The quirky Canadian musical Ride the Cyclone has never made it to Broadway but has become a genuine Gen Z cult phenomenon and gone viral on TikTok. With a dystopian plot involving a faulty roller coaster, the show’s creators Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell introduce us to the St. Cassian High School chamber choir from Uranium City, Saskatchewan. What could possibly go wrong? What young actor does not yearn to portray one of the doomed teens?
Kat Melton will direct CHT’s November production with Michael Casey serving as musical director. Auditions will be held in the theater (103 Walnut Street) on Sunday, August 4, from 1-3 pm and on Monday and Tuesday (August 5 & 6) 6:30-8: pm in the CHT office directly across from the theatre. Actors should prepare a very short monologue (under 2 minutes) and a one-minute song (please bring music for the pianist). Ideally, these prepared items should not be from Cyclone, but from another contemporary musical show. The auditions will also include cold readings from the script and possibly some movement exercises.
There are roles for three women and three men who can present as teenagers. An additional character, a mechanical device called the Amazing Karkak, can be an actor of any age or gender. The soaring, glorious and memorable music will appeal to audiences of all ages.
The teen roles are:
Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, the class over-achiever
Constance Blackwood, Ocean’s self-loathing sidekick
Jane Doe, because without a head she’s nameless (an operatic soprano)
Noel Gruber, a French film fan and the only gay teen in Uranium
Mischa Bachinski, a Ukrainian adoptee, something of a he-man
Ricky Potts, a mute kid with a way-too-active imagination
Other roles include:
The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune-telling machine
Virgil, a mischievous rat (who also plays the bass guitar in the band)
Ride the Cyclone will open at Church Hill Theatre on November 8 and run through November 24, with performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Please contact the office at 410-556-6003 if you have any questions about the production.
