Act II: Auditions

This is part two in a series on the anatomy of a Four County Players’ production. In this series we will follow the Barboursville theater’s March musical, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” from conception to opening curtain.

The main stage at the Four County Players Theater in Barboursville sits mostly empty, the rows and rows of seats revealing a symmetry usually hidden when filled with an audience. In the middle of the theater sit two people; onstage stands a man clutching a piece of paper, while a woman sits at a piano, fingers at the ready. The audition process is a very personal affair—aspiring actors and theater junkies have seconds with which to show their best selves. The dream of standing naked onstage is more metaphor than nightmare, or really it’s a little bit of both.

“Whenever you’re ready,” said Bob Davis from the center of the theater.

It was then that Dave Normansell, retired professor of pathology, eyes glancing upwards, his body swaying slightly, his hands hanging and gripping the paper, sang a song about a hippopotamus.

“Mud! Mud! Glorious mud! Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood,” sang Normansell.

“You know, you’re the third person tonight to sing that song,” joked Davis as the audition ended.

For two nights last November, Davis held auditions at the Four County Players Theater for the playhouse’s spring musical production of “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” The first night, a Thursday, saw a modest turnout as many of the Charlottesville theater scene’s major players were in the midst of rehearsals for “The Producers” at Live Arts. Friday looked to fill out a bulk of the production’s cast. The auditions would be the first time many of those trying out had even begun to think about “Pimpernel,” though the project had been kicking around in Davis’ mind and on the Four County Players’ schedule for a year.

It is in this early stage that a search for identity takes place. Davis has seen his characters in his mind for months and auditions to him are matching figment and reality. For most of the actors, theater is a hobby, the spare moments between the workday, between cooked meals and meetings, the occasional revisiting of a passion that can only be found on the stage. Everyone is auditioning to be someone else for three months, or perhaps to be the person they’ve always known themselves to be.

“There were several PhDs out there tonight. We’re all grossly overeducated,” laughed Wendy Novicoff, the producer for “Pimpernel” and Davis’ wife, who happens to be a PhD herself.

As the production is a musical, auditions consist of singing and line-reading. For the singing portion, those trying out sing a portion of a prepared song while Davis and Boggs take notes.

“Don’t worry if I cut you off mid-song, I’m doing it to everyone,” explains Davis to each person before they start.

Most who audition call Davis by “Bob” and he returns with their first name. The butterfly- swallowing, jelly-kneed terror of auditions seems to not exist at Four County Players. The fear that keeps many otherwise normal, well adjusted citizens stuck in the audience rather than onstage, and generally for a lifetime, has been replaced by a revolving door of old friends meeting and singing songs.

“I think it probably helps the auditioners to know the director, because it’s not as intimidating,” said Davis. “But it’s harder for me as the director, because I have to stay objective and judge each audition independently. Although if someone I know is a great singer and on a given night they’re not getting a song I’ve heard them sing beautifully before, then I know they’re just having a bad night and won’t hold it against them.”

Those who auditioned were encouraged to put down “all” for the roles they were willing to play, said Davis, explaining the difficulty of casting such a large musical in a community theater.

“Since it’s a musical, we were looking for people who were singers and actors, but in this case probably place more importance on the singing,” said Davis. “Four County Players, being a community theater, it limits your choices. You’re not going to perfectly meet your requirements, but you try the best you can to get the ages of the love interests close and all the actors to fit the part as you conceive it.”

When it comes time to make the casting decisions, to actually lend flesh and life to worlds that otherwise exist as typed words and sheet music, Davis said he can sometimes worry about hurting feelings, but that everyone who auditions has heard that difficult news before.

“Some people are auditioning just to be in the production and they don’t care which part they get, but others want a specific role and decide it’s not worth it to them to continue on if they don’t get it,” said Davis. “I understand that. This is a big commitment, both of time and energy. But experienced people doing theater know how the decisions are made and there aren’t any hard feelings.”

Davis said that the potluck feel to the proceedings was not a coincidence or recent occurrence, but that many of the area’s theaters see the same response.

“If you go to any theater in the area, chances are you’re going to see the same group trying out for a show,” said Davis. “There’s certainly a collective of theater people in the Charlottesville area and by and large you’ll see the same people at each audition.”

One of those that Davis didn’t know was Rachel Quagliariello, a classically trained opera singer who auditioned for the musical’s lead female role of Marguerite. Quagliariello teaches music at Southern Virginia University and Mary Baldwin College and said she hopes to use productions like “The Scarlet Pimpernel” to potentially propel her to a larger stage someday.

“This is what I love to do and hope to do for my life, perform in front of people,” said Quagliariello. “I have friends in New York who are performers and they’re waiting tables. Here, I’m in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” and no one can say that in New York.”

Perhaps with somewhat less ambition for his life in theater, Scott Anzuini, works at SNL Financial in Charlottesville during the day, but auditioned to keep his love for theater alive. While he said the nerves of an audition are always there, no matter how much experience one has, the shift from his work to the stage isn’t a difficult one.

“You always have some level of nervousness,” said Anzuini. “But this isn’t a hard transition to make. This is where I have fun.”

Davis arranges a few actors on stage for a reading from the script. He warns them that since the musical is set in both France and England, accents will be required. A selection is chosen for the reading and Dan Stern, who previously worked with Davis on “1776” at Four County Players, launches into a French accent laden with crusty baguettes and dark red wines and is nearly incomprehensible.

“Alright, let me just stop you right there,” said Davis. “Let’s try it with a lot less.”

Stern said his previous experience with Davis is what brought him out to audition.

“It was a great show, very well-received,” said Stern. “I love Wendy and Bob and this is a great place to perform.”

After two nights of auditions, callbacks were needed for the three lead roles. Two people per role were called back to the theater a few days later for what ended up being two hours of line-reading and singing.

“I was hoping not to need callbacks, but we didn’t really have a clear choice. After a couple hours we started to see who would be best in the roles,” said Davis.

Quagliariello was one of those called back and one who feared her second chance at the role had fallen somewhat flat.

“I was hoping not to need a callback, that they would see it right away,” she said. “I actually felt better about my first readings, but the singing was better at the callback.”

The digital age has replaced the scene from the movie where the hopeful actors crowd around a tacked up piece of paper revealing the cast, one of them squealing in surprise and excitement and another walking away disappointed. An email was sent out with the cast list, 23 altogether. Quagliariello as her desired Marguerite, Anzuini as Percy, the role he hoped for, Stern as Dewhurst and Normansell in the ensemble.

The next installment in the series will introduce more characters through the rehearsal process, as “The Scarlet Pimpernel” works its way toward its March opening.