Auditions - 42nd Street

42nd Street - Audition Submissions

AUDITION SELF-TAPES DUE:
Tuesday 10 March at 10am

Queries? Messenger Leiz or email: leiz@musicaltheatrecrew.com

WELCOME to 42nd STREET AUDITIONS

KEY THEMES AND INTIMACY CONSIDERATIONS

The world of 42nd Street may be set in Broadway of the 1930s, but many of its themes still resonate strongly with today’s performing arts industry. The story explores ambition, hierarchy and the pressure to succeed within a demanding creative environment. Characters operate within clear power structures — directors and producers hold significant authority, established stars carry status, and chorus members or newcomers must earn their place.

These dynamics mirror real rehearsal rooms today, where leadership, experience and opportunity can shape relationships and decision-making. The show invites discussion about intimacy in performance, professinal boundaries and how authority functions in rehearsal rooms today. Directors often need to push performers to achieve their best work, but contemporary theatre practice emphasises doing so with respect, clarity, and collaborative professionalism, ensuring performers feel supported rather than intimidated. Some themes:

  • Peggy Sawyer and Billy Lawlor’s romantic connection, and both balance ambition with vulnerability as they find their footing in the company.

  • Julian Marsh, the driven director, exercising enormous influence over the company and especially the ‘principals’ regarding rehearsal room practice, scope to have a voice, etc.

  • the performance history and past romantic relationship between Dorothy Brock and Pat Denning

  • the power dynamic between Dorothy Brock (the established star, navigates the tension between reputation, patronage and relevance), her patron Abner Dillon and Julian Marsh based securing financial backing and support,

  • Julian Marsh’s relationship to ‘the cast’ as a whole and specifically toward Peggy Sawyer which raises questions about consent, influence and how to navigate personal relationships in professional environments.

In contemporary theatre practice, these moments need to approached thoughtfully, with discussion about context, clear choreography, open communication. Exploring these aspects through 42nd Street helps performers consider how to tell stories involving romance, status and power while maintaining professionalism, safety and respect for everyone in the rehearsal room.

SUBMIT YOUR AUDITION HERE
GOOGLE DRIVE AUDITION INFO

Self-tapes to include the following information:

1. Slate – name, 3 preferred roles (in order), very short sentence about your interest in the show and preferred role/s. Ensure the panel gets a sense of who you are and that you have the right style, energy and conviction for the role/s

2. Song – acting through the song is as important as technical capability

3. Scene – deliver from memory with conviction (consider physicality, gesture, vocal quality/accent, period style) and find moments of change!