Auditions will be held at Greenbelt Arts Center on Monday, September 14, and Tuesday, September 15, from 7:00-10:00 PM. Callbacks by invitation will be on Thursday, September 17, starting at 7:00 PM.

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Actors are also welcome to prepare a one-minute monologue, but this is not required.

We are particularly interested in providing opportunities for those who are new or relatively new to performing to audition. This is a fairly traditional production of a well-known story with lots of room for first-timers and young actors.

Rehearsals will typically be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Not all actors will be called for all rehearsals. Because this show includes young actors, we will strive to end any weeknight rehearsals in which they are called by 9:30 p.m. Rehearsals will begin the week of September 28 and will run through early December, with a break for Thanksgiving Week.

Cast must be available for all tech and dress rehearsals, performances, and brush-ups.

ABOUT THE SHOW

This is an original adaptation of the Charles Dickens novella to be performed in traditional style. Some characters have been added or altered slightly, but it’s essentially the story you all know.

Actors will not be doing accents/dialects for this production.

Though many characters are gender-specific, we will be race/gender-blind in casting — e.g., a female-presenting actor may audition for and be cast as Scrooge, but the character will still be a man.

Many actors will be in a simple dance sequence at the Fezziwig party.

Because this production will include actors under age 18, all performers and members of the technical/artistic team must agree to a criminal background check through the City of Greenbelt. Parents or guardians of all actors under age 18 will be required to sign a release form.

CASTING BREAKDOWN

• Ebenezer SCROOGE: Male, middle-aged to older. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner.
• Jacob MARLEY/GUEST ONE/FIRST BUSINESSMAN: Male, middle-aged to older. Scrooge’s late partner, also plays a guest at Fred’s party and a businessman.
• Bob CRATCHIT: Male, 30s-40s. Scrooge’s clerk and loving father.
• FRED: Female, mid-20s. Scrooge’s niece.
• Ghost of Christmas PAST: Female, teenager. A spirit.
• Young EBENEZER Scrooge: Male, teenager.
• FAN Scrooge/BAKER/THIRD NARRATOR: Female, early 20s. Scrooge’s sister, also plays a street vendor. One line of a capella singing.
• MR. FEZZIWIG/JOE: Male, middle-aged to older. Scrooge’s first employer, also plays the proprietor of a seedy pawn shop.
• MRS. FEZZIWIG/MRS. DILBER: Female, middle-aged to older. The wife of Scrooge’s first employer, also plays a seller at the pawn shop.
• BELLE Whittington/MISS MANGLE: Female, teenager. Scrooge’s one true love, also plays a seller at the pawn shop.
• Ghost of Christmas PRESENT: Any gender, any age. A spirit.
• RACHEL Cratchit: Female, 30s-40s. Bob Cratchit’s wife.
• PETER Cratchit/SECOND NARRATOR: Male, teenager. The Cratchits’ eldest son.
• MARTHA Cratchit/MISS IVES/FIRST NARRATOR: Female, teenager-early 20s. The Cratchits’ eldest daughter, also plays Miss Ives, a charity worker.
• MR. CURRIER/GUEST TWO/SECOND BUSINESSMAN: Male, any age. A charity worker, also plays a guest at Fred’s party and a businessman.
• FRED’S PARTNER/THIRD BUSINESSMAN: Any gender, mid-20s. Fred’s romantic partner or spouse, also plays a businessman.
• Ghost of Christmas FUTURE: Any gender, any age. A spirit.
• TINY TIM Cratchit: Male, 7-12.
• BOY/CHILD 1: Male, 7-12. A boy in the street on Christmas morning.
• CRATCHIT CHILDREN/CHILDREN 2-4: Any gender, 7-12.

The three narrators will be provided with prop books with their lines in them (unless all three are able to be fully off-book).