AUDITION NOTICE​

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Ready to sing, dance, and build something joyful with a bunch of great humans? We’re all about creating a safe, welcoming space where you can explore your creativity and have a blast doing it. The hard-knock life? Not here! We’re all about good vibes, big laughs, and brighter tomorrows!

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Information Meeting:

            Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, 7pm at Orpheus House

           

Audition Times:

            Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 - Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025

(Sunday booking slots at 3pm, 4pm, & 5pm. Weeknight booking slots at 6pm, 7pm & 8pm)

• please arrive on time for check in, administration, and incidentals

• each audition group will be required for approximately 90 minutes

 

Call backs (if needed):

            Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025

 

First Rehearsal:

            Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 - 7:00pm

 

ALL AUDITIONS AND REHEARSALS TAKE PLACE AT ORPHEUS HOUSE

(17 FAIRMONT AVE.)

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Performances:

            Nov. 21 - 30, 2025 at 7:30pm (Sunday matinees: Nov. 23 & 30 at 2:00pm)

• there is no performance on Monday, Nov. 24th

• all performances are at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe, 101 Centrepointe Drive.

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Audition Booking and Inquiries:

• Starting as of Tuesday, August 5 for Orpheus members; booking open to all as of Monday, August 11.

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Audition Bookings are done online. The link will be provided on this page as of Tuesday, August 5.

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Essentials to Bring to your Audition:

• Please wear clothes and footwear that you can move in comfortably.

• A water bottle.  

• A printed copy of the piano sheet music for your selected music in your preferred key, with piano lines intact (please do not expect the accompanist to transpose your piece; a capella auditions, self-accompaniment and karaoke tracks are not permitted.)

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General Orpheus Audition Notes:

• Auditions are by appointment only.

• Please arrive a few minutes before your appointed time. The Production Assistant will support all those auditioning by providing forms, taking photos, submitting music for the accompanist, answering questions, and generally keeping things organized. The audition form will also be sent to all auditionees to print and fill out before arrival (highly recommended to fill out beforehand).

• All those auditioning will perform a short dance routine as part of a team. The link to the video for the dance will be available on this page as of August 5 and will be sent to all auditionees. The dance will also be taught before the rehearsal.

• Following the dance audition, each person will sing and read individually.  Sides can be found on this page as of August 5, will be sent to auditionees, and copies will be provided at the audition. Please do not memorize the sides. All 3 portions of the audition are mandatory for everyone.

• You are encouraged to do your own vocal and physical warm-up prior to your audition.

• An accompanist will be provided for each audition for you to perform your piece. Please remember to bring a printed copy of the piano sheet music of your chosen piece in your preferred key with you. Vocal range may or may not be checked by the musical director as part of the audition process.

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Synopsis:

In the hard knock city of New York, we follow the story of Annie, a young orphan whose fierce optimism transforms everyone around her. With an unflinching mission to find her parents, she faces plenty of schemes and setbacks, but nothing can dim her shine. Through a whirlwind of mischief, mistaken identities, and toe-tapping tunes, Annie discovers that sometimes the family you find is even better than the one you were looking for. With a smile and a song, she brings joy to everyone around her—and reminds us all that the sun really will come out tomorrow.

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Cast Requirements:  12 leads (10 female | 2 male)

                                    16 ensemble (8 female | 8 male) who will also play featured roles

                                     Ensemble age will range. Two teenage male roles.

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Character Descriptions:

 

Annie (female; stage age: 11 yrs old)

• Character: A spunky, optimistic 11-year-old orphan with boundless hope and determination, Annie dreams of finding the parents who abandoned her. Her courage and charm inspire everyone she meets.

• Vocal Range: A3 - G5

• Featured solo songs: Tomorrow; Maybe

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable dancer

 

Important Note:

The role of Annie will be cast with two performers, who will alternate performances equally. Each actor will appear in five performances, including the invited dress rehearsal. While each performer will be scheduled for specific performances, both must remain available for all performances. The final performance schedule will be determined by the Directing Team in September.

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Oliver Warbucks (male; stage age: 40-55 yrs old)

• Character: A wealthy, no-nonsense billionaire with a soft heart buried beneath his gruff exterior. Through Annie, he discovers the joy of family and love beyond money.

• Vocal Range: B2 - Gb4

• Featured solo songs: Why Should I Change A Thing, Something Was Missing

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable mover

 

Miss Hannigan (female; stage age: 35 - 55 yrs old)

• Character: The cruel, bitter headmistress of the orphanage who loathes children and lives in constant irritation. She’s selfish, scheming, and desperate for a way out of her miserable life.

• Vocal Range: A3 - F5

• Featured songs: Little Girls, Easy Street (trio)

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable dancer (looking specifically for a fosse/vaudeville movement style)

 

Grace Farrell (female; stage age: 30 - 40 yrs old)

• Character: Warbucks’s intelligent, kind, and efficient secretary. She serves as a warm, supportive presence and quickly bonds with Annie.

• Vocal Range: Bb3 - G5

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable mover (looking specifically for a very light and graceful movement quality)

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Rooster Hannigan (male; stage age: 30 - 40 yrs old)

• Character: Miss Hannigan’s slick, conniving younger brother with a criminal streak. He’s always on the lookout for a get-rich-quick scheme, no matter how dishonest.

• Vocal Range: B2 - G4

• Featured songs: Easy Street (trio)

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable dancer (looking specifically for a fosse/vaudeville movement style)

 

Lily St. Regis (female; stage age: 25 - 35 yrs old)

• Character: Rooster’s ditzy, flashy girlfriend who’s more style than substance. She’s bubbly, brash, and eager to join in any con that promises cash.

• Vocal Range: B3 - G5

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable dancer (looking specifically for a fosse/vaudeville movement style)

 

Kate, Duffy, Molly, July, Pepper, Tessie (female; stage age: 6 - 15 yrs old)

• Character: The other girls in the orphanage will have a varied sense of personality that can create rivalries and friendships within the orphanage.

• Featured Songs: Hard Knock Life, Hard Knock Life Reprise, Fully Dressed, New Deal for Christmas

• Dance Requirement: Comfortable dancer (special dance skills/tricks will be incorporated if appropriate)

 

Bert Healy (male; stage age: 35 - 45 yrs old)

• Vocal Range Top Gb4

• Vocal Range Bottom E3

• Dance Requirement: None

 

President Roosevelt (male; stage age 50-60 yrs old)

• Vocal Range Top F4

• Vocal Range Bottom Eb3

• Dance Requirement: None

 

Sandy (any gender; any age)

• Character: A loyal, lovable stray dog who becomes Annie’s faithful companion. Though quiet, Sandy’s presence brings comfort, warmth, and a sense of home to Annie’s journey.

• Dance Requirements: Ability to puppet (no prior experience required) our wonderful dog and move in ways that elicit emotional reactions, display physical behaviours, and create interactions with the humans.

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Notes from the Music Director:

 

The music portion of your audition is designed to give the directing team a good sense of how your voice fits the style of the show and potentially how your voice fits best with which characters or songs. I recommend that you choose a song that you are very comfortable singing that shows off the quality and strength of your voice. 

 

You won’t be singing alone as you will be accompanied by our incredible piano accompanist Wendy Berkelaar.  For your chosen song, you will need to provide sheet music that Wendy can play on piano to support you as you sing. 

 

Following the audition dance portion, you will come in for the singing and reading part of your audition. I will welcome you at the piano, introduce you to Wendy and give you an opportunity to discuss tempo, style, start point, etc.  Due to time constraints you will not have time to sing an entire song, perhaps a verse and a chorus with a likely limit of 24-32 bars.  Please don’t worry that I cut you off, it is not that you aren’t performing well, it is just that we have heard what we needed to hear.

 

After you finish your song, I may return to the piano with you to check your vocal range or try a few phrases.

 

No matter what you sing, please try to adopt the character of the song so that you are telling the story and not just trying to make it through the song.

 

For those that do not read music, do not worry!  During the rehearsal process, our music team of Jennifer Grimsey - Assistant to the Music Director, Wendy and myself will coach all cast members to create the wonderful harmonies that the audience will love and allow each of you to “Shine like the top of the Chrysler building”. Yup - there it is…my first but not last quote from the show!

 

Prepare well and have fun with your song!

 

Murray Doggett

Music Director

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Notes from the Choreographer:

 

This show has the opportunity to feature a wide variety of dance abilities, and showcase cast members (in lead AND ensemble roles) who have more dance experience. Please note on your audition form what specific styles of dance you have experience in and any special skills/tricks you have. The dance audition will include a jazz combination which has a choreographed section and a short “improv” section at the end. The goal here is to see both how you can perform clean choreography with your own energy brought to it, and give you the opportunity to show us your own personal style!

 

When you show up to your audition you should be wearing clothes and footwear that are comfortable for you to move in. If you would like to wear dance shoes like jazz or character shoes, go ahead! Please note that I won’t care if you’re wearing street shoes, as we can provide dance shoes to you for the show when that time comes.

 

At your audition you will have about 20 minutes with a dance instructor to review the dance before performing it for the team. There will be videos posted for you to learn the dance ahead of time and I strongly encourage you to watch those and learn/practice as much as possible before arriving for your audition. The time with the instructor should be used to review, practice, and clarify anything you are unsure of, rather than learn the dance from scratch.

 

When your audition group is ready to perform the dance, we will have you perform it as a group, likely 2 or 3 times. We will make sure that everyone gets a chance to be in front at least once to make sure we can see all your wonderful performances!

 

The most important thing to remember is that the dance audition is not for us to see who can kick the highest or do the coolest tricks, it’s to see how you can bring choreography for this show to life through your energy and performance. If you are unsure what to do in the improv section, show us your personality with your favorite silly dance moves. Above all, try to make the most of the experience, learn some new moves, and have fun.

 

Break a leg!

 

Rachel Myrah

Choreographer

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We can’t wait to see your shining faces — after all, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!

 - The Annie Production Team :)