The Princesses
WELCOME DISENCHANTED INFO NIGHT
Production Team Director Kim Rowley Musical Director Andrew Hermon Choreographer EOI s welcome Production Manager Lisa Power Stage Manager Gretel Skinner Props Master Amanda Thompson
Synopsis Poisoned apples. Glass slippers. Who needs em?! Not Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses in the hilarious hit musical that s anything but Grimm. Forget the princesses you think you know the original storybook heroines have come to life to set the record straight. Women of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. These women are NOT the Disney princesses! They are the real women from the original fairy tales based on Grimm, Perrault, de Villeneuve, historic accounts, and legend with a healthy dose of modern-day, strong, independent woman mixed in. Disenchanted shows individuality and promotes that beauty is from within and smashes the stereotype of what a tradition Disney princess should look like and attitude to love. Structured as a variety show hosted by Snow White (bossy), Cinderella (ditzy), and Sleeping Beauty (boisterous when she s not asleep), various princesses sing their tales of woe. Mulan is a not-sotraditionally-feminine princess who thinks she s a lesbian. The Little Mermaid is inexplicably a drunk and bitter redneck sore over having two working legs. Belle is in a straitjacket because she s been talking to the dishware.
Show Dates 24th May Friday 7:30 25th May Saturday 1pm & 7:30 26th May Sunday 1 pm 31st May Friday 7:30pm 1st June Saturday 1pm &7:30pm 2nd June Sunday 1pm
Rehearsals First rehearsal Monday 11th February Rehearsals Mondays 6:30 to 9:30 Sundays 1pm to 5pm Rehearsals will be scheduled in block of 1-hour slots. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella will be required at most rehearsals, other princesses as per schedule. All cast will be required for the last 4 weeks of rehearsal as we will be running the show including the princes.
Audition Dates Auditions - Saturday 2nd February Auditions will be booked with an online form and start 10am with individual 10 min time slots. Please mention in your form if you are auditioning for more than one princess and how many so we can extend your time slot. There will be a 3pm group call back, this will start with a group warmup. The song will be This is me from the Greatest Showman. In the song, we would like to see movement and showmanship as we are not holding a Dance Audition. Princes will be required at 3pm for group audition and will be involved in the This is me
Fees Membership and Show Fees To be involved in the show you must be a member of WMTC and also pay show fees. $85 Family Membership, $30 Adult Membership $20 Junior Membership **Ages 16 and above can get adult membership which gives them voting rights at AGM $35 SHOW FEE $25 CATERING FEE (this goes towards providing food at break times at rehearsal & during show run) $25 COSTUME FEE (goes towards the cost of costumes)
Fees (continued) Payment can be cash to Production Manager at rehearsal or online through website - members tab and payment form. www.wmtc.com.au Payments are to be made online within 21 days from the first rehearsal. A Working with Children check is to be completed also by this date and is necessary for everyone over 18 years to complete and hand back to our Production Manager. See Lisa with any questions regarding these.
Cast Breakdown 10 Princess Divas, every Princess has her own song and must be able to own their character. 4 Prince Charming: These are our Stage crew in costume, no dialogue or singing required. But you will be one stage with our Princesses and required to attend the last 4 weeks of rehearsals and be available for every show as each Prince will have specific interactions. Note there is no ensemble in this production. The Princesses: All shapes, sizes and ethnicities. Stage Ages may range from 20s 70s. These women are NOT the Disney princesses! They are the women from the original fairytales based on Grimm, Perrault, de Villeneuve, historic accounts, and legend with a healthy dose of modern-day, strong, independent woman mixed in.
SNOW WHITE Brassy and ballsy, smart, sassy and self-assured. She is the leader of the Princess pack who likes to be in control. Equal parts serious-minded, sexy, and fun-loving. With her skin as white as snow and lips cherry red, she aspires to be perfect in all that she does but soon realizes that being perfectly you is more important. There is a special friendship that is portrayed between the Princesses especially Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Snow White needs to have a big sister style relationship, she is strong and confident, she has dialog with our MD and also the audience so the ability to adlib and think on your feet and stay on course is essential. Snow White is the key to keeping the show on track. She is a strong dynamic performer; this role is very vocally demanding.
CINDERELLA Perky and quirky, slightly ditzy. She is always enthusiastic especially when it comes to being a real-life princess. A happy-go-lucky girl who is about to discover that there s more to being a princess than gowns and glass slippers. Cinderella is the closet to her Disney counterpart, but she is not completely on board with the whole fall in love, get married thing. Actor must also be comfortable with Mulan being infatuated with her and comfortable with her advances.. This acting is very subtle and to be effective the actor must remain in character all the time. The role will require a strong actor and very vocally demanding.
SLEEPING BEAUTY The perfect comic foil to Snow White s perfect straight-man. She brings a flippant unpredictability to the evening s festivities. She s a comical bull in a china shop. Some would prefer she fit into the stereotype of a perfect princess but she d rather break the mould and be perfectly herself. Sleeping Beauty is another challenging role, the actor requires comic timing and the ability to use physical comedy. Sleeping Beauty need to be comfortable not being the traditional Princess, she is cheeky and love who she is and her life. Rounding out our three leading ladies
THE PRINCESS WHO KISSED THE FROG Forgotten and left out of the kingdom for many years, this empowered African-American woman has now arrived on the scene as a feisty, fabulous storybook princess! She is the ultimate supreme diva in the land and she s ready to take the world by storm! Think Disney Princess meets Aretha Franklin meets Tina Turner.
HUA MULAN Asian yet Americanized, gentle yet strong, shy yet out-going. She is a walking dichotomy of masculinity and femininity seeking selfacceptance in a world that would have her choose one or the other. Mulan is infatuated with Cinderella and actor must be comfortable portraying this, and being confident singing her song announcing to the world that she is lesbian.
THE LITTLE MERMAID An innocent, obedient young woman turned rebellious, jaded lush. She has given up everything--her father, her fin, even her voice--just to net a man. She can only move forward with baby steps; one foot in front of the other and lets just say that she is not coping to well, and is enjoying a little too many beverages available on land. I would like an Aussie Rock Chick Vibe.
POCAHONTAS The ultimate exploited girl who is a bizarre blend of the innocent little Powhatan tyke from history and the buxom babe from today s pop princess culture. Her journey takes her back to her authentic, historically significant self and innocently pokes fun at her Disney counterpart.
BELLE A smart, witty French girl from classic literature driven crazy by the misrepresentation of her image in pop culture. An insane woman who finds herself speaking with inanimate objects and cleaning up after her beast of a boyfriend. The role is for a strong actor, able to portray a character from sweet and innocent though to insane during the course of one song.
RAPUNZEL A strong German v oman with a domineering personality, a big mole on her cheek, and a bushy unibrow! American capitalism has turned this frail, sheltered girl into a Mel Brooksian, Wagnerian singing monster bent on getting her fair share. Actor need to engage the audience breaking the fourth wall of theatre, she will be leading the audience in signing the last verse of her song. Able to adlib with the audience as this can be unpredictable, will require a very experienced performer.
PRINCESS BADROULBADOUR The spunky princess from the Middle Eastern-South Asian Aladdin sagas. She s had it up to her veils with being secondary in her own tale. She is unhappy with the misogyny and oppression of women in her stories (and in today s world) but getting even puts a little swing in her step!
Audition Songs Snow White A Happy Tune Cinderella All I Wanna Do Is Eat Sleeping Beauty Perfect The Princess Who Kissed The Frog Finally Hua Mulan Without The Guy The Little Mermaid Two Legs Pocahontas Honestly Belle Insane Rapunzel Not V One Red Cent Princess Badrobadour Secondary Princess
Vocal Requirements Each vocalist should comfortably be able to sing an octave and a half, with Principles singing 2 octaves Reading music isn t essential, but will be extreme advantageous during the rehearsal period Songs has a free section (rubato) and a strict section (in tempo); each vocalist should be able to lead as well as follow Some songs also have a particular style, eg: country, An understanding of rhythm is also advantageous Auditions tips: Confidence & Flair Keep timing & rhythm Think about the lyrics you re singing (what is your character saying?)
Audition Registration Online Registration https://goo.gl/forms/nhadeqb9yqmnpdli2
QUESTIONS?