OB Playhouse
& Theatre Company (619) 795-9305
UPDATE: The role of Mrs. Walker has become available. Please see below for Character Description.
OB Playhouse & Theatre Company Announces Auditions for:
THE WHO’S TOMMY
Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend
Additional Music and Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon
Book by Des McAnuff and Pete Townshend
Directed & Choreographed by Jennie Gray Connard
Musical Direction by Kirk Valles
Produced by Bill Connard
Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who's Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing, deaf, dumb and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years. This five-time Tony Award-winning musical was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard, Des McAnuff, into a high-energy, one-of-a-kind theatrical event.
Audition Date/Time: By appointment
Saturday, February 4, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Callbacks: By invitation
Sunday, February 5, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Production Dates/Times: At OB Playhouse
March 30th , 2017 – May 7th, 2017 (with a possible 1week extension)
Thursday – Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm
Rehearsals will begin on February 7th, 2017
To Reserve Your Audition Time:
E-mail [email protected] with your name and telephone number and picture/resume attached (if available). Please put “TOMMY Audition” in subject when E-mailing. Appointments will be scheduled in five-minute increments.
Where:
OB Playhouse
4944 Newport Avenue
San Diego, CA 92106
Audition Details:
• For all roles: Prepare a one minute song that best shows your vocal range. Rock and Roll songs or songs with a Rock and Roll attitude are encouraged. Bring sheet music in correct key. An accompanist will be provided. No a cappella.
• Bring a photo/headshot and resume (if available) even if you e-mailed it prior.
• Bring your calendar through May 14, 2017; all conflicts will be required to be listed on audition form. No performance conflicts will be accommodated. Rehearsals will begin February 7th.
• Non-Equity production.
Play description:
After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia and, as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he's discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball and, when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.
PLEASE NOTE: The following roles have already been cast.
Mrs. Walker
Gypsy
Character Breakdown:
Mrs. Walker
A weary middle-class woman. Mrs. Walker is tired and frustrated from trying to care for and cure Tommy. Tommy's mother and Captain Walker's wife.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: D6
Vocal range bottom: G3
Captain Walker
A former soldier with lingering guilt. He murders his wife's lover after coming back from a POW camp, resulting in Tommy's trauma-induced blindness, deafness, and dumbness. Father to Tommy and husband to Mrs. Walker.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: C#5
Vocal range bottom: F3
Uncle Ernie
A lecherous, drunken bachelor. Ernie molests a young Tommy and later runs a children's camp seeking to profit from Tommy's popularity. Mrs. Walker's brother and Tommy's uncle.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: Bb4
Vocal range bottom: G2
Tommy
An embittered young genius stricken deaf, dumb, and blind after a childhood trauma. Tommy discovers that he is a natural master of pinball, and later becomes a cult-like hero figure to masses enthralled by his story. Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker's son.
Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: Db3
Cousin Kevin
A bully with sadistic tendencies. Tortures his cousin, Tommy, when they're young and later seizes the opportunity to profit from Tommy's success.
Gender: male
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: Ab2
The Specialist
A doctor with modern ideas about how to cure Tommy. Tommy's parents hire him in their desperation to find any cure for their son.
Gender: male
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: G#3
Sally Simpson
A bold, sensitive, and excitable teenybopper. Sally develops a fan crush on Tommy and rushes the stage to be close to him.
Gender: female
Age: 18-25
Vocal range top: D5
Vocal range bottom: F3
Young Tommy Age 4
Young Tommy Age 10
Both roles can be played by either a boy or a girl. Parents should be aware that this show is rated R and contains adult language and adult situations.
Ensemble
Soldiers; Nurses; Harlots; Lads and Lasses; Guards; Reporters
