WAITRESS - Youth Auditions
The Grand Theatre operates on the traditional lands and territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapewak. We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations, and all of the Original Peoples of Turtle Island (also known as North America), and acknowledge the traditional lands upon which we live, work and tell stories together.
OUR COMMITMENT
At the Grand we are committed to creating and practicing a company culture that ensures an accessible, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming space for artists, audiences, donors, board members, and staff. We actively encourage submissions from artists who self-identify as being part of underserved communities. It is our mission to reflect the diversity of our community on and off our stages. If you can imagine yourself in the role, then so can we!
Access and inclusion are important to us. If you have any questions regarding the Grand’s accessibility policies and initiatives, or any requests, we encourage you to reach out to Vanessa Spence, Associate Producer & Company Manager, at vspence [at] grandtheatre.com (vspence[at]grandtheatre[dot]com)
THE PROJECT
A co-production with Theatre Aquarius
WAITRESS
Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based upon the motion picture by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by: Rachel Peake
Music Directed by: Patrick Bowman
Choreographed by: Genny Sermonia
Jenna lives a small slice of life, in a small town – baking punny pies at work and trying not to think about her troubled marriage at home. Caught off guard by another type of bun in the oven, a thrilling affair, and nowhere else to turn, Jenna wonders if her pie-making talents are her ticket to finding a soft place to land.
With music baked-to-perfection by Grammy Award-winner Sara Bareilles (“She Used to be Mine”, “When He Sees Me”), a story based on the indie cult-classic film starring Keri Russell, and the presence of a pretty cute OB/GYN, Waitress is a musical that has charmed its way across Broadway, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
PRODUCTION DATES
London, ON
Rehearsals Begin: February 25, 2025
First Preview Performance: March 25, 2025
Opening: March 28, 2025
Closing: April 12, 2025
Hamilton, ON
Rehearsals Begin: April 21, 2025
Performances: April 29 – May 18, 2025
**AUDITION DATE: Wednesday, November 27, 2024**
AVAILABLE ROLES
We are seeking four (4) youth actors to play Lulu - two (2) for the London production dates, and two (2) for the Hamilton production dates. The role in each production will be shared between two actors.
Actors interested in the London dates must be available between February 25 – April 12.
Actors interested in the Hamilton dates must be available between April 21 – May 18.
There will be weekday and weekend daytime rehearsals and performances, and some school will be missed. For more specific schedule questions, please reach out to Vanessa at vspence [at] grandtheatre.com (vspence[at]grandtheatre[dot]com).
LULU (she/her) – must be able to play a character age 4 y/o (actor must be 6 y/o or older); All ethnicities.
Jenna and Earls sweet and carefree daughter. Appears in the final scene of the musical.
Note: Lulu does not sing in the production.
*Please note that all adult roles for Waitress have already been cast*
SUBMITTING FOR AN AUDITION:
Parents/guardians: before submitting your young performer for an audition, please read the following:
We receive a lot of submissions! Because of the large volume of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee an audition for all performers.
While we strive to ensure that the Grand Theatre auditions are a warm and rewarding experience for all artists, it must be understood that an audition or callback for a role is not a guarantee. Directors and creative team members (music director, choreographer, etc.) base their choices on many factors which may include height, ability to follow direction, or voice type.
Please submit a theatre resume and photo of your young performer for consideration through our AUDITION SUBMISSION FORM. Please only submit once.
I’ve never made a theatre resume before – what should be included?
For your young performer, please include their past stage experience or any other relevant performing or training experience, their date of birth, current height and contact information of the parent/guardian.
The deadline for submissions to be received is Monday, November 18 at 10:00 am. Selected actors will be contacted within the week of November 18 to schedule an audition time.
