Information Pack for The South Coast Choral and Arts Society’s production of May 3-18 2019 Victor Harbor Town Hall Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa Based on Characters Created by Charles Addams Licensed by ORiGiN Theatrical™ IN THIS PACK Welcome (page 2) The Team (page 2) History (page 3) Songs (page 3) Synopsis (page 4) Characters (page 5-6) Production Schedule (page 7) Further Research (page 7) Auditions (page 8) CONTACT What to do now? (page 8) [email protected] WELCOME Hi there! Let’s start off by saying congratulations for downloading or picking up a copy of our Information Pack. You’re already about 23% more prepared for your audition than you were 14 seconds ago. Now, let’s move on to the stuff you need to know if you want to pull off the other 77% of this process and land the part of Wednesday. Or Fester. Or whoever. This pack is not supposed to be intimidating. But it is jam-packed full of information we think will help you prepare for your audition. It’s the kind of stuff we always look for when we audition for shows. If there’s something we missed, or if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line at: [email protected] Important things to note: • All roles auditioned for are on an unpaid basis. • Diversity is encouraged, and all ethnic groups are welcome to audition. • Everyone involved in the show is expected to become a financial member of SCCAS for the 2019 calendar year. ($25 to be ratified at the 2019 SCCAS AGM) • The season of The Addams Family will be performed at the Victor Harbor Town Hall, from 3-18 May 2019. • Rehearsals will be on Wednesday and Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, starting 20 January 2019. (See Production Schedule for more details) • If you are successfully cast in The Addams Family, you will be required to be available for the entire rehearsal period and show season. Due to the nature of this show, rehearsals will be intensive, requiring discipline, professionalism and a high level of energy and commitment from the outset. Any foreseeable unavailability’s must be listed on your registration form. • A major revision to the plot and songs occurred after the initial Broadway run. If you are familiar with the show from the Broadway recording there are several differences. While the big songs are still the same, several songs were cut, added or altered. The full list of songs in the licensed version is listed further on in this pack. Ok. Now that that’s sorted, let’s dive in. THE TEAM Jonathan Ogilvie (Director) has been involved in local theatre since 2012, performing with SCCAS and Hills Musical Company as well as taking on various backstage and administrative roles. Jonathan has directed two shows with SCCAS, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella and the Pirates. He feels extremely privileged to return to the director’s chair for The Addams Family, and is excited to be working with a great team to put on this comical family show. Jack Doherty (Choreographer) has been working in theatre for three years and in that time, he has worked in almost every position theatre has to offer. Beginning as a backstage hand in Zest’s production of Beauty and the Beast, Jack has appeared in many productions, notably the role of Pippin in SCCAS’s production of Pippin, and most recently in the Therry Dramatic Society’s production of Holiday Inn. Jack is currently undertaking formal dance and vocal training and is incredibly excited to take on the role of choreographer of SCCAS’s The Addams Family. Emma Muhlack (Musical Director) has been performing since she was old enough to memorise and recite poetry, and has an extensive list of theatre credits. She has also competed extensively as a classical vocalist, has acted as band leader and ensemble director for various community music events and organisations, and was co-MD for Zest's Wicked. You may recognize her as the bassist for CentreStage, and she has played in the orchestra for Pippin and Cinderella and the Pirates. She will most likely be in the pit again for this show. Timothy Wormald (Musical Director) has been performing and working in orchestras for a decade as both musician and conductor for around 15 productions, including Mary Poppins, Hairspray, Annie Get Your Gun, and Pippin. He is the house drummer for Victor Harbor's CentreStage, and this is his third SCCAS show. Georgia Martin (Production Manager) has loved musicals ever since she was a child, being brought up on shows like Singing in The Rain and Kiss Me Kate. She had roles in a number of shows at school, but finally returned to the stage in Cinderella and the Pirates and Les Misérables. While not on stage, Georgia is a middle-school science teacher. 2 The Addams Family: A New Musical – Information Pack HISTORY The characters in the Addams Family were created in 1938 by cartoonist Charles Addams. They were created as a satirical inversion of the ideal American family: an odd, wealthy aristocratic clan who are seemingly unaware – or do not care – that other people find them bizarre or macabre. Since their panel-cartoon origin they have been transferred to a variety of mediums. In 1964 there was a live action television series, which was followed by two television movies and three additional TV series (some live-action, some animated). The franchise was revived in 1990 with a full-length, feature film and its sequel staring Anjelica Huston, Raúl Juliá and Christopher Lloyd. An animated movie is planned for release in 2019. Since their creation, the Addams family have also appeared in numerous video games, books, M&M’s advertisements, Scooby-Doo TV shows, and the best-selling pinball game of all time. The musical version of the Addams Family opened on Broadway in 2010, after a tryout in Chicago. Writers Marshal Brickman and Rick Elice had previously collaborated on Jersey Boys. The original Broadway cast included Tony winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, as Gomez and Morticia Addams respectively. By 2013 the show had toured the US, Europe and Argentina, and opened in Sydney. Most recently, The Addams Family toured the UK, staring Carrie Hope Fletcher, Samantha Womack and Les Dennis. The musical may have had a relatively short run on Broadway, but it has gathered an impressive following among amateur theatre groups and schools. In 2017 it was the most-performed musical in American high schools, beating favourites like Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz. Although the musical is quite new, it has the feeling of an old-school, family-friendly musical. The storyline is lighthearted, the tunes catchy and the humor uproarious. The shows narrator, Uncle Fester, has a vaudeville-style flair to his performance, and regularly breaks the fourth wall. Each of the named characters gets their turn in the spotlight, and there are several large song-and-dance numbers for the ensemble. The Addams Family is perfect for all ages, from those who remember the TV series or movies, to children meeting them for the first time. SONGS Overture – Orchestra When You're an Addams – The Addams Family, Ancestors Fester’s Manifesto – Fester Trapped – Gomez Pulled – Wednesday, Pugsley One Normal Night – Ancestors Secrets – Morticia, Alice & Female Ancestors What If? – Pugsley, Grandma Full Disclosure (Part 1) – The Company Waiting – Alice Full Disclosure (Part 2) – The Company “ I think of all the days you've known; Just Around the Corner – Morticia, Ancestors The Moon and Me – Uncle Fester All the ways you've grown. Happy/Sad – Gomez See you on your own, and then- Crazier Than You – Lucas, Wednesday, Mal, Alice Not Today – Gomez I'm feeling happy and sad again.” Live Before We Die – Gomez, Morticia - Gomez Addams Tango de Amor – Gomez, Morticia, Ancestors Move Toward the Darkness – The Company 3 Photo: Nathan Lane and Krysta Rodriguez Alice, who drinks and reveals how unhappy she is in her SYNOPSIS relationship (Waiting). The family are shocked and Mal The musical does not follow the plot lines of any of the prepares to leave. Wednesday stops him, revealing she movies or TV series based on the characters. It is an and Lucas are getting married. (Full Disclosure, Part 2). Just original story, using the same characters. as the panic rises, Fester stops the show and the Act 1 Ancestors whip up a storm to keep the families from parting. During an annual visit to their family graveyard, the Addams Family summon their late ancestors’ spirits and Act 2 celebrate being a part of the Addams clan (When You're Wednesday intends to run away, but Lucas stops her and an Addams). After the family leave, Fester explains to the asks her to think before she does things. She refuses and Ancestors and the audience that Wednesday has fallen in tells him to act impulsively for once. In Morticia’s boudoir, love with a “normal” teenage boy, Lucas Beineke (Fester's she yells at Gomez about keeping such a big secret from Manifesto). her. She tells him to leave, before pondering the wonders As Gomez spends an afternoon practicing fencing with of death (Just Around the Corner). Lurch, Morticia arrives announcing that Lucas’s family are Fester emerges on the lawn and sings to the moon about coming to dinner that night. Wednesday arrives with a his desire to be with her (The Moon and Me). Gomez runs freshly killed goose and Morticia leaves to start preparing into Wednesday who is storming off.