Striking 12 Show dates Nov 4-7, 2021 Striking 12 is a perfect alternative to standard holiday fare while still being family friendly. On New Year’s Eve, an over-worked and under-inspired single guy who’s had enough of holiday cheer makes a resolution: to stay home and go to bed early. On another New Year’s Eve, a continent away—and more than a century earlier—Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Match Girl tries unsuccessfully to sell her matches in the snow. The two stories are brought together when a young woman selling special “full-spectrum holiday light bulbs” to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder shows up at the grumpy man’s door. Though the man (who probably could use the bulbs) seems to enjoy the young woman’s company, he sends her away. It’s not until he reads “The Little Match Girl” that he is finally pulled out of his funk. All of this unfolds through a tuneful pop/rock/jazz score that retains the vibrant style of its original performers: the celebrated band, GrooveLily. The witty and deeply moving script weaves three stories and settings: contemporary New York City, 19th century Denmark, and the very room in which the show is presented. Through simple, unpretentious theater created through the voices and instruments of the performers, Striking 12 reminds us that “the world looks like new… on the first day of the year.” https://www.theatricalrights.com/show/striking-12 Striking 12 is an ENSEMBLE SHOW. Cast, crew and pit are all actively telling the story. The stage, pit and audience area are the entire set. There isn’t a “fourth wall”. Because this is such an ensemble show, when looking through the audition packet find a scene and a song that show off your talent in the best light. Don’t feel like you must do a specific character’s scene and song unless the scene and song excerpt really fit you well. Auditions are Tues. Aug 31 and Wed. Sept. 1 with callbacks on Thurs. Sept. 2. Sign up for a specific group (Red, Blue, Orange, Purple) that has the best date and time for you. If you have conflicts with the audition dates, contact Dr. Eckert at [email protected] to discuss. Steps to take: 1. You MUST complete the participation online form by Aug. 30. https://forms.office.com/r/JUx00hgnB9. Dinner fee monies payable to PCHS are due by Sept. 3 (Fr-Jr $25/Sr $20) 2. Those auditioning (including Pit Drummer), must sign up for a singing/acting audition. Pit Drummer doesn’t dance. Sign-up sheets are at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sM9pje7brgAWx1Hc5GNEEbsDxxrAtQhIYxxbu9FYpiQ/edit?usp=sharing 3. Other Pit members and Crew members do not need to sign up for an audition but MUST complete the participation form by Aug. 30. Dinner money is due by Sept. 3. 4. Auditionees must choose ONE of the nine acting excerpts and ONE of the song excerpts to perform from the audition packet. 5. Auditions will be held either in-person or online. Characters THE MAN WHO'S HAD ENOUGH S.A.D. LIGHT SELLER/LITTLE MATCH GIRL JACK/PARTY HOST SMALL PART GUY/GAL NARRATOR/Master of Ceremonies/Jiminy Cricket to The Man DRUMMER (pit member and actor/singer) HAPPY FOLEY (vocal sound effects) BOSS CRAIG LYDIA ERICA DIANE TV NEWS CORRESPONDENT TV ANNOUNCER LAW AND ORDER V.O. MRS. PALAMINO JONNY POST-NASAL DRIP GUY SPACE-INVADING GIRL CHORUS include COWORKERS; TRAIN CONDUCTORS; PARTIERS; PASSERSBY ON STREET; HOGART CAROLERS EXCERPT 1: Happy Foley/Erica/Jack/Diane HAPPY FOLEY: Hey, mom, I got the part of the answering machine in STRIKING 12! (Puts on answering machine voice) "You have 3 new messages. First message. Received today at 3:43 pm. BEEP!" ERICA Hey it's Erica, happy-almost-new year, listen do you know what you're doing tonight yet, cause we're still debating over here — you're the only one we know who might be taking even longer to decide. Latest thought: there are still tickets to this black-tie cruise thing Tom's brother is doing. It's like a boat and you go around the city, and you get drunk and I don't know it could be cheesy but it could be fun and I like the idea of kinda being on water for the transition if you know what I mean, what? No, I'm not – I will, I will, Tom wants me to say don't worry about the money — he really did get a great bonus this year — and also, he's got his extra tux from before he lost all that weight — (might be a little baggy on you but whatever) so give us a call. We'll both bring our… HAPPY FOLEY (AS ANSWERING MACHINE) BEEP! Next message. Received today at 4:41 pm. BEEP! JACK Hey buddy it's Jack. You're coming to my party tonight, right? It's gonna be even better than last year. There's real hors d'oeuvres this time and real champagne and get this, you know that calendar we got from the gym, Brooklyn babes with biceps? I tracked down every single one of those hotties and invited them to my party. I don't know if any of them are coming but they're all invited. So, stop moping around. Get off your butt. At least for tonight. See you soon. HAPPY FOLEY: BEEP! Next message. Received, today, at 5:32 pm. BEEP! DIANE Yeah, hi, it's Diane. (All activity stops) I know we're not supposed to be speaking to each other yet, but I'm just calling to let you know that I'm going to Laura Mastrionni's party in the Slope tonight. So, do me a favor. Don't show up there, all right? HAPPY FOLEY (AS ANSWERING MACHINE) BEEP! Erasing all messages. Especially the message from Diane, your former fiancée. EXCERPT 2: S.A.D. Light Seller S.A.D. LIGHT SELLER This time of year when the days are short, and the nights are long some people's eyes don't get enough bright light. It's a medical condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder. S.A.D. "SAD" Here's a pamphlet. (She breaks frame, drops character and directly addresses audience in her own voice.) This is true by the way. We did a research project on SAD in biology, and it turns out that light goes through your eyeballs and hits your hypothalamus or something like that, and for some people if they don't get enough light in winter, it really messes with their brain chemistry. Suddenly my mom makes sense! (Suddenly, she snaps back into character.) I invented the perfect solution. I'm selling special full-spectrum holiday light bulbs. They're ten times brighter than your average holiday lights, and all you have to do is stare at them for half-an-hour a day and you'll find that your mood will improve. THE MAN Ah. Interesting. No thanks. Good luck. S.A.D. LIGHT SELLER Wait- I'm still working on my sales-pitch. Can I try out a different version on you? I've got it down to only 60 seconds. You can even time me. EXCERPT 3: Post-Nasal Drip Guy POST-NASAL DRIP GUY: Excuse me, pardon me, are those Alaskan crab puffs? I love those. I hear they have mercury in them but it's New Year’s Eve, what the whoo. Hey, onion dip, my favorite! Hey, Pal, I didn't see you there – How are you doing? How's work? How's that new boss working out? I hear he's a real stickler for punctuality. Well, that's a relief because, you know, there have been some rumors. Are you sure you're okay? By the way, did you mean to cc me on that email you sent out with your résumé attached? THE MAN Everything's just peachy, pal. And how are you? POST-NASAL DRIP GUY Oh, great. Thanks for asking. I had a tremendous year. Hey, we could grab a couple brewskis, and I'll tell you all about it. THE MAN Great, only I have to go look at… the...art deco sconce in the front hallway. POST-NASAL DRIP GUY Oh cool, I'll come with you. THE MAN Actually, I think this is something I've got to do on my own. Nice to see you pal. POST-NASAL DRIP GUY Nice to see you, too. EXCERPT 4: SPACE-INVADING GIRL at New Year’s Eve party SPACE-INVADING GIRL: Yoo-hoo! (To audience member, ad lib) Hi. Nice blouse, where did you get it, how much did you pay for it? (To another audience member, while standing too close) Happy New Year! Have you seen that girl Diane? I heard she was coming tonight. Hi. How are you? How's every little thing? (To THE MAN) How's Diane? You guys are getting married soon right; how are the wedding plans coming along? I only ask because I haven't received my wedding invitation in the mail—have you sent them out yet? Forty-one cents. Wait a minute, isn't that Diane over there? What's she doing with her arms around that studly guy? Is that her brother? Are you sure you feel fine? you don't look so hot – of course, if you wanna come home with me, I bet I could make… I can't believe I said that aloud — I better stop right now.