AUDITION NOTICE for the Western Canadian Premiere of WAITRESS
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Director: Ashlie Corcoran
Musical Director: Caitlin Hayes
Choreographer: Shelley Stewart Hunt
 

Jenna Hunterson is a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, Jenna begins to find the courage to take a long-abandoned dream off the shelf. Waitress celebrates the power of friendship, dreams, the family we choose, and the beauty of a well-baked pie.

CONTRACT INFO
Venue: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, BC
Artists will be engaged in an A House Category Contract as outlined in the current Canadian Theatre Agreement.

Engagement Dates
Rehearsal Starts: May 15th, 2025 (3.5 Weeks, Mon-Sat)
Tech Starts: Jun 6th, 2025
First Preview: Jun 12th, 2025
Opening: Jun 18th, 2025
Closing: August 3rd, 2025 (7.5 Weeks)
*There is a potential 2 week hold over for this production
 

AUDITION INFO
Auditions:
Monday, June 10, 2024 10:15am-4pm @ The BMO Theatre Centre
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 9:30am-2:15pm @ The BMO Theatre Centre
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 9:45am-4:30pm @ The BMO Theatre Centre
 

Dance Call:
Thursday, June 13, 2024 1:30-4:30pm @ The BMO Theatre Centre
 

Callbacks:
Friday, June 14, 2024 9:30am-4:30pm @ The BMO Theatre Centre

To Submit
To submit your interest for an in-person audition please fill out the Typeform application link at https://artsclub.typeform.com/to/QlDgbshU
Submission deadline is May 20th, 2024, at 2 pm PT.

At this time, we can only consider submissions from Vancouver-based actors. We are able to accept self-tapes from Vancouver-based interested Actors unavailable to attend the live auditions. Please contact Company Manager, Jordan Greene at [email protected] if you would like to submit a video audition.

CURRENTLY CASTING FOR:
The pronouns and ages listed are descriptions of the characters. Actors are welcome to express interest in being seen for any role, regardless of gender or age.
 

ROLES:
JENNA: Female, 20’s-30’s, any ethnicity. A woman stuck in her life as an unhappily married waitress in a small town. Finds some happiness and expression through her meticulous baking of pies and her friendships with her coworkers, Dawn and Becky. Lives her life paycheck-to-paycheck, day by day, and wants nothing more than to get away and start fresh, unbeknownst to her husband, Earl. Must have a fantastic pop/rock voice with great range.
Vocal range: F-sharp 3 to F5, mezzo-soprano
 

DAWN/ENSEMBLE: Female, 20’s, any ethnicity. She youngest of the waitresses. Eccentric, unusual and spirited when she sets the tables, she painstakingly ensures each salt and peppershaker is equidistant from the napkin holder. Must have an excellent pop/rock/folk voice. 
Vocal range: A3 to E-flat 5, mezzo-soprano
 

BECKY/ENSEMBLE: Female, early 40’s-early 50’s, any ethnicity. The oldest of the three waitresses. Irreverent, irascible, been there, made it back, and somehow kept her forward and sometimes wicked sense of humor with excellent comedic timing. Must have a soulful pop voice with an excellent pop belt.
Vocal range: E-flat 3 to E-flat 5, alto

DR. POMATTER/ENSEMBLE: Male, 30’s-early 40’s, any ethnicity. Handsome, endearing, and neurotic. Has a warm, if clumsy, matter. He has a quirky sense of humor and a big heart, even though he makes some questionable life choices. Must have impeccable comedic timing and must move well. Should have a very strong pop/rock tenor that can navigate the musical style of Sara Bareilles with ease.
Vocal range: B2 to B-flat 4, tenor

EARL/ENSEMBLE: Male, 20’s-30’s, any ethnicity. Jenna’s husband. Peaked in high school, handsome in a gruff way, but that face is clouded with lost dreams, drowned with cheap beer. Can explode into unexpected anger one second and then turn into a broken mess the next. Guitar playing is a plus.
Vocal range: E-flat 3 to G4, bari-tenor

OGIE/ENSEMBLE: Male, 30’s, any ethnicity. Strange, yet oddly lovable. Quirky, incredibly persistent, and kind. Should have excellent comedic timing. Must have an excellent pop/rock tenor/baritenor sound. The Actor cast as OGIE will also be the Understudy for DR. POMATTER (please see the character description above).
Vocal range: C3 to B-flat 4, tenor

JOE/ENSEMBLE: Male, 60’s-70’s, any ethnicity. The owner of the diner where Jenna, Dawn, Becky, and Cal work. A seemingly old, curmudgeonly man who has a soft spot for Jenna (and her pie), warm at heart. A sarcastically funny and no-nonsense guy with a keen ability to read people. Very funny.
Vocal range: B2-G4, bari-tenor

CAL/ENSEMBLE: Male, any ethnicity, 40’s. A chef at the diner. A “Salt of the Earth” guy’s guy surrounded by gals. Brash, impatient, unsentimental, but somehow charming. Should have a strong pop/rock voice with great comedic chops. Must have a strong contemporary baritone singing voice in the style of Sara Bareilles and have excellent comedic timing.
Vocal range: D3-A4, tenor

MALE ENSEMBLE: Males, of any ethnicity, ranging from Mid - Late 20’s to late 50’s. 
Must have excellent pop/rock voices in the style of Sara Bareilles. Must have excellent comedic timing and be able to play a range of characters comprising the community in which the story takes place. Must be strong movers/dancers.

• One male ensemble will understudy EARL and OGIE.
• One male ensemble will understudy CAL and two ensemble tracks and be the secondary cover for DR. POMATTER.
• One male ensemble will understudy JOE and be the secondary cover for CAL.

FEMALE ENSEMBLE: Females, of any ethnicity, ranging from mid-20’s to late 40’s.

Must have excellent pop/rock voices in the style of Sara Bareilles. Must have excellent comedic timing and be able to play a range of characters comprising the community in which the story takes place. Must be strong movers/dancers. Female ensemble members will understudy JENNA, DAWN and BECKY. One female ensemble will play NURSE.

*Auditions for the role of LULU (Jenna & Earl’s 4-year-old daughter) will take place in early 2025.

Dr. Pomatter, Jenna, Dawn, Ogie, Becky, and Cal perform moments of intimacy in this production in which an Intimacy Director will be engaged to choreograph those scenes.

If you have questions regarding auditions, please write Company Manager Jordan Greene at [email protected] with “Audition Question” in the subject line of your email.

Access and inclusion are incredibly important to us. In our audition and rehearsal spaces, our studios are situated on the first floor, ensuring convenient accessibility without needing to use stairs. Ample seating options are provided for Artists to use while waiting or taking breaks, along with two fully private washrooms within the premises. Clear signage will be prominently displayed throughout the space to offer guidance. Each studio is equipped with loading-sized doors, facilitating unimpeded entry for wheelchair users. Performances will take place at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, while we aspire for inclusivity and accessibility for all artists, regrettably, the current infrastructure does not accommodate wheelchair users.

For those artists who have barriers to access to any part of our process as laid out, please don't hesitate to reach out to us and we will happily work with you to allow you to show us your artistry in whatever format is easiest and accessible to you.

WORKING WITH ARTS CLUB THEATRE COMPANY

Arts Club Theatre Company’s offices, rehearsal halls and theatres are all located on the unceded, ancestral and traditional lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. A proud industry leader and one of the top artistic employers on Canada’s West Coast, Arts Club is fiercely dedicated to respecting, championing, and uplifting underrepresented voices in all jobs. The stories on our stages reflect the beauty, culture, and artistic pulse of our city by engaging dynamic, diverse and dedicated artists.