Company seeking two young performers to play Mary, Colin
Staff Report
The PCPA will be holding auditions Sept. 10 and 11 to fill the roles of two young characters in its production of the Broadway play “The Secret Garden.”
Two young performers are sought to play Mary Lennox, the lead, and Colin Craven, a featured role.
The production is slated to open Nov. 11 at the Marian Theater on the Allan Hancock College campus and run through Dec. 23.
“The Secret Garden,” a musical adaption of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s that debuted on Broadway 30 years ago, is the story of young Mary Lennox, orphaned by an epidemic, who is sent from British colonial to a home she’s never know in Yorkshire, England. There she finds a mysterious house and a family shrouded in secrets.
The roles being filled are for Mary Lennox and Colin Craven, Mary’s cousin whom she discovers in the house. PCPA is interested in all ethnicities and is seeking young performers who are 12 years old or older who look to be 11. PCPA hopes to double cast both roles.
Auditions will be Friday, Sept. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Marian Theater on the Hancock campus, 870 S. Bradley Road in Santa Maria. Callbacks will be Saturday, Sept. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Hancock College and Actors Equity Association require that everyone involved in the production must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Parents, guardians and young performers will need to show proof of vaccination before the first rehearsal on Sept. 28.
All who are interested in being considered must come to the auditions on Sept. 10. Some who audition on that day will be invited to the callbacks on Sept. 11.
The young actors will be seen in the order that they arrive. Masks are required for all while inside the building. The young performers will take off their mask to sing their prepared song.
Prospective performers are asked to prepare approximately 60 seconds of a song from a musical. The song must be memorized.
Performers are also asked to bring sheet music in the correct key. The PCPA will provide an accompanist.
The role of Mary Lennox will be the lead of the show. PCPA is looking for a very strong singer who sings several songs by herself.
The character is a young privileged British girl who has been raised in India by servants. She is sent to live in England with an uncle she’s never met after her parents die from cholera. She is quite the curious explorer and she often finds herself in trouble. She is stubborn and always fights for what she believes in.
The role of Colin Craven is a featured role played by a good singer (boy soprano) who must be comfortable singing by himself.
The character is a young privileged British boy who has been raised in England by servants. He has spent his life in bed due to a heart condition. He is very stubborn and throws temper tantrums to get what he wants. He believes his father hates him for causing his mother’s death.
Mary’s portrayer will be the lead of the show, and will be called to almost all of the rehearsals. Colin’s portrayer will have a very important featured role, and will be called to most of the rehearsals. Both actors will be asked to miss some school during the week before the show opens and for Wednesday and Thursday matinees.
For more information, call the PCPA business office at 805-928-7731 or go to pcpa.org.
