Once Upon a Mattress drama auditions
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, November 4, 2015
By Courtney Newton
Publicity
If you’ve ever had a hard time measuring up to the expectations of others, you can probably relate to Strathclair Drama Club’s 2016 annual production, Once Upon a Mattress. This musical comedy is a hilarious adaptation of The Princess and the Pea, a classic fairy tale. Originally produced for the Broadway stage in 1959, it has since been adapted for television in 1964, 1972 and 2005. One of the most notable cast members was Carol Burnett, who appeared in the original production as well as all three adaptations. Sarah Jessica Parker, Elliot Gould, Bernadette Peters, Matthew Morrison and Zoey Deschanel have also taken on leading roles in this marvellous show.
StageAgent.com describes Once Upon a Mattress as follows. “Due to an unhappy curse, King Sextimus is unable to speak. Meanwhile, his terror-of-a-wife, Queen Aggravian, has taken over control of the kingdom. Most importantly, in an attempt to keep Prince Dauntless single, she has decreed that only the princess that can pass her test may marry her son. Further, no one else in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless does.
Lady Larken and Sir Harry are extremely disturbed by this fact since Lady Larken is now pregnant with Sir Harry's baby. Luckily, Sir Harry is able to find an amazing princess, Winnifred the Woe-be-gone. She instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless, and in the end, is able to pass the Queen's supposedly impassable sensitivity test. When the Queen still tries to prevent Prince Dauntless from marrying, he tells her to “Shut up!” which ends up breaking the curse on the king. Now able to speak, King Sextimus regains his rightful position as leader of the kingdom, and all is well.”
With seven principal singing roles and numerous speaking and ensemble parts, this production offers something for everyone, from beautiful, challenging music, to elaborate costumes, to lots of smiles and laughs! There are a number of character parts and personalities that we look forward to bringing to the stage. If you have years of experience in musical theatre, have always wanted to give theatre a try or fall somewhere in the middle, Strathclair Drama Club would like to see you at auditions!
Auditions for newcomers to the club and those interested in a specific part will take place on Sunday, Nov. 22 at Strathclair’s Bend Theatre. To register for a slot and receive an audition package, call music director Dylan Woodcock at 204-573-4401. Any returning members interested in chorus work or a small singing/speaking part also need to contact Dylan, but do not need to audition. For more information on specific characters, visit the drama club’s Facebook page.
