Book By Michael Stewart
Lyrics By Jerry Herman
Music By Jerry Herman
Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals
Director: Amy Stallings
From November 3 to November 19, 2023

Auditions: Mack & Mabel
Sunday, September 10 and Monday, September 11 from 7-9 pm with the possibility of callbacks on September 12

Directed by Amy Stallings
Book by Michael Stewart
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman

Throughout his career, iconic silent film director Mack Sennett had one overwhelming goal: make the audience laugh. And nobody made movie-goers laugh more riotously than his expressive leading lady Mabel Normand—the finest comedienne of her generation and an early female director. Meeting in 1911, Mack and Mabel made films together until 1924, even partnering to establish Mabel as head of her own studio in 1916. But off-screen, their relationship careened through dizzying shifts and turnabouts both professional and personal. Now hilarious, now poignant, Mack & Mabel brings to life the risks, triumphs, and failures of the early film industry, all told through one of the most vivacious and memorable scores Jerry Herman ever penned.

Show Dates:

Friday, November 3, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 10, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM

A typical week of rehearsals will run Sunday through Thursday evenings starting at 7pm, though some exceptions may be made to accommodate other events using the space. Please bring your calendar to auditions so that you can provide an accurate picture of your availability on the audition form.

Auditions will consist of a vocal component and a movement component. This is a fast-paced, physical show, and the cast will be expected to work together in scenes of outrageous, sometimes messy slapstick comedy.

Audition Requirements: Please prepare a musical theatre selection of no longer than 32 bars. This show's music is itself evocative of silent film scores, so choices from traditional musical theatre rather than contemporary shows may be more fitting. Additionally, please bring sheet music for our accompanist. Performers of all ethnicities are encouraged to audition.

Available Roles (some named characters may double in ensemble roles as needed)

Historical Figures:

Young Mack Sennett: Baritone. Looks 30-40. Bursting with energy and wisecracks and single-minded in his pursuit of comedy, this Mack tries his best to pretend he isn't in love with his muse, Mabel. He is never content with what he has and believes the next great success is always just around the corner.

Old Mack Sennett: Baritone. Looks 50-60. This older, more broken Mack serves to narrate the show as it is enacted from his own memories of better days. He sings "Movies Were Movies" as well as portions of several other songs as he struggles to reconcile himself to a sense of loss and obsolescence. It will work better for the character if Old Mack's voice sounds weary from a hard life.

Mabel Normand: Mezzo-Soprano. Looks 20-35. A natural comic with an endless range of expressions, she exudes a buoyant innocence with a dash of mischief. She loves Mack at first with girlish devotion but matures over the course of the show to recognize that their romance is lopsided and unrealistic.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle: Looks 25-40. One of Mabel's frequent acting partners and a major star of the silent film era.

Frank [Capra]: Looks 18-25. A scriptwriter for Mack Sennett's studio, he is portrayed in this show as an admirer of Mabel's.

William Desmond Taylor: Looks 40-50. A wealthy, erudite, and influential rival film director, Taylor befriends Mabel and—in Mack's opinion at least—entices her away to work for him. The association later involves Mabel in an explosive Hollywood scandal.

Fictional Figures:

Lottie Ames: Mezzo-Soprano. Looks 25-40. Sennett's supporting actress and principle dancer, she is prominently featured in "Big Time" and "Tap Your Troubles Away," the show's only big Hollywood-style dance number. Tap experience is a plus!

Ella: Sennett's studio pianist. Although the actress will not be playing live on stage, some piano skill is a plus, the better to coordinate with the offstage orchestra.


In addition, there are a variety of ensemble roles with the possibility of a few speaking and singing lines.