“Waitress” Auditions

You're invited to audition for the first production of CTC's 101st Season, Waitress

Book by Jessie Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Based on the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly

Directed by Beth Gumnick
Musical Direction by John Echols
Choreography by Jenison Eduave

Auditions will be held in-person on Monday, July 8th, Tuesday, July 9th, and Wednesday, July 10th at 7:30PM - 10:30PM at Chattanooga Theatre Centre, located at 400 River Street.

Callbacks will be Thursday, July 11th at 7:30PM.

Video auditions will not be accepted.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker, is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon the dream of opening her own pie shop…until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town's handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she's been missing all along — courage.

ROLES AVAILABLE:

We're looking for strong singers with a pop/folk/rock/soul style who can harmonize and blend with ease. None of the available roles are ethnicity-specific. All audition participants must be 18 or older. 

JENNA – Female, 20s-40s. A woman stuck in her life as an unhappily married waitress in a small town who finds some happiness and expression through her meticulous baking of pies and her friendships with her coworkers, Dawn and Becky. Lives her life paycheck-to-paycheck, day by day, and wants nothing more than to get away and start fresh, unbeknownst to her destructive husband, Earl. 

DAWN – Female. Jenna's friend and  waitress at Joe's diner. She’s slightly unusual and obsessive. 

BECKY – Female. Jenna's friends and a waitress at Joe's diner. Becky is irreverent, unapologetic, been there, made it back, and somehow kept moving forward. She has a wicked sense of humor with excellent comedic timing. 

DR. POMATTER – Male. Handsome, endearing, and neurotic. Has a warm, if clumsy, matter. Jenna’s gynecologist with whom an unexpected extramarital affair is born. Has a quirky sense of humor and a big heart, even though he’s contributing to the affair. 

EARL – Male. Jenna’s husband. Handsome in a gruff way, but that face is clouded with broken dreams, drowned with cheap beer. Just enough narcissism mixed with stupidity, to be a potent Molotov cocktail that can explode into unexpected anger one second and then turn into a sobbing mess the next.

OGIE – Male. Strange, yet oddly lovable. Becomes slightly obsessed with Dawn (in a hilarious yet endearing way) after she goes on a 5-minute date with him. Quirky, incredibly persistent, and odd, yet kind.

JOE – Male or Female, 60s or older. The owner of the diner where Jenna, Dawn, Becky, and Cal work. A seemingly old curmudgeon who has a soft spot for Jenna (and her pie). A sarcastically funny and no-nonsense person with a keen ability to read people. 

CAL – Male. A chef at the diner. A “Salt of the Earth'' guy's guy surrounded by gals. Brash, impatient, unsentimental, but somehow charming. 

ENSEMBLE – Male and Female. Roles include community members that make up the town where Jenna lives.

HOW TO PREPARE:

24 hours prior to auditions, all those who have signed up will receive any updated information you need for the audition. No preparation is required to audition. You are not required to have a headshot; we will take photos of actors at the audition. You should wear comfortable clothing and be ready for movement exercises. You do not need to prepare a song as one will be taught during auditions. The only preparation necessary is that you have a list of ANY conflicts you might have with rehearsal. This is vital! We MUST know any days you will miss in ADVANCE of casting.

ABOUT PERFORMANCE DATES:

Performances are September 13 - 29, 2024. (11 performances), Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays 2:30 pm (Actors are called one hour prior to showtime).You must also be available for tech rehearsals starting September 8, 2024.

F.A.Q.

“Where do I park?”
You can park in the lot right across from the Theatre Centre. It is free to park there ONLY IF you pick up a parking pass inside and place it in your car before you audition. We recommend that you pull up to the Circle Lobby doors and obtain the pass from the greeting station set up at the concession stand, before parking in the lot.

“There are multiple days of auditions, do I come to all of them?”
The short answer is: “no.” Please don’t come to both audition days, it doesn’t help your chances of getting a role. However, the callbacks for the show will be held on the Thursday immediately following the audition, so if you have a conflict with that day, please let us know at the audition.

“Is it okay to arrive at 7:30PM for the audition?”
Just be aware that there is an audition form that must be filled out before you can audition. So if you can arrive 15-30 minutes early, it would be less stressful for you and more helpful for us if you can have that done by the time the audition begins.

“How old do I need to be to audition?”
For this show, all actors must be 18 or older.

“Do I need to prepare a monologue?”
No. The only preparation necessary is that you have a list of ANY conflicts you might have with rehearsal. This is vital! We MUST know any days you will miss in ADVANCE of casting.

“Is there a fee or what does it cost to audition or perform?”
Participation at CTC is COMPLETELY FREE! You don’t have to purchase a script or your costume. All we ask is that you commit to arriving to scheduled rehearsals on time and agree to attend all the rehearsals and performances that are required.

“Where do I find out if I have a callback?”
“Like” our Facebook page and look for notices. If you don’t have Facebook, you can check back on this page. We typically announce callbacks the day after auditions. Callbacks are usually at 7:30PM on Thursday of that same week. If your name isn’t on the callback list, you might still be cast, so check back for a complete cast list on Friday, after 12 noon.

“When is the cast announced?”
Usually, a cast will be posted on our Theatre Centre Facebook page or on this page on Friday of the same week as the audition.

“Where is the play performed?”
This show will be performed in the Mainstage Theatre at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.

For further questions, please reach out to hello@theatrecentre.com 

To volunteer as a crew member, email annie@theatrecentre.com.