1776 AUDITIONS

1776 AUDITIONS

Director: Eric Levy

Music Director: Shane Hurst

Choreographer: Becca Tischer

Stage Manager: Melinda Cotton

Producer: Alisha Fowler-Borton

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4BACA62FA7F49-61880771-1776

NOTE: Although the character breakdown consists of 25 men and 2 women, with the exception of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, all roles are open to actors of all gender identities – female presenting actors may audition for male characters and vice-versa. And even though the individuals in the show were historically all white, all roles are open to all races and ethnicities.

The Story

1776 is based on the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the behind-the-scenes deals that led to this fateful moment in the history of the country. It begins on a sweltering day in Philadelphia – May 8, 1776. The Second Continental Congress is in session, and John Adams, the widely disliked delegate from Massachusetts, is enumerating his grievances against King George III and lobbying for independence. The other delegates, already divisive and annoyed by his arguments, demand that he sit down and shut up. After much wrangling and horse-trading, and numerous stirring songs, the play closes as one by one the delegates gather to sign the Declaration of Independence. In the background, as the lights go down, the Liberty Bell tolls loudly. The show premiered on Broadway in 1969 where it received acclaim and won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

For a more detailed, scene-by-scene synopsis, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1776_(musical)

Audition Information

The first two days of auditions will be singing auditions and will be on Saturday and Sunday, February 14 and 15, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. If you wish to be considered for a singing role (including characters that harmonize in smaller group numbers), sign up for a slot on one of these days. These auditions will be held at

Allen Contemporary Theatre

1210 E Main St. #300

Allen, TX 75002

For the singing audition, please prepare two contrasting songs and have either (1) backing tracks for the songs queued on your phone (we will have a Bluetooth speaker there with which to pair your phone) or (2) sheet music for the two songs (our Music Director will have his keyboard with him). We may do some readings from the script, if time permits.

The third day of auditions will be on Monday, February 16 from 7:00 to 10:00 PM and will be acting auditions for individuals interested only in acting roles, as well as callbacks (by invitation) for some of the singers who auditioned on one of the previous two days. These auditions will consist of cold readings from the script and a dance call for the called-back singers. They will NOT take place at Allen Contemporary Theatre but at a location to be determined. Once we have that location secured, we will update this notice and notify anyone signed up for auditions on that day.

Bring a current headshot, resume, and a list of conflicts from May 18 – June 25, 2026. You will also need to complete an audition form, which can be downloaded from the following link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Gb3T4lYcvmTa5jPQHtpfSMdWNDM9SKlI?usp=drive_link

NOTE: Conflicts during tech week and performances will not be accepted.

Production and Rehearsal Information

Performance Dates: June 26 through July 12, 2026, Friday & Saturday evenings @ 8:00 pm and Sunday matinees @ 3:00 pm.

NOTE: Depending on the volume of advance ticket sales, we reserve the right to add Thursday evening performances on July 2 and/or 9 (8:00 pm start) and/or Saturday matinee performances on July 4 and/or 11 (3:00 pm start). If you are cast in the show, you will need to keep those dates and times open.

Rehearsals will begin the week of May 18, 2026 at Allen Contemporary Theatre. Rehearsals will typically run Monday-Thursday evenings from 7-10pm and Sunday afternoons or evenings. Not everyone will be called to every rehearsal. Tech week begins June 21.

ALL ROLES ARE AVAILABLE!

Roles are open to actors 18 years of age and older. Allen Contemporary Theatre seeks diverse performers, including but not limited to, ethnicity, race, color, country of origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, body size, marital status, adults of all ages, religion, beliefs, political affiliations, socioeconomic status, experiences, and any form of disability.

Character Breakdown

To help everyone decide which parts they might be interested in (and more importantly, what parts they are not interested in), we have broken the characters down by size:

Large Roles – These are the leads. They feature prominently in several scenes of the play and have a large amount of lines to memorize. They almost all have to sing solos or harmonize in several musical numbers and do some amount of dancing.

Medium Roles – These characters feature prominently in several scenes in the play and have a fair number of lines to memorize. Roles that only feature in one or two scenes but sing a solo within those scenes are also considered to be medium roles.

Small Roles – These characters feature in one or two scenes and are not burdened with having to memorize a lot of lines. They may sing a few solo bars or harmony in a small group.

For a complete breakdown of every character, the size of the role, whether they sing, and whether they dance, please review the 1776 Character Grid at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Gb3T4lYcvmTa5jPQHtpfSMdWNDM9SKlI?usp=drive_link

NOTE: Virtually all of the characters will be singing “Sit Down, John” – the opening, and only large, musical number in the show. But if you think you are so bad at singing that your voice will ruin even a large group number, do not despair! Shane, our Music Director, assures me that he can “hide” you within the song!