AUDITION NOTICE
Big Fish (musical) and 2025 Reading Series
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 – 6-9pm
University Theatre – CHECK IN AT TABLE ON FIRST FLOOR
(Theatre Hall 150, UWGB campus)
UW-Green Bay Theatre and Dance welcome ALL current UWGB students to participate in all aspects of production work. Theatre & Dance majors and minors are expected to work on at least one production each semester to further the techniques and methods being taught in their coursework.
AUDITION DETAILS
Wednesday, September 10: Open Auditions – 6:00pm-9:00pm in University Theatre
Please visit the following link to select a 5-minute audition slot: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054BABAB2DA1F4C61-58314527-fall.
If you have trouble with the website or have any questions, please contact Alan Kopischke (kopischa@uwgb.edu) for assistance.
Audition forms and intimacy disclosures may be sent in electronic form to Alan Kopischke (kopischa@uwgb.edu) or may be turned in upon check-in for your chosen audition time. Extra forms will be available on audition day.
FORMS:
If you are only auditioning for The Reading Series, please prepare a one-minute contemporary monologue. Cold reading materials will also be made available on audition day.
If you are auditioning for Big Fish, please prepare a one-minute contemporary monologue and approximately 60 seconds of a contemporary musical theatre song. An accompanist will not be available for auditions; please bring an audio track as a CD or file on a phone or MP3 player. Cold reading materials will also be made available on audition day. If you do not have a musical theatre song selection prepared, the casting team will gladly hear you sing anything you’re comfortable with.
NOTE: If you wish to be considered for both/either production, please prepare using the audition criteria for BIG FISH.
Thursday, September 11: Dance Audition, 7-9pm
**All actors wishing to be considered for Big Fish must attend the Dance Audition.
Attire: Wear clothes you can move in and dance shoes (jazz, ballet, or character shoe).
During the dance audition, performers will learn a short routine and perform it in small groups.
Saturday, September 13: Callbacks for Big Fish and Reading Series, 10:00am-1:00pm in University Theatre
- Sides and music cuts will be forthcoming
Performers invited to callbacks will receive a phone call the evening of September 11th with all relevant information, and a callback list will be posted on the callboard Friday morning. Those called back will receive specific instructions upon notification and should plan to stay for the duration of the callback session.
If you are interested in auditioning but are unable to attend the open audition, please contact Managing Director Alan Kopischke (kopischa@uwgb.edu) as soon as possible. Every effort will be made to schedule an alternative time.
Perusal Scripts will be available for 1-day checkout in TH 331. You are strongly encouraged to read the script prior to auditioning.
Rehearsals begin September 15, so casting will be completed by end of day on September 13. If you are not cast and indicate an interest in crew, you will be assigned to that crew pending availability. If the crew you are interested in is full, you will be contacted to select a new crew role.
Students cast in Theatre Mainstage productions are required to register for Theatre 350 (your rolle/position will determine your section) for 1 credit hour.
Interested in crew? Visit the Design Suite (TH172) for more information!
ABOUT THE PRODUCTIONS
Production #1
BIG FISH
Book by John August
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Based on the Novel by Daniel Wallace and the
Columbia Motion Picture written by John August
Performance Dates: November 13-15
Rehearsals will start on Thursday, September 18. Starting September 22, rehearsal will run Monday through Friday from 6-9pm. While not everyone cast will be called to each rehearsal, if you are cast you will be expected to attend rehearsals on September 18 & 19.
SYNOPSIS:
“Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton with a screenplay by John August, BIG FISH is a fantastical, heartwarming musical that follows the life of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman whose larger-than-life stories captivate everyone around him—especially his loving wife, Sandra. But their son, Will, about to become a father himself, is determined to uncover the truth behind his father’s epic tales. As Will embarks on a journey to understand the man behind the myth, BIG FISH explores the power of storytelling, family bonds, and the search for identity.
With its soaring score, unforgettable characters, and a blend of humor and heartfelt emotion, BIG FISH offers an extraordinary theatrical experience that celebrates the joy of life, the importance of family, and the beauty of the stories we tell. Perfect for any stage, BIG FISH will enchant audiences with its dazzling spectacle and timeless themes, making it a perfect choice for theaters seeking a musical that’s as rich and inspiring as life itself.
TRW’s Small Cast Editions are specially adapted versions of beloved musicals, designed for productions with fewer performers without sacrificing the show’s impact.” – Theatrical Rights Worldwide
CASTING INFORMATION
NOTE: We will be producing the small cast (“12 Chairs”) version and most cast members will have the opportunity to play multiple roles.
Male Identified
Edward Bloom – a storyteller with the gift of gab. Charismatic and charming (actor plays youth through old age)
Will Bloom/Young Will – Edward and Sandra’s son. Pragmatic and thoughtful, but a bit cynical about his father’s tall tales. (actor plays young through mid-30s)
Amos Calloway – Owner and Circus Barker; bold and charismatic if not also a bit push. Is also a werewolf
Female Identified
Sandra Bloom – Kind and patient with an undercurrent of strength and formidability (actor plays late-teens through old age)
Jenny Hill/Old Jenny Hill – as a young woman she is a dreamer with lots of enthusiasm; in her older version, she is tired but still holds herself with pride and dignity.
Josephine Bloom – Smart, successful and savvy. She is married to Will and they are expecting their first child.
Gender Flexible/Ensemble
Dr. Bennett – The Bloom family’s doctor. Kind and warmhearted.
Witch – Wise and mysterious.
Don Price – A big ol’ bully.
Zacky Price – Don’s younger sibling
Karl the Giant – Edward’s best friend; kind, shy and observant
Girl in the Water
Mayor
Intimacy notes: Physical contact amongst characters is referenced throughout the written text, including (but not limited to) hugging, touching arms and shoulders, and dancing. The characters of Edward and Sandra go from youthful romantics who are new-and-in-love, to a couple who have shared their lives together. Will and Josephine (also newly married) are affectionate with each other.
All moments that actors deem as intimate will be choreographed by an intimacy director with the full involvement and consent of the actors.
Production #2
Reading Series
UW-Green Bay Theatre and Dance seeks to cast a company of artists for the Fall Reading Series. These three readings will each involve a short rehearsal process and a single public performance in the Jean Weidner Theatre. Additionally, company members will perform Impertinent Girls at the Kress Auditorium in Door County at 1 pm on Friday September 26 as a part of the Door Kinetic Arts Festival (DKAF). NOTE: If you are unavailable for the September 26 performance date, you are still eligible for consideration for The Moors and / or Perfect Arrangement. Company members will assume various roles throughout the series based on the needs of each title. Rehearsals will be scheduled Monday-Friday evenings.
Perusal scripts may be checked out from the main office.
Play #1 in the Series
Impertinent Girls: The Teenage Writings of Jane Austen
by Aretha Sills
Using Paul Sills’ Story Theatre techniques, the play explores a teenage Jane Austen and her siblings’ stagings of her early stories while Jane ponders how she can get her writing published in a world dominated by male writers.
Synopsis: It’s 1789, and fourteen-year-old Jane Austen, her bookish siblings, and their glamorous cousin (who is fleeing the French Revolution) are rehearsing a “family theatrical” in the barn, but for the first time they’re performing young Jane’s own writing. Impertinent Girls: The Teenage Writings of Jane Austen is a hybrid Story Theater adaptation of the raucous and hilarious stories that the precocious author wrote between the ages of twelve and seventeen, ruthlessly parodying the sentimental fiction of her day. Her ridiculous and ill-behaved characters get drunk, gamble, raise armies, and murder each other – a far cry from the novels that would earn her immortality. As the Austens rehearse the farcical burlesques, Jane finds her literary voice. Impertinent Girls explores how a young Jane Austen gained the courage to protect her ferocious gift from a society designed to take it from her.
Director’s Note: This is a rare opportunity to work with Aretha Sills (see bio below) who will co-direct and to learn about the Story Theatre method of creating and performing. Many roles are available for all genders. Unlike the other two titles, you may participate in this show as well as in Big Fish.
Anyone interested in auditioning should prioritize attending Aretha Sills’ Story Theatre Workshop: Sept. 11 (4-7 pm in University Theatre) and Sept. 12 (2-5 pm in University Theatre). You are still eligible for casting if you can’t attend, but this is a rare opportunity and will help you get oriented to the audition process and allow the directors to see more of you in this unique setting.
Aretha Sills is a writer, director, and teacher of improvisational theater. She studied the theater games of Viola Spolin with her father, director Paul Sills (creator/director of The Second City and Story Theater) and has conducted workshops for Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, Bard College, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Sarah Lawrence College, Teatro a Molla, and Northwestern University. She’s worked with Tony- and Emmy-Award winning actors and has trained faculty from Northwestern, DePaul, Columbia College, The Second City, and The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. She created and directs an interactive show currently touring Los Angeles public schools. Aretha received her MFA in creative writing and writing for the performing arts from UC Riverside, where she taught in the creative writing program. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Maybelle, The Utne Reader, CALYX Journal, South Bank Poetry Review. She and her father loved talking about Jane Austen’s novels, and she is thrilled to be sharing the first reading of her hybrid Story Theater adaptation of “Impertinent Girls: The Teenage Writings of Jane Austen” in his chosen home of Door County. Aretha lives in Sister Bay with her family.
First Rehearsal: Sept. 15 6-9 pm
Tech Rehearsals: Sept. 25 and Oct. 2
Performance 1: Door County Kinetic Arts Festival (DKAF) at the Kress Auditorium 1 pm Sept. 26
Performance 2: Friday Oct. 3: 7:30 pm Jean Weidner Theatre (JWT) UWGB campus
PLAY #2 in the Series
The Moors by Jen Silverman
4 Roles (5 W, 1 M)
Synopsis: Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility.
Director’s Note: The dog and the moor-hen are both characters in this wacky and wonderful piece.
First Rehearsal: TBD
Tech Rehearsal: Oct. 29
Performance (JWT): Oct. 30 7:30 pm
PLAY #3 in the Series
Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne
ROLES: (3 M, 4 W)
SYNOPSIS: Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the gay rights movement, Perfect Arrangement merges madcap sitcome-style laughs with provocative drama as two closeted U.S. State Department employees struggle to maintain their cover – and their sanity – in 1950s America.
Director’s Note: Do you enjoy performing comedy? Want to learn how? This will be a fun opportunity to practice your timing, rhythm, and grow your comedic skills.
First Rehearsal: TBD
Tech Rehearsal: Dec. 3
Performance (JWT): Dec. 4 7:30 pm
The Reading Series is directed by Theatre and Dance Associate Professor Dr. Rebecca Stone Thornberry. Aretha Sills will co-direct Impertinent Girls.
Rebecca Stone Thornberry is an actor, director, and Associate Professor of Theatre at UW-Green Bay She holds a Ph.D. in Theatre Studies (University of Colorado, Boulder) and an M.F.A. in Acting (The Ohio State University). She was the artistic director of Theatre on the Bay in Marinette, WI from 2011-2020. Her directing includes Lost Girl, The Effect, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Laramie Project, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Eurydice, The 27th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Into the Woods. As an actor, favorite roles include Pearl in Phyllis Nagy’s The Scarlet Letter, Claire in Fuddy Meers, Rachel in Reckless, and Berta in Boeing Boeing. Film performance includes the 2017 feature film Aquarians.