Announcing Auditions for LONJ’s upcoming production of The Pirates of Penzance
Director, Music Director and Choreographer to be announced
Show Dates: July 11 at 7:30 PM, July 12 at 2:30 PM and July 13 at 2:30 PM, 2025
Location: Sieminski Theater, 8000 Fellowship Road, Basking Ridge, NJ
Rehearsals: Basking Ridge, NJ starting June 8, 2025
Registration Deadline: March 31, 2025 (live), April 8, 2025 (virtual)
Preliminary Auditions: April 4 and 11, 6 PM to 10 PM in Basking Ridge, NJ (live)
Callback Auditions: April 12, 1 PM to 5 PM in Basking Ridge, NJ
- Registrations for auditions are now open.
- Exact locations for auditions will be emailed to you after you register.
- If you will be unable to attend our callback auditions in person on April 12 between 1 PM and 5 PM, please do not register for a preliminary audition.
- All roles paid. Stipends to cast members vary by role and other factors; the actual amount will be determined when a specific role is offered.
- We do not provide housing.
- Link to Tentative Overall Rehearsal Schedule (required attendance times for individuals will vary)
- If you have any questions, first check our performer FAQs. If you still have any questions, please contact john.lamb@lonj.org
Click here to register.
In-person Preliminary Auditions: Please prepare two contrasting 16-bar cuts in the style of the show (you are encouraged to choose a song from the show. Bring suitable sheet music for the accompanist. We will provide an accompanist, or you may bring your own. You may be asked to stay and read. There will be no dance call at the preliminary auditions.
Virtual Preliminary Auditions: Please provide a link to a video of you performing two contrasting 16-bar cuts in the style of the show (you are encouraged to choose a song from the show.)
Callback Auditions: We will contact those who are being invited to the Callback round to arrange an audition time. Callback auditions will be held in Basking Ridge, NJ on April 12 from 1 PM to 5 PM. Callbacks will be in-person only, not virtual. Callbacks may include a dance/mover call.
Notes: All character ages are “stage ages”- the age the actor appears on stage. These character descriptions reflect initial thoughts and are not set in stone. When the show is cast, further character work will be developed with the actor’s input.
The Pirates of Penzance Character Breakdown
Actors are encouraged to sing from the show. All roles open. Seeking actors of all races for the following roles:
Mabel (high soprano, 20s) – Female romantic lead. Beautiful, courageous, cloyingly sweet diva type. Irritates her sisters by wrapping all the men she encounters around her little finger. Communicates mainly in complex trills and melismas.
Frederic (tenor, 20s) – Male romantic lead. Painfully dutiful, boyishly handsome, innocent, naïve, and smart. He effortlessly charms all the ladies without realizing it. Almost constantly onstage, requiring physical and vocal stamina.
Pirate King (baritone, 30s) – Swashbuckling Errol Flynn type. Energetic and boisterous with a huge personality and not a subtle bone in his body. Confident, athletic and accident-prone. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. An excellent physical comedian.
Ruth (contralto or mezzo, 40s -50s) – Proper British nanny turned piratical maid of all work. Bold and funny, she is the real Pirate leader exercising the power behind the throne. Sings chorus parts with the Pirates, so a strong low range is helpful.
Major General Stanley (comic baritone, 50s-60s) – Prissy, prim, proper and, most of all, quirky father of nearly every female character in the show, all of whom are roughly the same age. Senior British Army officer whose out-of-date military knowledge is highly theoretical. A very experienced comedic actor embodying the very model of a G&S patter man.
Sergeant of Police (bass, 30s-50s) – Timid, philosophical leader of the Police squad, who is in over his head. Dislikes the bits of his job that involve dealing with criminals, but tries his best to keep up appearances.
Edith (mezzo, 20s-early 30s) – The bossy eldest sister and the conservative leader of the group of siblings. Heaps scorn upon the pirates but is secretly excited by the adventure and chaos that they bring.
Kate (mezzo, 20s) – The smart, responsible and repressed sister. Second-in-command behind Edith and even more conservative. Humorless at the start, she perks up once the pirates arrive.
Samuel (baritone, 20s-40s) – First mate in the pirate crew. Enthusiastic yes-man to the Pirate King. Easily confused.
Isabel (any female voice type, late teens-20s) – The wide-eyed ditzy sister. Capable of stealing her scenes and an excellent physical comedian.
Chorus (all voice parts, all ages 18+) – ensemble roles including Major General Stanley’s daughters, Pirates and Police.
Mabel (high soprano, 20s) – Female romantic lead. Beautiful, courageous, cloyingly sweet diva type. Irritates her sisters by wrapping all the men she encounters around her little finger. Communicates mainly in complex trills and melismas.
Frederic (tenor, 20s) – Male romantic lead. Painfully dutiful, boyishly handsome, innocent, naïve, and smart. He effortlessly charms all the ladies without realizing it. Almost constantly onstage, requiring physical and vocal stamina.
Pirate King (baritone, 30s) – Swashbuckling Errol Flynn type. Energetic and boisterous with a huge personality and not a subtle bone in his body. Confident, athletic and accident-prone. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. An excellent physical comedian.
Ruth (contralto or mezzo, 40s or 50s) – Proper British nanny turned piratical maid of all work. Bold and funny, she is the real Pirate leader exercising the power behind the throne. Sings chorus parts with the Pirates, so a strong low range is helpful.
Major General Stanley (comic baritone, 50s-60s) – Prissy, prim, proper and, most of all, quirky father of nearly every female character in the show, all of whom are roughly the same age. Senior British Army officer whose out-of-date military knowledge is highly theoretical. A very experienced comedic actor embodying the very model of a G&S patter man.
Sergeant of Police (bass, 30s to 50s) – Timid, philosophical leader of the Police squad, who is in over his head. Dislikes the bits of his job that involve dealing with criminals, but tries his best to keep up appearances.
Edith (mezzo, 20s to early 30s) – The bossy eldest sister and the conservative leader of the group of siblings. Heaps scorn upon the pirates but is secretly excited by the adventure and chaos that they bring.
Kate (mezzo, 20s) – The smart, responsible and repressed sister. Second-in-command behind Edith and even more conservative. Humorless at the start, she perks up once the pirates arrive.
Samuel (baritone, 20s to 40s) – First mate in the pirate crew. Enthusiastic yes-man to the Pirate King. Easily confused.
Isabel (any female voice type, late teens to 20s) – The wide-eyed ditzy sister. Capable of stealing her scenes and an excellent physical comedian.
Chorus (all voice parts, all ages 18+) – ensemble roles including Major General Stanley’s daughters, Pirates and Police.
Mabel (high soprano, 20s) – Female romantic lead. Beautiful, courageous, cloyingly sweet diva type. Irritates her sisters by wrapping all the men she encounters around her little finger. Communicates mainly in complex trills and melismas.
Frederic (tenor, 20s) – Male romantic lead. Painfully dutiful, boyishly handsome, innocent, naïve, and smart. He effortlessly charms all the ladies without realizing it. Almost constantly onstage, requiring physical and vocal stamina.
Pirate King (baritone, 30s) – Swashbuckling Errol Flynn type. Energetic and boisterous with a huge personality and not a subtle bone in his body. Confident, athletic and accident-prone. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. An excellent physical comedian.
Ruth (contralto or mezzo, 40s or 50s) – Proper British nanny turned piratical maid of all work. Bold and funny, she is the real Pirate leader exercising the power behind the throne. Sings chorus parts with the Pirates, so a strong low range is helpful.
Major General Stanley (comic baritone, 50s-60s) – Prissy, prim, proper and, most of all, quirky father of nearly every female character in the show, all of whom are roughly the same age. Senior British Army officer whose out-of-date military knowledge is highly theoretical. A very experienced comedic actor embodying the very model of a G&S patter man.
Sergeant of Police (bass, 30s to 50s) – Timid, philosophical leader of the Police squad, who is in over his head. Dislikes the bits of his job that involve dealing with criminals, but tries his best to keep up appearances.
Edith (mezzo, 20s to early 30s) – The bossy eldest sister and the conservative leader of the group of siblings. Heaps scorn upon the pirates but is secretly excited by the adventure and chaos that they bring.
Kate (mezzo, 20s) – The smart, responsible and repressed sister. Second-in-command behind Edith and even more conservative. Humorless at the start, she perks up once the pirates arrive.
Samuel (baritone, 20s to 40s) – First mate in the pirate crew. Enthusiastic yes-man to the Pirate King. Easily confused.
Isabel (any female voice type, late teens to 20s) – The wide-eyed ditzy sister. Capable of stealing her scenes and an excellent physical comedian.
Chorus (all voice parts, all ages 18+) – ensemble roles including Major General Stanley’s daughters, Pirates and Police.