Matilda Jr. Auditions
Thank you for your interest in auditioning for Matilda, our Spring Musical!
All of the information you need to audition is here on this page or just a click away with the links below.
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1) PERFORMANCES -
2) REHEARSALS A detailed rehearsal schedule is not available yet, but know that rehearsals will generally follow the pattern below.
3) COSTS
$100 Musical Activity Fee - included in 2021/2022 school tuition All students will be expected to purchase the appropriate shoes, undergarments, and makeup that go along with their character. Specifics TBA at a later date. Optional costs to be paid at a later date:
4) AUDITION PROCEDURE
There are a variety of dancing, singing, speaking and non-speaking roles in the show. This is your opportunity to convince the directors that you are a good fit for this production, so give it your all! Students may audition for more than one role, but only need to submit one video audition. All students auditioning for Matilda Jr. will need to:
AUDITION SCHEDULE
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5) COMMITMENT
We are excited about this production! As you consider this auditioning process, please keep in mind that every single role in this show is vital. We hope that your attitude is one where you want to contribute to the success of this show in whatever way you can serve it best, whether that role is Ensemble or a principal role. Remember, half the fun of doing a musical is creating new friendships and having the opportunity to work together towards a common goal that will create a life-long memory.
We are looking forward to your audition. Please let Mrs. Cowley know if you have any questions.
6) CONFLICT FORM
One of the most important pieces of information that you will give the directors is your conflict form. Every effort will be made to schedule around conflicts IF WE KNOW ABOUT THEM NOW! Please completely fill out the form. Please submit conflict forms and contracts by Saturday, November 6, 2021 .
We are excited about this production! As you consider this auditioning process, please keep in mind that every single role in this show is vital. We hope that your attitude is one where you want to contribute to the success of this show in whatever way you can serve it best, whether that role is Ensemble or a principal role. Remember, half the fun of doing a musical is creating new friendships and having the opportunity to work together towards a common goal that will create a life-long memory.
We are looking forward to your audition. Please let Mrs. Cowley know if you have any questions.
6) CONFLICT FORM
One of the most important pieces of information that you will give the directors is your conflict form. Every effort will be made to schedule around conflicts IF WE KNOW ABOUT THEM NOW! Please completely fill out the form. Please submit conflict forms and contracts by Saturday, November 6, 2021 .
CHARACTER ROLES &
What to include in your audition video
Students will be auditioning for a SPECIFIC ROLE from the characters listed below. Choose one character or character group and follow the guidelines for each character.
Each video should include (in this order):
Each video should include (in this order):
- Student's name and grade at SMES
- What character he or she is auditioning for this year
- The required song listed below
- The required dialogue should be read or memorized (memorizing will help you get into character) Show us your acting skills!
- A parent of family member can say the lines of the other character if your character's dialogue calls for it
- Thank you!
Matilda Jr. Characters
Every role is an important part of our show! Below you will find adult roles and roles for children. Adult roles have an asterisk (*) next to them.
- Matilda Wormwood - The hero of the show. She’s brilliant, resilient, creative, and kind, despite growing up in difficult circumstances. Her parents treat her poorly, but Matilda escapes into a world of books, which puts her reading level far above the other children in her class, and she develops a bit of magical power in an effort to defeat Trunchbull.
- Eric- A student at school with Matilda.
- Amanda- A student at school with Matilda.
- Bruce- One of Matilda’s schoolmates. He has the bad luck to get caught after eating Trunchbull’s cake.
- Hortensia- Alice, Hortensia, and Tommy are classmates of Matilda.
- Alice- Alice, Hortensia, and Tommy are classmates of Matilda.
- Tommy- Alice, Hortensia, and Tommy are classmates of Matilda.
- Lavender- One of the kids at school with Matilda. She is kind and bright (though not as brilliant as Matilda) and quickly decides that Matilda is her best friend.
- Nigel- One of the kids at school with Matilda. He is enthusiastic, sweet, and always in a bit of a panic.
- Mr. Wormwood- Matilda’s father. He is egotistical, rude, and not very bright, not to mention a liar. Though Mr. Wormwood is not a good person and he is mean to Matilda, his harebrained schemes can be hilariously funny.
- *Mrs. Wormwood- Matilda’s mother. Like her husband, she dislikes Matilda and does not understand why her daughter loves to read. Mrs. Wormwood is selfish, obsessed with her own appearance, and believes everything she sees on TV. Her dancing lessons with Rudolpho are the most important part of her day.
- Michael- Matilda’s brother. He is not very bright, though he is the apple of his father’s eye.
- *Mrs. Phelps- The kindly librarian who loves hearing Matilda’s stories.
- *Escapologist- A character of Matilda’s creation. Everything this character does is grand and exaggerated – he’s performing for the cheap seats!
- *Acrobat- A product of Matilda’s imagination.
- *Miss Honey A teacher at Matilda’s school. She is kind, is generous, and really cares about the children despite her own desperate circumstances.
- *Agatha Trunchbull- The quintessential terrifying tyrant. As headmistress, she runs her school like a dictator, making up arbitrary rules to suit her every whim and dreaming up creative punishments.
- *Rudolpho- Mrs. Wormwood’s self-obsessed dance teacher.
- *Sergei- A customer swindled by Mr. Wormwood. Though he shows up looking for payback, Matilda has had quite enough of revenge, and Sergei lets the Wormwoods escape.
- Ensemble- Ensemble roles include Russians, Little Kids, Big Kids (including Big Kid 1, Big Kid 2, and Big Kid 3), Kids, Mums, Dads, the Cook, and the Mechanic.
Here are a few tips to help you prepare:
- Dialects: Most characters in this show have British accents.
- Expect Your Best – Setting high standards for yourself will help you to perform well.
- Be Prepared – Take the time to understand what you’re singing, memorize the song, and show that you can perform! (Don’t just sing!)
- Be Confident - Relax and believe in yourself, but demonstrate stage presence, and project your voice.
- Make eye contact with the camera!
- Have Fun - This process is about having fun, so be proud that you have had the courage to audition, and be excited by the knowledge that you will be part of something special regardless of the part you are assigned.
Audition Part 1 - Singing Audition
Record yourself singing one of these songs for auditions. If your character isn't listed, pick any song you would like!
The following roles are speaking roles with no solo singing lines:
Students auditioning for one of these roles can pick any song to sing from above.
Students auditioning for one of these roles can pick any song to sing from above.
- Mr. Wormwood
- Mrs. Wormwood
- Michael
- Mea. Phelps
- Rudolpho
- Sergei
Audition Part 2 - Acting and Lines
Choose one of the scenes to act out during your audition video. It doesn’t have to be a certain character.
Ask a family member to read for the other characters in your scene.
Ask a family member to read for the other characters in your scene.
Mr. Wormwood, Mrs. Wormwood, Matilda, Michael
MR. WORMWOOD - Everyone, gather round; I want my family to share in my triumph.
(to MATILDA) Not you, boy.
MATILDA I'm a girl!(MATILDA hovers, uninvited.)
MR. WORMWOOD - One hundred and fifty-five old bangers on my hands. How could I possibly make the mileage go back? I couldn't very well drive each one backwards could I?
MICHAEL - Backwards.
MR. WORMWOOD - When suddenly I had the most genius idea in the world! I grabbed a drill and, using my incredible mind, I attached the drill to the speedometer of the first car, turned it on and whacked it into reverse.
MICHAEL - Back... wards.
MR. WORMWOOD - Exactly! Within a few minutes I had reduced the mileage to practically nothing.
MICHAEL - Backwards!
MR. WORMWOOD - Ten minutes later the Russians show up. Expensive suits, dark glasses-
MRS. WORMWOOD - Russians are nocturnal; I saw it on a program last night.
MATILDA - That was a program about badgers.
Lavender, Any Child, Matilda, Nigel, Big Kid
LAVENDER (any child) - Matilda, do all those brains in your head give you a headache? I mean it's got to hurt, all squished in there.
MATILDA - No, it's fine. I think they just... fit.
LAVENDER - Well, I'd better hang around just in case they start to squeeze out of your ears. I'm Lavender. And I think it's probably for the best if we're best friends. (LAVENDER holds her hand out. They shake. NIGEL enters, panicked.)
NIGEL - Hide me! Someone poured a whole can of treacle onto Trunchbull's chair! Someone told her I did it and now she's after me!
MATILDA - That's not fair!
BIG KID 2 -Once Agatha Trunchbull decides you're guilty you are squished.
Miss Honey
MISS HONEY - I'm not strong like you, Matilda. My father died when I was young. Magnus was his name and he was very kind. But when he was gone, my aunt became my legal guardian. She was mean and cruel like you can hardly imagine. And then, when I got my job as a teacher, she presented me with a bill for looking after me all those years. And she made me sign a contract to pay her back every penny. She even produced a document that said my father had given her his entire house.
Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey
TRUNCHBULL (to MISS HONEY) Sit. (MISS HONEY sits.) Miss Honey, you believe in kindness and fluffiness and books and stories. That is not teaching! To teach the child, we must first break the child. (She blows a whistle. The KIDS march on, stop, silent. Pause.) Quiet you maggots!!!
MISS HONEY - But no one was speaking, Miss Trunchbull.
TRUNCHBULL - Miss Honey, when I say 'Quiet, you maggots', you are entirely included in that statement. Where is my jug of water?
LAVENDER - I'll get it Miss Trunchbull. (LAVENDER gets up. She is hugely excited. She cannot help but give the audience a huge thumbs-up as she goes.)
TRUNCHBULL - Stupid girl.(to the others) Look at you. Flabby! Disgusting! Revolting! Revolting, I say! I think it's time we toughened you all up with a little... Phys-ed.
Bruce
BRUCE (to the audience) Okay, look, I stole the cake. And honestly I was really, definitely, sort of almost thinking about owning up... maybe? But I was having a lot of trouble with my belly. The Trunchbull's cake was so good that I'd scoffed it down too quick and now it was beginning to fight back.
(His belly rumbles.) See?
Matilda, Mrs. Phelps, Escapologist, Trunchbull
MATILDA -And so the great day arrived. Everything was arranged by the Acrobat's sister - a frightening woman who used to be an Olympic-class hammer thrower, and who loved nothing better than to scare the children of the town. Suddenly, out came the Escapologist.
ESCAPOLOGIST - Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... (chord) The Burning Woman Hurling Through The Air (chord) With Dynamite In Her Hair (chord) Over Sharks And Spiky Objects (chord), Caught By The Man Locked In The Cage... (chord) has been... cancelled.
MRS. PHELPS - No!
ESCAPOLOGIST - Cancelled because my wife is... pregnant.
MRS. PHELPS - So it has a happy ending?
MATILDA - No! Just then the Acrobat's sister stepped forward and produced... a contract.
TRUNCHBULL - (offstage) I have paid for the posters, publicity, the catering, the toilet facilities. Where is my profit? A contract is a contract. You will perform on this day or off to prison you both shall go!
MRS. PHELPS - No, no! W-w-what happens next?
MATILDA - I don't know, yet. I'll tell you tomorrow.
MR. WORMWOOD - Everyone, gather round; I want my family to share in my triumph.
(to MATILDA) Not you, boy.
MATILDA I'm a girl!(MATILDA hovers, uninvited.)
MR. WORMWOOD - One hundred and fifty-five old bangers on my hands. How could I possibly make the mileage go back? I couldn't very well drive each one backwards could I?
MICHAEL - Backwards.
MR. WORMWOOD - When suddenly I had the most genius idea in the world! I grabbed a drill and, using my incredible mind, I attached the drill to the speedometer of the first car, turned it on and whacked it into reverse.
MICHAEL - Back... wards.
MR. WORMWOOD - Exactly! Within a few minutes I had reduced the mileage to practically nothing.
MICHAEL - Backwards!
MR. WORMWOOD - Ten minutes later the Russians show up. Expensive suits, dark glasses-
MRS. WORMWOOD - Russians are nocturnal; I saw it on a program last night.
MATILDA - That was a program about badgers.
Lavender, Any Child, Matilda, Nigel, Big Kid
LAVENDER (any child) - Matilda, do all those brains in your head give you a headache? I mean it's got to hurt, all squished in there.
MATILDA - No, it's fine. I think they just... fit.
LAVENDER - Well, I'd better hang around just in case they start to squeeze out of your ears. I'm Lavender. And I think it's probably for the best if we're best friends. (LAVENDER holds her hand out. They shake. NIGEL enters, panicked.)
NIGEL - Hide me! Someone poured a whole can of treacle onto Trunchbull's chair! Someone told her I did it and now she's after me!
MATILDA - That's not fair!
BIG KID 2 -Once Agatha Trunchbull decides you're guilty you are squished.
Miss Honey
MISS HONEY - I'm not strong like you, Matilda. My father died when I was young. Magnus was his name and he was very kind. But when he was gone, my aunt became my legal guardian. She was mean and cruel like you can hardly imagine. And then, when I got my job as a teacher, she presented me with a bill for looking after me all those years. And she made me sign a contract to pay her back every penny. She even produced a document that said my father had given her his entire house.
Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey
TRUNCHBULL (to MISS HONEY) Sit. (MISS HONEY sits.) Miss Honey, you believe in kindness and fluffiness and books and stories. That is not teaching! To teach the child, we must first break the child. (She blows a whistle. The KIDS march on, stop, silent. Pause.) Quiet you maggots!!!
MISS HONEY - But no one was speaking, Miss Trunchbull.
TRUNCHBULL - Miss Honey, when I say 'Quiet, you maggots', you are entirely included in that statement. Where is my jug of water?
LAVENDER - I'll get it Miss Trunchbull. (LAVENDER gets up. She is hugely excited. She cannot help but give the audience a huge thumbs-up as she goes.)
TRUNCHBULL - Stupid girl.(to the others) Look at you. Flabby! Disgusting! Revolting! Revolting, I say! I think it's time we toughened you all up with a little... Phys-ed.
Bruce
BRUCE (to the audience) Okay, look, I stole the cake. And honestly I was really, definitely, sort of almost thinking about owning up... maybe? But I was having a lot of trouble with my belly. The Trunchbull's cake was so good that I'd scoffed it down too quick and now it was beginning to fight back.
(His belly rumbles.) See?
Matilda, Mrs. Phelps, Escapologist, Trunchbull
MATILDA -And so the great day arrived. Everything was arranged by the Acrobat's sister - a frightening woman who used to be an Olympic-class hammer thrower, and who loved nothing better than to scare the children of the town. Suddenly, out came the Escapologist.
ESCAPOLOGIST - Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... (chord) The Burning Woman Hurling Through The Air (chord) With Dynamite In Her Hair (chord) Over Sharks And Spiky Objects (chord), Caught By The Man Locked In The Cage... (chord) has been... cancelled.
MRS. PHELPS - No!
ESCAPOLOGIST - Cancelled because my wife is... pregnant.
MRS. PHELPS - So it has a happy ending?
MATILDA - No! Just then the Acrobat's sister stepped forward and produced... a contract.
TRUNCHBULL - (offstage) I have paid for the posters, publicity, the catering, the toilet facilities. Where is my profit? A contract is a contract. You will perform on this day or off to prison you both shall go!
MRS. PHELPS - No, no! W-w-what happens next?
MATILDA - I don't know, yet. I'll tell you tomorrow.
