Riverfront Theater Company Announces Auditions for 

ASSASSINS

November 9–11 and 16–18, 2023

Allegheny RiverTrail Park

 

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim 

Book by John Weidman 

​

Director: Jeff Johnston 

Assistant Director: Nicole Castelli 

Vocal Direction and Choreography: Jenna Bowman 

Stage Manager: Alex Hagerty 

​

Audition Dates, Location, and Sign-ups: 

Auditions will be held at Christ Church Fox Chapel (410 Christ Church Lane, Pittsburgh PA 15238) on the following dates:

• Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 7:00–10:00 p.m.

• Thursday, August 31, 2023 - 7:00–10:00 p.m.

 

Auditions are open to non-union performers. Performers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities and expressions, and performers living with disabilities  are encouraged to audition. ALL ROLES ARE AVAILABLE.

 

Please click below to schedule your in-person audition slot (preferred), or you may submit a video audition to RTCAssassins@gmail.com by Wednesday, August 30 at 10:00 p.m. There is limited walk-in availability for auditioning.  

​

 

​

​

 

Callbacks will be held at Christ Church Fox Chapel on the following date: 

• Sunday, September 3, 2023 - 6:00–9:00 p.m.

​Callbacks are in person. Any scheduling challenges, please contact RTCAssassins@gmail.com.

 

What to Bring to Your Audition: 

• Headshot

• Resume 

• Be prepared to read sides from the script. 

• Prepare two different 32-bar cuts of a modern musical theater song.  

  • You will sing one song, you might sing the second. Please no selections from the show.

 

We will have an accompanist available and a bluetooth speaker, so please bring either your  sheet music or an accompaniment track. If possible, please email your headshot and resume to RTCAssassins@gmail.com prior to your audition as well. 

​

Rehearsals:

Rehearsals are expected to begin on September 24, 2023. Rehearsals will be held on Sundays (1:00–4:00 p.m. or 6:00–9:00 p.m.) and Monday through Thursday evenings (7:00–10:00 p.m.). Please attempt to collect and provide all of your conflicts before auditioning. 

Rehearsals will be held at either:

• Allegheny RiverTrail Park: 285 River Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 

• Christ Church Fox Chapel: 410 Christ Church Lane, Pittsburgh PA 15238

​​

Plot Overview and Character Breakdown:

ALL ROLES ARE AVAILABLE.  Understudies and Swings roles may be offered.  

​

Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical "revusical" that explores the dark side of  the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact, and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.

​

John Wilkes Booth  
Assassinated President Abraham Lincoln during a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. on April 14, 1865. Foreman and inspirational celebrity to the other assassins. Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 25 to 35 
Vocal range: Baritone, F2 to G4 

Charles Guiteau  
Assassinated President James Garfield in the waiting room of the Baltimore and Potomac  Railroad Station, Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1881. Dashing but mad. 
Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 35 to 45 
Vocal range: Baritenor A2 to Ab4 

Leon Czologosz  
Assassinated President William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. on  September 6, 1901. A young poverty-worn radical. 
Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 25 to 30 
Vocal range top: Bass, G#2 to G4 

Giuseppe Zangara  
Attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt as he greeted well-wishers in  Bayfront Park, Miami, FL on February 15, 1933. An angry, heavily-accented immigrant. Preferred Gender: Male Identifying 
Age: 30 to 35 
Vocal range: Tenor, B2 to A4 

Samuel Byck 
Attempted to assassinate President Richard Nixon by hijacking a commercial jetliner. Hysterically irate schlep in a Santa Claus suit. 
Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 40 to 45 
Vocal range: Baritone, D3 to G4 

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme  
Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the Capitol Park in Sacramento, CA on  September 5, 1975. A pixie hippie in love with Charles Manson. 
Gender: Female Identifying 
Preferred Age: 25 to 30 
Vocal range top: Mezzo-Soprano, A3 to G5

Sara Jane Moore  
Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA,  on September 22, 1975. A frazzled housewife with little sense. 
Gender: Female Identifying 
Preferred Age: 40 to 45 
Vocal range top: Alto, F3 to Eb5 

John Hinckley  
Attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton in  Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981. A love-obsessed and depressed college student. Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 25 to 30 
Vocal range top: Baritone, A2 to G4 

Lee Harvey Oswald  
Assassinated President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book  Depository in Dallas, TX on November 22, 1963. A suicidal, dejected shipping clerk. Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 20 to 25 
Vocal range: Tenor G3 to C4

 
Balladeer  
A folk singer and the narrator of the show. The voice of America. 
Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 20 to 25 
Vocal range: Tenor G3 to C4 

Emma Goldman 
Turn-of-the-century Anarchist agitator and feminist. Terse and stubborn. An inspiration to  Czolgosz. 
Gender: Female 
Preferred Age: 30 to 40 

The Proprietor  
A mysterious man who runs the shooting gallery at a carnival. 
Gender: Male Identifying 
Preferred Age: 30 to 50 
Vocal range top: F4 
Vocal range bottom: Gb2 

David Herold  
One of John Wilkes Booth's confederates. Aided Booth in his attempted escape.

Gender: Male 
Preferred Age: 20 to 25 

Billy  
Sara Jane Moore's whiny son. 
Gender: Male 
Preferred Age: 8 

Ensemble  
Bystanders; Tourists; Reporters; Photographers