Auditions set 4/1-2 at The Keeton Theatre for original musical DON COYOTE

[JefinNashville]

Audition Notice: Don Coyote

Book by Donna G. Driver
Songs by Mary Alice Bernal and Donna G. Driver

Auditions on Sunday, April 1st from 2:00-5:00pm and Monday,
April 2nd from 6:30-8:30
(if you can’t make either of those times, please send a message to [e-mail])

Performance dates: June 29th at 7:00pm and June 30th at 2:00 and 7:00pm
Rehearsals begin on April 7th and will be primarily on weekend afternoons until dress rehearsals.

Prepare a musical theater or western song for auditions. By western, we don’t mean modern country music. We mean something like Gene Autry would have sung back in the day. “Streets of Laredo,” “Down in the Valley”, “Red River Valley” are some examples. We will not have an accompanist; plan to sing a cappella or with a CD recording.

There will be cold readings from the script.

Be prepared to do some improvisation games, as a lot of our play is about “pretend” playing and we want to see if you have that sense of fun.

About the play:

In the summer of 2012, Ben Dassau, a young adult with Cerebral Palsy and a deep love of theater, will direct a musical play with the assistance of children’s author, theater veteran and Special Needs educator Donna G. Driver. The play chosen for this special event will also be the debut of an original musical for children titled Don Coyote.

Don Coyote is a modern take on the classic tale of Don Quixote. In this version of the story, a young boy named Scott, whose parents have recently divorced, is living with his mom, older sister and grandfather. He is bored because his parents are upset all the time, Riley is a teenager full of attitude and his grandpa is old. There’s no one to play with. Well, that is until one morning when his grandfather appears dressed up like an old cowboy and claims to be Don Coyote, a Wild West cowboy who is out to stop the evil Voo Doo Queen. He recruits Scott to be his sidekick “Scout” and join him on his crazy adventures. Everyone thinks Grandpa has gone senile, but Scott is certain his grandpa is just playing and is going to try to prove it.


The cast consists of six principles.

Scott – 8-13 years old. Must look young enough to still play “pretend” games. He must sing well. He is the leading role in this play.

Grandpa Don Coyote – 55+ years old. Must be able to do a thick cowboy accent when he is “Don Coyote” and have a twinkle in his eye when he’s plain ol’ Grandpa. Think Peter Falk in A Princess Bride. We will want to see a marked difference between “Grandpa” and his “Don Coyote” characters. This is a singing role. His songs are very reminiscent of old cowboy tunes.

Melissa – 35-45 years old. She is a loving but busy and stressed divorced mom. She must be able to sing. Mezzo-soprano or alto.

Jim – 35-50 years old. He is Scott’s divorced dad. He is impatient, irritable and has no imagination. He must sing, but his songs are conversational in tone. Baritone. He will also play the “cowboy” in one of Don Coyote’s imaginary stories, so he will need to be playful for that scene.

Riley – 15/16 years old. She is the crabby, “leave me alone” older sister. That will change, though, until she is the loving, playful sister we’d all like to have. This is a heavy singing role. Mezzo-soprano. She must also be able to speak and sing in a French accent for the character she becomes in Don Coyote’s imaginary world. (Watch a Leslie Caron movie, like Gigi or An American in Paris, and you’ll have a great example.)

Officer O’Donnell – 30-55 years old. He is a local cop with a pleasant, concerned personality. This is a non-singing role. He will also play a “cowboy” in one of Don Coyote’s imaginary stories.

Laney – 15/16 years old. One of Riley’s best friends. A little air-headed but fun. Must sing harmony and will do a can-can dance with Riley and Nina.

Nina – 15/16 years old. One of Riley’s best friends. She likes to tell it as it is and is pretty impetuous. Must sing harmony and will do a can-can dance with Riley and Laney.

There will also be 5-10 children ages 8-12 to play the neighborhood kids. They will be on stage a lot! They must sing. We are looking for respectful, patient, talented children who will retain what they learn from week to week.