music