The Last Frontier Audition Preparation:

1. A musical theatre song of 16 to 32 bars that demonstrates your age and vocal range. Please provide an accompaniment track.

2. An age-appropriate monologue of your choice, approximately one minute.

3. We recommend reading the script and listening to the music using the following link:

https://www.unleashedheartproductions.com/premiere-of-canadian-musical

Please contact Michael Armstrong for an audition time: thelastfrontiermusical@gmail.com

Casting Call

Principals

Ron, male, 30-35, tenor/baritone: Ron is a doctor, married to Joanne. He is work oriented, excited about his new opportunity as a frontier doctor in a large logging camp and the challenge of living and working in the wilderness with the men of the frontier. He’s away on rounds in the other camps a lot.

Joanne, female, 28-33, soprano: Joanne is married to Ron. She trained as a nurse before marrying but hasn’t worked in that field since marrying except helping her husband in the office. She wants to support Ron but isn’t excited about coming to the rough and ready life of the logging camp. She feels alone here.

Frank, male, 35 -50, tenor: Frank is the superintendent of the logging camp. He is Irish and can sing like a thrush. His men admire him and are proud to work for him. Most importantly, he is incredibly charming. Bonus points for being able to play the guitar.

Supporting Roles

• Milly, female, 28-33: Milly is Joanne’s dearest friend and Ron’s sister-in-law. Except for a short scene at the beginning, she appears in Joanne’s imagination through the letters that the two exchange. She is unhappily married to Ron’s brother and pregnant throughout the play.

• Grandmother, female, 55-70: Grandmother is an Anishinaabe elder: probably Ojibwe, with roots on both sides of the border. She is a herbalist and a teacher. She forms a friendship with Joanne and becomes a mentor for her. She despairs about the damage the settlers are doing to the environment she depends on. With the right actor, she will sing a prayer for the pine in Anishinabemowin or Ojibwemowin.

• Gertie, female, 45-60, mezzo soprano: Gertie is the wife of the local Indian Agent, Les Beatty. She is a leader among the small female population of the area and is a member of the local women’s club. She presents as a bit of a hyperactive ditz but has a lot of layers.

• Jane Williams, female, 40-60, soprano: Jane is the wife of the local Methodist minister. She leads the church choir and fancies herself somewhat of an operatic diva. She is also a member of the women’s club.

• Caroline Hines, female, 40-60: Caroline is the wife of the owner of the logging company. She also is a representative of the regional association of women’s groups. She lives elsewhere but comes to town for the meetings of this new women’s group to help get them off the ground. She is somewhat arrogant.

• Marie Claire Tremblay, female, 35-55: Marie Claire is French Canadian. She and her husband run the fishing lodge on the nearby lake. She belongs to the women’s club and is a bit of a free spirit.

• Amelia Hines, female, late teens, soprano: Amelia is Caroline’s niece. She has been kicked out of her own home for being a trouble maker and is currently Caroline’s ward. This is her last stop before reform school. She has a part time job as a delivery girl for the logging company and has her eye on one of the young lads working for the company.

• Crook Neck Mike, male, late teens to mid twenties, tenor: Mike works for the company repairing and maintaining the phone lines. He has torticollis; not bad but is noticeable and keeps his neck twisted a little. He is shy and self conscious about this.

• Les Beatty, male, 50-60: Les is the Indian Agent in the area. He cares about the local native population that he oversees but, in the end, is more loyal to the company. Like most of the paternalistic settler population, he believes progress and the ways of the white man will ultimately benefit the natives.

• Cal DeLaittre, male, 30-50: Cal is one of the lead loggers. He is a good logger but he is a bastard and everyone knows it

• Buddy, the cook: Could be an older ex-logger who can no longer work in the woods.He has a song at the top of Act Two, baritone.

Minor Roles

The other loggers:
• Gin Pole, perhaps tall
• Windy Jack, an older logger, this may be his last season
• Frenchie, French Canadian
• Oly Olafson, Scandinavian
• Happy, appears in one scene,
• Mac, appears in one scene,

Other small roles:

Mr. Hansen, appears in one scene
Mrs. Hansen, appears in one scene
Arvid, appears briefly in one scene
Conductor, appears in one scene at beginning
Harvey, Milly’s husband, appears in two scenes at beginning and end.