ONCE

Book by Enda Walsh

Music & Lyrics by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová

Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney

Produced by Nicole Mulder for Theatre L’Homme Dieu

In coalition with The Hive Collaborative 

Director & Production Designer: Eric Morris 

Movement Director/Vocal Director: Jenessa Iverson 

Music Director/Collaborative Band Leader: Kyle Baker 

Associate Director & Associate Movement Director: Annika Isbell

Performance Location

Theatre L'Homme Dieu in Alexandria, MN

Production Schedule

• First day of rehearsal: Tuesday, July 23, 2024
• Rehearsals will generally be Tuesday-Sunday, TECH alters a bit, 2pm-10pm, six days a week
• Opening: Tuesday, August 6th, 2024 
• Closing: Sunday, August 18th, 2024 
• Show schedule: Tuesday - Sunday. Up to 8 performances per week. 

Production Locations

• Week 1: Rehearsals will be held at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul, MN. 
• Weeks 2 - 4: Rehearsals and the Run of the Show will be at Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) in Alexandria, MN.

Housing: On site housing provided at TLHD during weeks 2 - 4. 

Seeking

9-10 singer-actor/instrumentalists to make up the collaborative musician driven cast of ONCE.

Equity & Non-Equity Contracts Available

ONCE - About the show

The exuberant spirit of a lively pub session (what the Irish call craic) meets an out-of-the-ordinary love story in this irresistible musical based on the beloved indie film. Guy has been busking on Dublin’s Grafton St. for too long. He’s ready to chuck his music and forget the girlfriend who relocated to New York. Girl is an émigré from the Czech Republic with a tangled personal life, a passion for music and a belief in Guy and his songs. It’s a complicated business, this love. It doesn’t always turn out as expected. Sometimes, that’s ok. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards and winner of eight, including Best Musical, Once is a warmly affecting show that understands the power of music to move the human heart.

Director's Note

In a time where artists and artistic venues continue to shutter and struggle, it’s crucial we remind and show ourselves & audiences how gathering as a community to share music, stories, images, and souls is a life force! The world will never stop spinning, but noticing human gifts seems to be dwindling. Once is the ultimate show of artistic collaboration. This event can remind large groups of people how singular an evening of shared music & theatricality can be. How everyone sharing that space on that particular day was destined to be together. No matter what is spinning around you, your task is still there. You just have to find its song and start singing it. Let’s celebrate everyone’s song.  

Auditions

• Audition Date: Wednesday, April 17 from 10am-5pm
• Callbacks: Sunday, April 21 from 5pm-10pm
• Audition Location: The Hive Collaborative  - 677 Hamline Ave North - St. Paul, MN 55104

Audition Preparation

All actors must play an instrument in the show:

• Everyone in this production must play an instrument and serve as the Band /Orchestration for our production. To be clear... there will be no offstage band. The cast will play all the music. 
• You will be asked to display competence on any instrument you play. 
• There will be a piano and guitar in the audition room, any other instruments must be brought to the audition by you.

Be prepared to perform:

• 32 bars of a song in the style of the show. Folk, rock, pop, country.
• You may sing from the show.
• You MUST accompany yourself while singing on one of the instruments specified in the breakdown below.
• An accompanist will not be provided.

Be prepared to display high proficiency on one or more of the following instruments:

• Guitar 
• Mandolin
• Double Bass
• Electric Bass
• Violin or Viola 
• Cello 
• Banjo
• Accordion or Concertina 
• Piano (Unless auditioning for Girl or Baruska this ideally would not be your only instrument)

Potential Secondary Instruments:

• Uke (Can’t be your only instrument)
• Harmonica (Can’t be your only instrument)
• Percussion (Can’t be your only instrument) 
• Surprise us (Can’t be your only instrument)

A note about casting

(adopted from language with consent originally created by Kevin Kantor and Emily Trarquin of Actors Theatre of Louisville):

Most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns and you will see that in the following character descriptions. However limiting the descriptions are, our casting seeks to be as inclusive as possible and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with. We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.

Roles

Guy: A down-on-his-luck musician in Dublin. Lost and a bit sad, but charismatic with extreme appeal. Works with their Da in a vacuum repair shop. Must sing and play guitar extremely well. Age: 20 to 40. Vocal range top: A4 & Strong Falsetto up to C#5. Vocal range bottom: F#2. Speaks with an Irish accent.

Girl: A determined dreamer. Direct, intelligent, no nonsense and witty. Girl has come from the Czech Republic to Dublin for a fresh start. Has had to work hard at life but doesn't want sympathy from others. They are passionate about playing the piano and making music. Must sing and play the piano extremely well. Age: 20 to 40. Vocal range top: B4. Vocal range bottom: F#3. Speaks with a Czech (Eastern European) accent.

Billy: Owner of the music store where Girl plays piano. Loud, funny, and protective of Girl, but also has a vulnerability. Age: 25-40. Vocal range open. Speaks with an Irish accent.

Reza: Girl's vivacious and flirtatious roommate. Often a bit larger than life. Lover of soap operas. Age: 25 to 40. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: D4. Folksy floaty soprano needed as well as a rock belt. Speaks with a Czech (Eastern European) accent. 

Barushka: Girl's mother. Loving, generous, and idealistic. A cool but caring Czech mother who likes a full house and full stomachs. Not many inhibitions. Age: 35 to 60. Vocal range open. Speaks with a Czech (Eastern European) accent. 

Bank Manager: Corporate prim and proper on the outside, but artistic with a secret love for playing and writing music on the inside. Age: 30 to 50. Vocal range top: Strong High Comedic B4. Vocal range bottom: G3. Speaks with an Irish Accent. 

Da: Guy's dad and vacuum repair shop owner. A human of few words, but a lovely and caring father. Age: 40 to 70. Vocal range top: E4. Vocal range bottom: G3. Vocal Range can be open to interpretation if needed. Speaks with an Irish accent.

Andrej: Girl's roommate. Thoughtful and good natured. An employee at a fast-food chain but has big dreams. Lover of soap operas. Age: 20 to 35. Vocal range top: At least F#4. Vocal range bottom: A3. Speaks with a Czech (Eastern European) accent. 

Eamon: Music studio manager/engineer where Guy and Girl record their album in Dublin; they are wary of the group at first, but eventually appreciate Guy’s and Girl’s talents. Age: 20 to 50. Vocal range open. Speaks with Irish Accent.

Emcee: Host of an open mic at a Dublin pub. The emcee who teases everyone in good fun type. Age: 20 to 50. Vocal Range open. Speaks with Irish Accent.  

Ex-Girlfriend: Guy's ex-girlfriend. Wanting a better life, they’ve moved from Dublin to New York. Kind, lovely, playful, and likable. Age: 20 to 40. Vocal Range Open. Speaks with Irish Accent.

Note: 3 tracks are not available to be auditioned for. The role of SVEC, as well as two supporting ensemble roles, will be performed by members of the creative team Kyle & Jenessa. The determination of those tracks will depend on our audition turnout and orchestration needs. 

Who can audition

• Adults actors, ages 18+
• We will cast up to 2 members of AEA. (Guest contracts)
• If cast, proof of Covid-19 vaccination will be required.

Compensation

Non-AEA actors $500/week + housing available on the TLHD property.

AEA actors (up to 2 guest contracts) paid Tier 3 guest artist minimum rates, in accordance with AEA guidelines + Artist housing on the TLHD property.

To Audition

Upload your resume and choose your audition time on TheaterForms.

Have Questions?

Send an email to audition@tlhd.org