ROLES UP FOR GRABS FOR PRODUCTION OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER MUSICAL

A Chester based Youth Theatre is offering adult actors the opportunity to join the cast of its next large scale musical theatre production.

On The Mark Youth Theatre(OTMYT) have 13 adult roles up for grabs to join its 60 strong youth cast of 11–19-year-olds for their production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Whistle Down The Wind" which is due to be staged at Christleton High School near Chester next March.

Roles available include the Male lead character of "The Man" which is described by the show's producers as being a very demanding lead male role, playing age 25-35, 5'10"+ requiring excellent singing and acting experience with a fine Tenor voice and a top note of B flat. Auditionees must be able to fit the ‘classic' Jesus description and be credible, as the children believe he really is Jesus. A manic, hunted man, who must have the power to move the audience emotionally. 

In addition, there are six additional adult male roles and six adult female roles available. Producers are also looking for three 7–10-year-old boys to share the lead role of Poor Baby.  Full details of all roles including playing ages and vocal ranges are available via otmyt.co.uk/wdtw-auditions 

Set in 1950s America, "Whistle Down The Wind" is a fast-paced show featuring full on power ballads with a score written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Meatloaf and Bonnie Tyler songwriter Jim Steinman and also featuring the smash hit ballad "No Matter What" made famous by Irish boy band Boyzone. 

Tickets are now on sale for the show which was first produced by The National Theatre in 1996 before transferring to the West End. The musical is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Hayley Bell, wife of legendary Actor Sir John Mills. Set in Louisiana, USA, it tells the story of a group of children who stumble across an escaped killer (The Man) hiding in barn. The children become convinced that the man is in fact Jesus Christ. Whilst the townspeople set out to hunt the fugitive down, their anger is in complete contrast to the innocence of the children who believe in and trust the escaped prisoner.

Speaking about finally being back in the rehearsal room following the easing of lockdown restrictions, Artistic Director and Musical Director Simon Phillips said 

"We are absolutely delighted to be back working on producing a large-scale show again after 18 months of working without an audience. It is particularly pleasing for us to have the opportunity to stage this somewhat underrated Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It is great to be able to invite a number of adults to join the company to make the storytelling even more exciting, particularly the role of "The Man" which is very much a tour de force in musical theatre. We hope that there will be lots of interest in our auditions and we are looking forward to getting started on what we know will be a very exciting musical. Once again, we have the talented Claire Thompson onboard to provide us with some fantastic costumes and we have assembled a 14 strong live orchestra for the production which will be staged to the usual high standards which our audiences have come to expect."

Anyone interested in auditioning for the show should register their initial interest via the website:

otmyt.co.uk/wdtw-auditions

Closing date - Sunday 17th October.