Weaver's Wedding 2016 Auditions

Audition Information for

Chincha-chancha Cooroo or
THE WEAVER'S WEDDING

Music by Bernard Hughes
Libretto by William Radice

An opera based on a Bengali animal fable by Upendrakishore Raychaudhuri
Translated and adapted by William Radice in The Stupid Tiger and Other Tales (1981)
THIS WORK WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE W11 CHILDREN'S OPERA TRUST

Auditions will be held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY on
Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 2015
Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, 2015
at Deborah Mason School of Dance [Directions]
624 Somerville Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143

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Come audition for Chincha-Chancha Cooroo or the WEAVER’S WEDDING. This remarkable family opera for audiences of all ages is based on a classic Bengali animal fable, with music by Bernard Hughes and libretto by William Radice. A wily Jackal arranges the marriage of a foolish, uneducated Weaver to the King's daughter ... but it is the Princess who has the last laugh! This entirely sung 70-minute show (plus intermission) is full of stunning sets, colorful costumes, and beautiful music and dance. Listen to our 2009 performance of Weaver's Wedding HERE.

TENTATIVE PERFORMANCES
Saturdays, March 12 and 19, 2016, at 3:00pm and 7:00pm
Sundays, March 13 and 20, 2016, at 1:00pm and 5:00pm

 

INFO FOR ALL AUDITIONEES

Everyone who wishes to perform needs to schedule an audition! The audition process includes the vocal evaluation as well as time to fill out forms, be photographed, and discuss schedules and volunteer job requirements.

If you would like to be involved with us but cannot commit enough time or don't want to perform on stage, we welcome people who would like to experience other aspects of our production. Opportunities are available in areas such as set construction, ushering, makeup and backstage! If interested, contact auditions16@familyopera.org or call Carla at 617-661-0479.

PLEASE NOTE that every family must sign up for a volunteer job at the time of auditions. In order to be prepared to choose a job, please read through this entire web-page, especially the section entitled FAMILY PARTICIPATION AND WORK REQUIREMENTS below.

WHEN

Saturday and Sunday October 17 and 18, 2015
Saturday and Sunday October 24 and 25, 2015
Auditions will be scheduled at 15-20 minute intervals from 1:00 PM until 7:00 PM.

WHERE

Deborah Mason School of Dance
624 Somerville Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
[CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS]

TO SCHEDULE AN AUDITION AND FOR MORE INFORMATION

Email auditions16@familyopera.org or
call Carla at 617-661-0479.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

The entire audition process (which includes filling out forms, photographing, and discussing the schedule and participants' responsibilities, as well as the vocal evaluation) usually takes about an hour and a half.

AGE REQUIREMENT

Anyone currently 7 or older can participate, from children to adults, inexperienced to classically trained. There is no maximum age.

We ENCOURAGE participation in our productions by multiple family members, both onstage and offstage.

We REQUIRE that:

  • an adult perform onstage with all children currently younger than 10
  • an adult attend rehearsals with all children currently younger than 12

We may also ask that an adult perform or attend rehearsals with some children above these age limits.

FAMILY PARTICIPATION AND WORK REQUIREMENTS

We ask all cast member families to help in the following ways:

  • We require all participating families to sign up for a minimum of 8 hours of work on general tasks that support the production (set construction, painting, rehearsal cleanup, concession table, sewing costumes, etc.).
  • Participants may sign up to manage a specific task for the production (time commitment varies).
  • Participants may sign up to join an NCFO standing committee, working on issues not related solely to the current production (e.g., fundraising and development, publicity and marketing, logistics, etc.)

When you come to auditions, we will ask you to tell us what jobs you would be willing to do. You can download a description of all available jobs HERE. Please come with more than one job in mind. You can improve your chances of getting the job you want by discussing it with Carla beforehand, when you schedule your audition.

DONATION AND FEES

NCFO is a self-supporting non-profit organization. We do not charge a fee for participating in our production. In order to cover our production costs, we request a voluntary, tax-deductible donation from each family. Our suggested donation is $200 per family. Some families donate more and some less, but all donations in any amount are welcome and gratefully accepted.

WHAT TO BRING TO AUDITIONS

Please bring information about your schedule (and/or your family's schedule) for November through early March, so that we can discuss potential conflicts.

Also, please bring your checkbook, in case you would like to make a donation to the opera company at auditions, before it slips your mind.

Come prepared to be photographed.

REHEARSAL AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

We will hold an organizational meeting and first rehearsal on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 (tentatively at 3:00pm). It is extremely important for everyone in the cast as well as for at least one responsible adult from every family to attend this meeting. Regular rehearsals begin on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15. We then rehearse every subsequent Sunday until performances EXCEPT:

  • just after Thanksgiving (Sunday, November 29)
  • between Christmas and New Year's (Sunday, December 27)
  • President's Day weekend (Sunday, February 14)

Please note that we WILL be rehearsing on Martin Luther King Day weekend (Sunday, January 17), as well as the second Sunday of school vacation week (Sunday, February 21).

The ENTIRE CAST rehearses on Sunday afternoons. The entire company rehearses from about 4:30 to 6:30. In addition, those who are in small choruses rehearse between 2:30 and 4:30 (which of the several small ensembles that rehearse in this time window will vary from week to week). Major soloists may be scheduled to rehearse at any time between 12:30 and 6:30 every week, and minor soloists will also be called to rehearse early at one or two rehearsals. We try very hard to end all rehearsals on time at 6:30. We try to plan and publish a rehearsal schedule for each month, but things change from week to week. We send emails with the final schedule, usually the Friday before each Sunday rehearsal.

On very rare occasions, we may require major and some minor soloists to rehearse on a weekday evening or two as well, but we're not expecting the need for this to arise.

Final rehearsal and performance schedule (tentative):

Runthrough Rehearsals February 27 and 28
Dress Rehearsals March 5 and 6
Performances March 12, 13, 19 and 20

 

ALL CAST MEMBERS must attend scheduled runthrough rehearsals (tentatively scheduled for Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28, 2016) and dress rehearsals (tentatively Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6, 2016); therefore it is important to check your family's schedule before accepting a role in this show. You will be scheduled for two 4-hour runthroughs (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) and two 4-hour dress rehearsals (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) on these very important weekends. These are the rehearsals where everything comes together and many things get changed, so it is critical to be there!

Tentatively, two performances a day are scheduled for March 12, 13, 19 and 20, with each cast member scheduled for four of these eight performances (usually one per day). However, this schedule may be modified pending availability of the venue and number of participants.

We will not cast you if you cannot adhere to the rehearsal and performance schedule for these last four weekends.

RUNNING TIME

This opera will run about 70 minutes in performance, plus a 20-minute intermission.

PREPARING FOR THE VOCAL AUDITION

The vocal audition is easy and low-key: our musical director will lead you through a set of vocalization exercises and will then listen to you sing either your prepared solo music, or (for those not auditioning for a lead role) Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (or some other song you are comfortable with singing). Ordinarily, all family members who want to perform in our show audition at the same time. We will make an audio recording of a portion of your audition to help us with casting. If you are auditioning for a lead role, we will make a video recording of your prepared solo so that we can evaluate both your singing and your acting abilities.

If you wish to audition for one of the principal roles, please come prepared to sing the music provided. The printed and recorded music to audition for lead roles is available for download in the ROLES section below, or can be obtained from:

You don't have to decide which role to sing for: how we cast you will not depend on which song you sing, so just choose one you feel comfortable singing. Please do NOT ask the director what role you or your child should try out for, as it really doesn't matter.

If you do not aspire to one of the principal roles, but would like a supporting solo, we ask (but do not require) that you learn a short passage (see below) to demonstrate your skill at singing harmony.  If you are not interested in a solo role at all, and if you would prefer not to show off your ability to sing harmony, you don't need to prepare anything to sing.

CASTING

We put a great deal of thought into casting the opera. We double cast each role, so each soloist sings in four of the eight performances. Usually we are able to give everyone who wants one a solo, and it is likely we will be able to do so again this year, although we cannot guarantee it. There is always a lot of singing to do in the chorus and in smaller ensembles, though.

Because our shows are double cast, we must divide participants into two casts before final role assignments can be made. It may be a month or two before you find out your solo assignment, so please be patient.

We endeavor to assign solos that will challenge you but not overwhelm you. We consider not only ability to sing, act and dance the role, but also age, number of years participating in the opera, and roles sung in previous NCFO operas. We will not assign you a solo role that requires you to sing harmony (see the table below) unless you have demonstrated the ability to do so in audition (to do otherwise would not be fair to the other ensemble members).

ROLES

PRINCIPAL ROLES:

There are seven principal roles and two principal ensembles. Ranges indicated below span at least one, but not more than two octaves, except as indicated. Notes in (parentheses) are optional:

THE STORYTELLER is the opera's narrator who labors tirelessly to interest the Five Kids in the Weaver's travails.

Adult, C to F

RAJAH is a poor, uneducated peasant who is down on his luck, but his life is turned around by a clever Jackal.

Child or Teen, C to F#

Must be able to sing harmony

THE JACKAL is the smartest one in the room, and he uses his craftiness to marry Rajah to the Princess.

Teen or Adult, C to F#

THE PRINCESS is strong-willed and clever.  Perhaps the Jackal is only the second smartest one in the room.

Child or Teen, D# to F#

Must be able to sing harmony

THE KING is formal and majestic, but easily manipulated.

Adult Baritone, C to G (A)

THE QUEEN is every bit as regal as the King, but she is no one's fool.

Adult Mezzo or Soprano, C to E

THE PRIME MINISTER makes all the important decisions, just as soon as he is informed how to decide.

Anyone, C to D#

Must be able to sing harmony

THE SIX DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERS know the Prime Minister is always right.

Anyone

Must be able to sing harmony

THE FIVE KIDS would rather be playing video games than listening to another boring animal fable, until they end up in the story.

Children

Must be able to sing harmony

EVERYONE auditioning for ANY principal role MUST come prepared to sing TWO lines from the follwing passage in "The Wedding Procession":

   See the score

EVERYONE auditioning for ANY principal role must ALSO come prepared to sing ONE of the following two songs. Choose whichever song you are more comfortable singing. If you are interested in a particular role, you should let us know when you arrive for your audition, but the song you choose to sing will not determine which roles you will be considered for.

  • Rajah's part from "Scene 13 - The Wedding Night" is a good choice if you really want to impress. Show off your ability to hit difficult intervals and rhythms precisely. Don't hold back dramatically either. Rajah is out of his comfort zone in every conceivable manner imaginable.
        See the score (music begins at bar 1482, the last measure of the first page)
        Hear the passage with your part sung
        Hear the passage without any voices (this is what we will play for you to sing with at your audition)
  • Jackal's part from "Scene 3 - The Feverish Scythe" has less challenging intervals and rhythms, but demands just as wide a range as "The Wedding Night". Show us just how full of mischief the Jackal is, with both your singing and your acting.
        See the Score (music begins at bar 230, the first measure of the second system)
        Hear the passage with your part sung
        Hear the passage without your part sung (this is what we will play for you to sing with at your audition)

Please learn all of the music required. It is VERY important to practice with all of the MP3s, particularly the ones that will be played when you audition. We will evaluate you on all aspects of the song you sing in audition, including intonation, rhythmic precision, dramatic presentation of the character, and ability to sing harmony, so please work on each of these aspects. We will make a video recording of this portion of your audition to help us with casting.

To download the PDFs and MP3s:
     Mac - option-click; or right-click or control-click and choose "download linked file" or "download linked file as..."
     PC - control-click; or right-click and choose "save link..." or "save link as..."
Please report any incorrect links to david@familyopera.org.

SUPPORTING ROLES:

There are 32(±) supporting roles of various sizes and difficulty for a variety of humans (Village Children, Village Elders, Milkmaids, Washerwomen, Weavers and Courtiers) and animals (Jackals, Mosquitoes, Koel Birds, Doves, Brain-fever Birds, Peacocks, Myna Birds and Frogs). If you are interested only in a supporting role, you need to come prepared to sing only "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." BUT, if you are an experienced singer and are comfortable singing harmony, I'd be grateful if you would show me by singing one or two lines from the follwing passage in "The Wedding Procession" (some of the supporting roles involve singing harmony):

  See the score

Choose the alto, tenor or bass chorus part:
  Hear the passage with all voice parts sung
  Hear the song with just the alto sung and with all parts except the alto*
  Hear the song with just the tenor sung and with all parts except the tenor*
  Hear the song with just the bass sung and with all parts except the bass*
     *NOTE: This is what you will be singing with at your audition.

And/or sing the lower split of the Peacocks:
  Hear the passage with all voice parts sung
  Hear the song with just the lower split sung and with just this high split*
     *NOTE: This is what we will play for you to harmonize with at your audition.

We will make an audio recording of this portion of your audition to help us with casting.

 

SUMMARY OF ALL SOLOISTS

CHORUS/SOLO ROLE AGE/VOICE RANGE HARMONY SINGS IN
Principals:        
  Storyteller Adult C to F Some Throughout Act I, Scene 16 
  Rajah Child or Teen C to F# Yes Throughout
  The Jackal Teen or Adult C to F# Some Throughout
  The Princess Child or Teen D# to F# Yes Scenes 13 and 16
  The King Baritone C to G(A) No Scenes 7, 8, 10, 11, and 16
  The Queen  Adult Mezzo or Soprano C to E No Scenes 7, 8, 10, 11, and 16
  The Prime Minister Anyone C to D# Yes Scenes 8, 11 and 16
  Deputy Prime Minister Anyone C to D# Yes Scenes 8, 11 and 16
  Deputy Deputy Prime Minister   Anyone C to C Yes Scenes 8, 11 and 16
  Deputy^3 to Deputy^6 Prime Minister Anyone   Yes Scenes 8, 11 and 16
  The Five Kids Children   Yes Throught Act I, Scenes 9 and 16
Supporting Solos:        
  Jump, dash, run, get the work done. Villager F-D* No Scene 2
  Milking here, weaving there, cutting crops... Village Child G-D* No Scene 2
  Harvest the rice, bind up the wheat... Village Elder D-D No Scene 2
  Cotton, khade, wool and silk   Weaver G-E* No Scene 2
  Curds and sweets from foaming milk Milkmaid B-G* No Scene 2
  Doing too much is bad for the brain... Brain-fever Bird E-B* No Scene 2
  Be cool, be cool, live in a pool... Frog C#-C# No Scene 3
  Bebop, bebop, dipadee ribadee reebah  Frog G#-G* No Scene 3
  Who'd want to marry him? Weaver D#-C#* No Scene 5
  Rajah's too hansome by far... Washerwoman D-D No Scene 5
  Riches and money for all... Villager D-D No Scene 5
  For their daughter, soap and water Myna Bird G-D* No Scene 7
  Truly quite a Rajah! Courtier F-C#* No Scene 7
  Quite a Rajah, quite a Rajah, even larger! Myna Bird F-E* No Scene 7
  We're all here to make a crazy crowd. Animal E-A* No Scene 9
  But all the Jackal says is "Make it loud!" Animal E-A#* No Scene 9
  We'll have food and sweets and glamor... Animal G-C#* No Scene 9
  We can growl, growl, growl, put the boot in... Jackal F#-C#* No Scene 9
  This is a hoot, tee, tee, tee, tee... Koel Bird F#-D* Yes Scene 9
  We love everybody, we love everything... Dove A#-D Yes Scene 9
  We like to stay cool, we like to comply... Frog C-A* Yes Scene 9
  How we love a party with a happy atmosphere Peacock C-C No Scene 9
  Pyaow! Pyaow! Pyaow! Pyaow! Pyaow! Two Peacocks F#-C* No Scene 9
  Look! Look! I can see servants rushing... Animal chanted No Scene 12
  With squawking, hooting, howling, tooting... Animal  F#-C#* No Scene 12
  But as the day comes to an end... Animal E-D* No Scene 12
  The net is broken and we're in... Mosquito G#-C#* Yes Scene 13
  Read, write, sing, learn to be king. Villager F-D* No Scene 14
  Fence, dance, think, learn to be king. Villager F-D* No Scene 14
  Fencing here, reading there, playing sitar... Villager G-D* No Scene 14
  Join the celebration of Rajah's education... Villager F-F# No Scene 14

  *Solo ranges span less than one octave; all other solo ranges span at least one, but not more than two octaves.
   Notes in (parentheses) are optional.
   "Harmony" refers to singing harmony with other soloists or in a small ensemble. All large choruses sing in harmony as well.