Auditions

The Zoo - Music by Arthur Sullivan, Lyrics by B. C. Stephenson
Sweethearts - W.S. Gilbert
Directed by Amanda Jones

The Zoo is a farcical story that concerns two pairs of lovers. First, a nobleman, who goes to the zoo to woo the girl who sells snacks there. He tries to impress her by buying and eating all of the food. The other couple is a young chemist who believes that he has poisoned his beloved by mixing up her father's prescription with peppermint that he had meant for her.

Sweethearts is a comic play billed as a "dramatic contrast" in two short acts that tells a sentimental and ironic story of the differing recollections of a man and a woman about their last meeting together before being separated and reunited after 30 years.

Auditions

Two options:

Live, Zoom Auditions
Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 7 -10 PM
(Auditions are scheduled in 10 min increments)

Email us at victorianlyricopera@gmail.com with your preferred time slot (provide at least a 30 min window)
to schedule an audition.

* Be prepared to sing a one verse of an English song either acapella or with pre-recorded accompaniment. You will be asked to read a short monologue provided to you at the audition. *

Online Submission
Due no later than November 11, 2022 at 11:59 PM
Submit all required materials at the links below.

Requirements for online submissions

Please upload all video materials to the Google Form linked below. If you have any technical issues, please contact us at victorianlyricopera@gmail.com.

Audition Form

Upload Videos Here (Google Form)

Please fully complete the AUDITION FORM above.
Upload a video of you singing one verse of a song in English with backing track, live accompaniment, or a cappella.
Upload a video of you performing one of the sides found in the document linked below.

Audition Sides

Rehearsals

Beginning Monday, November 21, 2022
No dates set. Rehearsal schedule will be based on cast members availability.

Bethesda Presbyterian Church

Tech Week
No Absences Allowed
Sunday, February 5th - Thursday, February 9, 2023

Performances

Roles

Directors Note: There will be 8 people cast with a goal of 2 tenor, 2 baritone, 2 soprano, 2 mezzo/alto. Roles will be split with those cast in lead roles in the play playing ensemble in the operetta.

Sweethearts
Act One:

Henry Spreadbrow - the younger version of the character. The embodiment of young love, desperate to prove his love to Jenny prior to his departure to seek his fortune in India, has worked up the nerve to propose to his childhood friend Jenny, but she rebukes him.
Jenny Northcott - the younger version of the character. Flirtatious and capricious who delights in snubbing Henry's love despite being secretly in love with him too.
Wilcox - a gardener. Provides commentary and background about the two lovers.

Act Two:

Sir Henry Spreadbrow - has made his fortune in India and returned with vague memories of Jenny. He got over his infatuation in about a month and has very little memory of their last meeting.
Jenny Northcott - remained faithful to Henry. Remembers their last meeting in extensive detail.
Ruth - a maidservant who receives advice from Jenny to follow her heart since she did not many years ago with Henry.

The Zoo

Aesculapius Carboy - (tenor) chemist/apothecary who is in love with Laetitia. He is considered unworthy (mostly due to lack of income) of loving Laetitia by her father, Grinder.
Laetitia - (soprano) ingenue who is in love with Carboy but afraid to displease her father.
Grinder - (baritone) Laetitia's father. He is a generally disagreeable man who is against his daughter's courtship with Carboy
Eliza Smith - (mezzo) she runs the concession stand at the Zoo. She loves her job and especially all the animals she helps feed.
Thomas Brown - (baritone) suitor for Eliza with a secret, he is a British Peer in disguise as a commoner. He eats so much at Eliza's food stand that he passes out.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the British public - (all voice types) visitors to the Zoo. They provide running commentary about the events of the operetta.

Standard Information and Disclosures

All participants must be vaccinated against COVID-19 virus (see below) and provide proof of vaccination at the first in-person VLOC interaction (your audition!).
All roles are open and unpaid.

Requirement for 2022-2023 participation: Vaccination against COVID-19 virus

In order to take part in VLOC in-person activities - namely our rehearsals and performances - you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This goes for singers, members of the orchestra, backstage and build crew, and production teams - basically anyone who will be in person at any given time for any VLOC purpose.

COVID-19 is an aerosolized virus - it is spread through droplets in the air - and the CDC has determined that group singing indoors is a high-risk activity for those who are NOT vaccinated. As a company, we have decided that the way we want to re-engage and move forward, is with the confidence and assurance that ALL participants ARE fully vaccinated, and our collective risk is significantly lowered when doing the thing we love. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html)

So, to reiterate, in order to take part in Victorian Lyric Opera Company in person activities this season, you must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The collective safety of our community is paramount, and by vaccinating yourself, you are taking care of others.

If you have any questions, please write to victorianlyricopera@gmail.com.

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