Auditions for
Assassins
by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman

Silver Spring Stage is holding auditions for Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, under license from Music Theatre International, directed by Fred Zirm and produced by David Gross.

Auditions will be held at Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring) Monday, March 18, 7:30-10:00 p.m., and Wednesday, March 20, 7:30-10:00 p.m. Callbacks will be held on Saturday, March 23, 1:00-3:00 p.m. (Callbacks may be adjusted slightly based on actor availability.) The first read-through will be on Thursday, March 28, 7:00-9:30 p.m. (subject to change, depending on cast conflicts). All roles are open and unpaid.

To audition, actors need to sign up HERE for a 45-minute slot. Be prepared to stay for the full 45 minutes. If slots fill up, please email assassins@ssstage.org. Walk-ups are permitted but will only be accommodated as time allows.

Some notes about auditions:

  • Actors do not need to be the exact ages of the characters. Roles are open to actors of all ethnicities and genders. Actors under 18 will be asked to provide contact information for a parent or guardian. The parent or guardian will need to provide permission for the actor to accept the role. 
  • We are casting 13 roles and several Ensemble members, with a full breakdown below.
  • You should have about 16 bars/30-45 seconds of a prepared song to sing either a capella or with your own recorded accompaniment.
  • Actors will need to present a short, one-minute memorized monologue. (Do not worry if it is just an excerpt from a longer monologue that feels more complete. Children auditioning are not required to present a monologue.) The memorized monologue is optional for child actors.
  • Actors will also be asked to do a “lukewarm” readings from the script – the director will give you up to five minutes to go over either a monologue or a scene with a partner before you read. Sides will be provided at auditions.
  • You will be asked to note your conflicts for the rehearsal process and run of the show.
  • Actors will need to fill out an audition form and submit a resume and headshot if available. The form may be downloaded HERE to print and fill out in advance. Actors will need to note their conflicts throughout the rehearsal process and run of the show, March 28-June 23.

COVID Safety: Masks are required for everyone at auditions and for all in-person rehearsals until Tech Week. Cast members are expected to report any COVID-like symptoms or exposure to COVID and test when such exposure or symptoms occur.

Rehearsals for Assassins will start in late March and continue through early June. The show will run for three weekends from June 7-23. Performances will be Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

Rehearsals will be three to five times per week on both weeknights and weekends, depending on cast availability. Cast attendance is required at all rehearsals as called by the director and stage manager, unless a conflict has been previously indicated. Cast must be available for all tech and dress rehearsals, performances, and brush-ups.

** Any questions, please email us at assassins@ssstage.org**

Show Synopsis:

Sondheim and Weidman bring four presidential assassins (Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz, and Oswald) and five would-be assassins (Zangara, Byck, Fromme, Moore, and Hinckley) to dramatic life in order to see what in their lives and in our national character may have led them to such desperate ac. Sondheim expertly and organically mixes many types of music (marches, waltzes, show tunes, love songs, hymns, etc.) with Weidman’s darkly comic script to show how the American dream can go terribly awry.

Character Breakdown:

All roles are open to actors of any gender identity, but the characters will be portrayed as listed below. For instance, a female actor may be cast as Charles Guiteau, but would play Guiteau as male. Brief biographies of the 11 historical figures are available HERE.

Proprietor: Any adult age. Sells the assassins their guns and a bogus dream. Pops up throughout the show helping to set the stage for or play a part in several scenes.
Balladeer: Any adult age. Stands in opposition to the Proprietor’s and the assassins’ delusions. Sings with a bit of optimism. (Might double as Lee Harvey Oswald.)
John Wilkes Booth: Male, 27 years old. Self-righteous, and the pioneer leader of the assassins. Assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Booth’s dialogue includes racially charged offensive language.
Charles Guiteau: Male, about 40 years old. Intent on being special. Assassinated James Garfield in 1881.
Leon Czolgosz: Male, 28 years old. An anarchist angered by the dominance of the rich. Assassinated William McKinley in 1901.
Giuseppe Zangara: Male, 30 or older. An embittered immigrant who tried to kill Franklin Roosevelt (and did kill the mayor of Chicago) in 1932 as a way to rid himself of stomach pain caused by his resentments.
Samuel Byck: Male, 40 or older. Attempted to kill Richard Nixon by hijacking an airliner to crash into the White House in 1974.
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme: Female, late 20s. Member of the Manson Family who tried to assassinate Gerald Ford in 1975 as a way to win Charles Manson’s love and give him national attention.
Sara Jane Moore: Female, middle-aged. Also attempted to kill Gerald Ford in 1975 – less than three weeks after Fromme’s attempt – as a way to sort out her mixed-up life.
John Hinckley: Male in his 20s. Seemed to feel that killing Ronald Reagan in 1981 would win Jodie Foster’s heart.
Lee Harvey Oswald: Male, in his twenties. Killed John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Emma Goldman: Female, in her 30s. An anarchist revolutionary who inspired Leon Czolgosz. (Probably played by a member of the Ensemble.)
David Herold: Accomplice of Booth who gives himself up. (Probably played by a member of the Ensemble.)
Ensemble: Three adult males, two adult females, one child (about nine years old) who play bystanders, witnesses, presidents, and, perhaps radio announcers, in addition to the two characters mentioned immediately above.

NOTE: If you have any questions, please email us at assassins@ssstage.org.

Silver Spring Stage is an all-volunteer community theatre.

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