A Production of the Citadel Theatre
PRISON DANCER: THE MUSICAL
Music and Lyrics by Romeo Candido
Book by Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
In the Shoctor Theatre
Rehearsal starts: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
1st Preview: Saturday, May 6 2023
Opening: Thursday, May 11 2023
Closing: Sunday, May 28 2023
See below for Character Breakdown.
AUDITIONS IN EDMONTON June 22, 2022
AUDITIONS IN TORONTO June 24 and 25, 2022
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
FOR AUDITIONS IN EDMONTON: June 15, 2022
FOR AUDITIONS IN TORONTO: June 17, 2022
Those selected for an audition will be contacted with further details.
Those auditioning will be asked to prepare a song. A piano accompanist will be provided. Please check the character breakdown for vocal ranges.
Those auditioning will also be given a script selection from the show to prepare.
Those auditioning may also be required to attend a dance call.
To submit your interest, please email resume and headshot to auditions@citadeltheatre.com. Please write “Prison Dancer Edmonton” or “Prison Dancer Toronto” in the subject line. In an effort to reduce paper consumption, we accept online submissions only.
We are accepting video submissions at this time and if you are interested in submitting for a video audition, please write “Prison Dancer Video Submission” in the subject line. If the Director would like to see an audition video, you will be given material to prepare.
Working with Citadel Theatre
We wish to acknowledge that the land on which we live and work is Treaty No. 6 territory and a traditional meeting ground and home of the First Nations, including both the treaty signatories – Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Stony and Cree-Iroquois – as well as other Indigenous peoples, such as the Blackfoot and Métis, who occupied this land. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create and perform on this territory.
The Citadel Theatre is in the heart of amiskwaciwâskahikan ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Edmonton, AB), and we are proud to call Treaty 6 territory home. As a regional theatre, it is integral that we ensure that the stories we tell, as well as the composition of our artists, board, staff, students, and audience are reflective of the diverse lived experiences in this dynamic city. We encourage submissions from professional artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. For more on Citadel Theatre’s Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity commitments, please visit: https://bit.ly/CitadelEDIDetailsAuditions
If there are any potential barriers (language, disability, or any other considerations) preventing you from applying to audition please let us know and we will work with you to overcome them.
Accessibility: Citadel Theatre’s rehearsal facilities are accessible to artists that have mobility access needs. Our building is equipped with elevators and numerous accessible washrooms. Please let us know if you have any questions about the physical layout of our spaces, or other access needs.
Citadel Theatre's COVID-19 Returning Safely Policy
Citadel Theatre’s COVID-19 protocols (such as masking, screening, testing, vaccinations) are a part of our “Returning Safely Policy,” and will be prepared in advance for each production to ensure everyone is safe in the creative process. PLEASE NOTE – Citadel Theatre’s vaccination protocol will be in place for this production: everyone working in the building is expected to be fully vaccinated (if they are medically able). Please be aware of this requirement before you submit a request for an audition. For Prison Dancer The Musical, all COVID-19 protocols will be included in a rider to the contract.
Character Descriptions
We are committed to authentically casting equity-seeking characters, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, d/Deaf and/or disabled characters. The character descriptions below represent our understanding of each character’s identity. We ask that artists only submit for characters within their own lived experience. If you have any questions about a specific role, please contact auditions@citadeltheatre.com
We welcome submissions for these roles from Filipino artists and artists from the wider Asian diaspora who are comfortable playing Filipino.
All of the characters (apart from Cherish and The Warden) are inmates at a men’s prison in the Philippines.
Ruperto Poblador, aka LOLA (all pronouns): Filipino. 20s-30s. Genderfluid / Nonbinary. Amazing dancer, belter, legit but pop style, tenor range. Several solos – will be on-stage for 90% of the show. The undisputed party queen who brings life to the prison with dancing, homemade fashion and drugs. Ultimately becomes the original prison dancer choreographer.
Milky (he/him): Filipino. 20s-40s. Genderfluid / Queer. Pop/Legit baritone or tenor. Graceful, flirtatious, fierce dancer, a little ditzy, great comic timing. A few solo verses and ensemble singing/dancing. One of Lola’s prison gang.
Juicy (he/him): Filipino. 20s-40s. Genderfluid / Queer. Pop/Legit baritone or tenor. Graceful, flamboyant, fierce dancer, snarky, great comic timing. A few solo verses and ensemble singing/dancing. One of Lola’s minions.
The Warden (he/him): Filipino. 40s-50s. Sturdy, powerful, authoritative, charismatic. No solos but required to sing/move along with the ensemble. Tasked with bringing the chaotic prison to order, the new Warden uses unorthodox, sometimes tyrannical methods to discipline the inmates.
Jonard Cervantes, aka SHAKESPEARE (he/him): Filipino. 30s-50s. Will have a solo verse and ensemble singing/dancing. Baritone/Tenor, legit style. Shakespeare is Lola’s partner as well as a drug dealer with a bad temper.
Christian Escodero (he/him): Filipino. 20s-30s. R&B/pop style tenor, must be able to dance/move well. Will have solos, duets and ensemble songs. Christian grew up as a street kid and has been hustling for survival his whole life. A small-time drug pusher who also gets addicted to shabu, against the wishes of his girlfriend, Cherish. Christian is the new guy in prison.
Cherish (she/her): Filipino. 20s-30s. Mezzo-soprano with a strong pop belt. Must be able to dance/move well. Will have a solo, duets and ensemble songs. Cherish is Christian’s girlfriend waiting for him on the outside.
Hookaps (he/him): Filipino. 30s. R&B, pop, rap, hip-hop smoky-voiced style baritone/tenor. Must be able to rap, dance/move well. Hookaps can be as charming or as menacing as his current hustle requires.
Tondo (he/him): Filipino. 30s-40s. Physically imposing but must be able to dance/move well. Ensemble singing. A child of Smokey Mountain, Tondo has survived extreme poverty and endured endless trauma only to end up on Death Row.