Please read this full page for audition details, COVID safety information, and the ICCT casting statement.

Auditions for High Fidelity

Audition Dates

August 11 6-8pm,
August 12 1 pm- 5:30pm.

Iowa City Public Library Meeting Room A
If necessary Call Backs will be scheduled for the following week.

HIGH FIDELITY: The Musical
Music by Tom Kitt
Lyrics by Amanda Green
Book by David Lindsay-Abaire
Based on the novel by Nick Hornby
And the Touchstone Pictures Film

Direction by: William Asmus
Musical Direction by: Wes Habley

Show Dates
October 20-21, 27-28 @ 7:30 pm
October 22, 29 @ 2:00 pm

Characters

Principles

Rob
Male Presenting, 25-45
Rock-Tenor
The show’s protagonist. Rob is the owner of a failing record store and audiophile. He recently split from Laura. Which spurs him to explore his past romantic relationships, and reevaluate his life.
Musical Inspiration: Many male artists from the 80s and 90s, Pop, Rock, Hip-hop
Dance Requirements: Moderate
Intimacy Requirements: Moderate to High.

Laura
Female Presenting, 25-45
Rock-Soprano, Strong Belt,
Rob’s most recent ex-girlfriend. A former punk-rocker who is now a corporate lawyer. Strong, confident, smart. The actress also plays fantasy versions of herself in Rob’s head. These range from demure, and hypersexualized “strong female character”.
Musical Inspiration: Pat Benetar, Carrie Underwood, Nirvana
Dance: Moderate to High

Dick
Male Presenting, 20s-30s
Tenor
Rob’s employee/friend. Shy, awkward, afraid to talk to women. Musical Inspiration: The Cure and others
Dance Requirements: Light
Intimacy Requirements: Light

Barry
Male Presenting, 25–45
Bari-Tenor
Rob’s employee and friend. An audiophile with strong opinions. Loud, boisterous, aspiring musician.
Musical Inspiration: Marvin Gay and others
Dance Requirements: Light
Intimacy Requirement*: none to Light

Liz
Female Presenting, 25–45
Mezzo, Strong belt
Rob and Laura’s closest friend. Liz is judgemental, and likes to insert herself in other people’s problems, under the guise of being helpful. She loves to hate drama.
Musical Inspiration: Aretha Franklin
Dance Requirements: Moderate to High
Intimacy Requirements: None to Light

Ian:
Male Presenting, 20’s–50’s High Baritone
Rob’s previous upstairs neighbor, and Laura’s new boyfriend, he is into eastern culture, and specializes in conflict resolution. He primarily appears in Rob’s fantasies. This fantasy version is very flamboyant. Musical Inspiration: Bollywood, George Harrison
Dance Requirements: Moderate to High
Intimacy Requirement: Moderate to High

Marie:
Female Presenting, 20’s–30’s
Soprano
Local singer who may be Rob’s new love interest. Musical Inspiration: Six Pence None the Richer, Indie Dance Requirements: Light
Intimacy Requirements: Light to moderate.

Anna:
Female Presenting, 20’s–30’s
Alto
Customer in store who acts and potential love interest for Dick. Anna is very sweet, funny, and emotionally intelligent.
Dance Requirements: Light
Intimacy requirements: Light

TMPMINW (The Most Pathetic Man In The World)
Male Presenting, 30’s–50s
Baritone
A regular championship vinyl customer that Rob, Barry and Dick refer to as TMPMINW. He is unlucky, but generally a positive and kind guy.
Featured Ensemble
Bruce Springsteen
Baritone, male presenting
A fictional version of Bruce Springsteen in Rob’s head.
Dance Requirements: Moderate

The Ex-Girlfriends
The Girlfriends primarily exist as Rob’s fantasy and in flashbacks of his romantic trauma. They serve as the chorus for many of the musical numbers. Their fantasy versions are stylized based on Rob’s memory of them, and are juxtaposed by their real characters. Musical Inspiration: The Supremes, The Spice Girls, other girl groups.
Dance Requirements: Moderate to High
Intimacy Requirements: Light to Moderate

Allison
Female Presenting, 12 in Flashback, Rob’s age
Rob’s first girlfriend, and first kiss. She left him for another boy.

Penny
Female Presenting, 16 in Flashback, Rob’s age Rob’s High School Girlfriend.

Charlie
Female Presenting, early 20s in flashback, Rob’s age
Rob’s College girlfriend.

Sarah
Female Presenting, 20’s Flashback, Rob’s Age Rob’s girlfriend after Charlie.

Jackie
Female Presenting, 20’s-40’s Another Girlfriend

Championship Vinyl Regulars
Three slackers that frequent championship vinyl. They serve as the chorus for many numbers.
Dancer Requirements: Moderate

Hipster
Male Presenting, 20s-30s

Mohawk Guy
Male Presenting, 20’s–30’s

Futon Guy
Male Presenting, 20’s–30’s

Additional Ensemble

Roadie
Middle Aged Guy (Male Presenting
Back-up Singer(Female Presenting)
Neil Young (Male Presenting)
The Skids (Male Presenting)
Record Store Patrons
Bar Patrons
Dancers

COVID Health and Safety

With the return to live theatre, the ICCT board has voted to take the following precautions with our in-person productions:

• All cast and crew involved with a production are asked to be up-to-date on COVID vaccinations for the health and safety of their fellow volunteers.
• Mask requirements will depend on community transmission level. If high, masks will be required (except for cast during tech week and during performances). If medium, masks encouraged. If low, masks optional.

ICCT Casting Statement

All performers are encouraged to audition for any production.
Almost all of our characters can be played by anybody.
Some roles require skills or attributes which are assessed through an audition process. In limited cases, the licensing contract may require that a character be played by a performer meeting a specific description; when this happens they will always be clearly marked.

Final casting decisions will depend on audition attendance, and the organization bears the responsibility of reaching out to bring a diverse representation of the community to audition. Each director will exercise his or her own discretion in choosing the performer who is the right fit for each role. Where licensing requirements permit, creative casting decisions can be made to allow performers who do not fit the character’s description to play the role. While this type of creative casting is encouraged where appropriate, ICCT commits to casting roles specifically written for members of underrepresented communities as accurately as possible. In situations where such a role cannot be cast from the audition pool, the show director will consult with the ICCT board to determine a solution, possibilities including, but not limited to, adding additional audition dates or selecting an appropriate performer without an audition. Such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

These decisions are not taken lightly, are the responsibility of the show’s production team in collaboration with the Board of Directors, and frequently are made specifically to highlight or contrast human elements of the show.