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| Presented on
May 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22, 2004 at 8:00 PM at the Civic Center Little Theater. |
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| Sunday's dance auditions were canceled due to inclement
weather. Thus, continued auditions for all adult roles, dance, and
chorus parts will be held on Monday February 2, 2004 (at 7:00PM SHARP).
Those auditioning for roles and chorus should bring prepared sheet music
(accompanist provided). Dance is an integral part of the show; those
auditioning for dance roles should be trained and prepared to dance (bring
ballet and dance shoes; combinations taught). |
|
Audition Information (Please arrive at 7:00
PM SHARP for all auditions!)
|
| Dancing |
Sunday, January 25 |
All dancers should wear clothes appropriate
for dance. Bring character and/or ballet shoes (ladies with character
heels should also bring these). Combinations will be taught. |
| Singing |
Monday, January 26 |
Be prepared with a Broadway song that
demonstrates your vocal range and ability. An accompanist will be
available (please bring appropriate sheet music). |
| Reading |
Tuesday, January 27 |
Be prepared to read from the script (scripts
provided). |
| Callbacks |
Wednesday, January 28 |
(Only if required; keep this time open in
the event you are asked to return.) |
|
Overview
|
Annie Get Your Gun is the story
of a simple backwoods girl named Annie Oakley with a knack for shooting
guns. The musical tells the story of Annie's life as she meets
vaudeville shooting ace Frank
Butler. Annie finds Frank appealing and, while she
lacks the gift of attracting men, the pair have some common interests: shooting
guns and show business. Annie and Frank team up and she soon becomes a star of
Buffalo
Bill's "Wild West Show". When Annie eclipses Frank in popularity, she realizes that hard choices are to be made to
win the man she loves. When their paths part, Frank comes to
terms with his pride and they finally reunite.
The
real-life
Annie Oakley was born
Phoebe Ann Moses (later Mozee) in Darke County, Ohio in 1860 (some say she
chose her stage name from a fan she met on a train). Annie
literally had to become and expert marksperson to survive as her father died
when she was six years old from pneumonia (leaving her mother and five other
siblings behind). After several education and work stints away from home,
Annie returned to her family and made a living by shooting game and selling the
excess to the Katzenberger Brothers' grocery (who resold the expertly shot game
to area hotels). Annie became so successful at hunting that she obtained a
regional reputation. So, it was natural for a Cincinnati hotel owner to
pick her to compete in a shooting match against Frank Butler, a nationally
touring vaudeville-era shooting ace and showman. Upon his introduction to
his competition, Frank initially backed out. But the crowd shamed him into
shooting and Annie won the competition, Frank's respect, and his heart.
The two courted and were married in 1876. Annie started performing with
Frank in 1882 and during one of their performances met and so impressed Lakota
Indian Chief Sitting Bull that he adopted her (though his "Little Sure Shot" never claimed the
trappings and land of her new birthright). Later, the pair joined Buffalo Bill
Cody's "Wild West" show (founded in 1883). Buffalo Bill made all
things "cowboy" the main attraction of his shows that toured America and Europe
until 1916 to audiences totaling in the millions. Cody was a superb
showman and his cowboys (and cowgirls) performed feats of daring, skill, and
drama. The Butlers appeared in Cody's
show from 1885 to 1901, leaving only for a year during a contract dispute.
They retired from performing in 1913 and moved to Maryland. Over the next
twelve years they made limited
appearances with their dog Dave and volunteered during World War I. In
1925 they moved back to Annie's Ohio hometown, and, after 50 golden and happy
years of marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Butler died of natural causes (pernicious
anemia) a mere three weeks apart in
November of 1926. Fittingly, Annie's motto through life was
"Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first
time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep
on shooting, for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you'll hit the
bull's-eye of success.”
Speaking of success, Annie Get Your Gun opened on
Broadway at the Imperial Theater on May 16, 1946 and starred Ethel Merman as Annie.
(The show was written specifically for Ms. Merman.) The
dream team of producers, writers, actors, and musicians created a blockbuster
production that ran for 1,147 performances, making it the third longest running musical
of its time. Ms. Merman revived her performance at Lincoln Center
in New York in 1966 (including the addition by Irving Berlin of An Old
Fashioned Wedding). The show was last revived on Broadway in 1999 with
Tom Wopat as Frank Butler and
Bernadette Peters in the title role (many reviewers said that Ms. Peters was the
prettiest and sexiest Annie to date...and the greatest singer of any
previous Annie.) The revival ran for over 700 performances and was
lauded with two Tony Awards in 1999: Best Revival of a Musical
and Best Actress
in a Musical (Bernadette Peters). Tom Wopat received a Tony nomination for
Best Actor in a Musical. The revival also garnered a Grammy award in 2000 for Best Musical Show Album.
Cheryl Ladd,
Susan Lucci,
Crystal Bernard, and finally country music diva
Reba McEntire
followed Ms. Peters in the revival and brought
their own talents and fans to an already popular production. An MGM film version
of the show was made in 1950 and starred
Betty Hutton and Howard Keel.
The
legendary score by Irving Berlin features some of
the best songs ever written for the musical theater stage. Musical numbers
include Doin' What Comes Natur'lly, The
Girl That I Marry, You Can't Get a Man With a Gun, I Got The Sun
in The Morning, Anything You Can Do, and There's No Business Like
Show Business . (We know you'll leave the theater with a tune or two
that you just can't get out of your head!)
This Guild production will include the
1999 Broadway revival's revisions to the show and score, making it a very
different production than prior performances by the Guild (in 1986 and 1961).
Librettist Peter Stone reshaped the original 1946 book to create a Wild West
show-within-a-show. He also added a secondary romance between Winnie
Tate (the younger sister of Frank's assistant) and Tommy Keeler
(the knife-throwing member of the show of who is of Native American and Irish
ancestry). Finally, the show's humor and portrayal of Native Americans was
modernized.
|
Characters
| Character |
Description |
Range |
|
Annie Oakley
|
An illiterate hillbilly sharpshooter
who becomes the star attraction of the "Wild West Show" |
Actor with good comedic timing - Alto
Belt to 2nd Soprano
|
|
Frank Butler
|
A cocky vaudeville sharpshooter
headliner of the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show" |
Actor with leading-man qualities and
appearance - Strong Baritone to High 2nd Tenor
|
|
Charlie Davenport
|
A flamboyant middle-aged
front-man/promoter for the "Wild West Show"
|
Character Actor - Tenor or High
Baritone
|
|
Foster Wilson
|
Owner of a Cincinnati hotel to whom
Annie sells game; first discovers Annie's shooting abilities |
Character Actor |
|
Colonel William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill)
|
Founder of Buffalo Bill's "Wild West
Show"
|
Character Actor - Baritone to 2nd
Tenor |
|
Tommy Keeler
|
Winnie's boyfriend.
|
Dancer, Actor, and Singer - Baritone to
Tenor
|
|
Dolly Tate
|
A busty, attractive, and bothersome
(late 30ish) assistant to Frank Butler |
Character Actor - Musical comedic
voice |
|
Winnie Tate
|
The 17 year old younger sister of
Dolly who is Tommy's onstage assistant in the "Wild West Show" |
Dancer, Actor, Singer - Alto |
|
Chief Sitting Bull
|
Tribal Chief with the "Wild
West Show" |
Character Actor, Singer |
|
Pawnee Bill
|
Old Buffalo Bill sidekick who owns a
competing show |
Character Actor |
| Jessie Oakley |
Annie's sister |
Child Actor, Age 14 - High Child Vocals |
| Nellie Oakley |
Annie's sister |
Child Actor, Age 12 - High Child Vocals |
| Little Jake |
Annie's younger brother |
Child Actor, Age 10 - High Child Vocals |
| Mac |
Property man for the Wild West Show |
Character Actor |
| Sylvia Potter-Porter |
Socialite |
Character Actor |
| Porter Trio |
Men's three-part backup singers for Annie during the
"Moonshine Lullaby"; sung aboard the show train. |
Singers |
| Ensemble |
A mixed chorus to sing soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
Portrays cowboy, cowgirl, and Native American "Wild West" show performers,
roustabouts for the traveling show, debutantes, socialites, and Crowned
Heads of Europe. |
Varied |
| Dancers |
Trained male and female dancers of young adult presence with
ballet and musical theater dance training. Will appear as cowboys/cowgirls,
Can-Can dancers, and socialite party guests |
Varied |
Musical Numbers
|
Act I |
|
There's No
Business Like Show Business
|
Frank and
Company
|
|
Doin' What
Comes Natur'lly
|
Annie, Kids and
Foster Wilson
|
|
The Girl That I
Marry
|
Frank and Annie
|
|
You Can't Get a
Man With a Gun
|
Annie
|
|
There's No
Business Like Show Business (reprise)
|
Frank, Buffalo
Bill, Charlie and Annie
|
|
I'll Share It
All With You
|
Tommy, Winnie
and Company
|
|
Moonshine
Lullaby
|
Annie, Kids and
Ensemble Trio
|
|
There's No
Business Like Show Business (reprise)
|
Annie
|
|
They Say It's
Wonderful
|
Annie and Frank
|
|
My Defenses Are
Down
|
Frank and Young
Men
|
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The Trick
|
Annie and
Company
|
|
Finale:You
Can't Get a Man With a Gun (reprise)
|
Annie
|
| |
|
Act II |
|
Entr'acte: The
European Tour
|
Annie and
Company
|
|
Lost in His
Arms
|
Annie
|
|
Who Do You
Love, I Hope
|
Tommy, Winnie
and Company
|
|
I Got the Sun
in the Morning
|
Annie and
Company
|
|
An Old
Fashioned Wedding
|
Annie and Frank
|
|
The Girl That I
Marry (reprise)
|
Frank
|
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Anything You
Can Do
|
Annie and Frank
|
|
They Say It's
Wonderful (reprise)
|
Annie, Frank
and Company
|
|
Grand Finale
|
Company
|
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|
Click
here for additional sheet music information.
(This
link will transfer you to a web site that is external to this Guild site and
should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind by the Guild).
|
Production
|
Original Broadway Production: Produced
by Rodgers and Hammerstein; Book by
Herbert and Dorothy Fields; Directed by Joshua Logan; Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin.
For the Guild: Directed by Nina Denton
Pasinetti; Musical Direction by John Marshall; Technical Direction by Tom Pasinetti.
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