Disaster! The Musical!

Directed by Kenzie Ford-Merucci & Sara Ward-Cassady

Music Director: Dr. J. Adam Shelton
Producer: Kim Eckmayer
Choreographer: Kenzie Ford-Merucci
Costume Director: Austin Brummet
Set Designer: Dusty Smith

Don’t miss your chance to see this hilarious homage to the era of bell-bottoms, platform shoes and the hustle, with larger-than-life characters, snappy dialogue and some of the most recognizable songs of the '70s!

Earthquakes, tidal waves, infernos and the unforgettable songs of the '70s take center stage in Broadway’s side-splitting homage to classic disaster films! Disaster! Featuring some of the most unforgettable songs of the '70s. "Knock on Wood," "Hooked on a Feeling," "Sky High," "I Am Woman" and "Hot Stuff," this hilarious musical comedy features a book written by three-time Emmy Award nominee Seth Rudetsky, and Jack Plotnick.

It's 1979, and New York's hottest A-listers are lining up for the opening of a floating casino and discotheque. Also attending is a faded disco star, a sexy nightclub singer with her eleven-year-old twins, a disaster expert, a feminist reporter, an older couple with a secret, a pair of young guys who are looking for ladies, an untrustworthy businessman and a nun with a gambling addiction. What begins as a night of boogie fever quickly changes to panic as the ship succumbs to multiple disasters, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and infernos. As the night turns into day, everyone struggles to survive and, quite possibly, repair the love that they've lost... or at least escape the killer rats.

Produced by Verona Area Community Theater at Badger Ridge Middle School PAC, 300 Richard St.

Performances: October 12-15, 2023

Performance Times:
October 12, 13, & 14 at 7:30pm and on October 14 & 15 at 2:00pm.

Ticket Prices:

Call for reservations or more information.

Auditions

Auditions will be held on the following days:

8/7/2023
8/8/2023

Dates and Times

Monday, August 7 or Tuesday, August 8: Check in beginning at 6:00 pm, audition begins at 6:30.
Callbacks by invite only, Wednesday, August 9: Check in beginning at 6:00 pm, callback begins at 6:30.

You must complete an online registration form. There will be no walk-up registrations.
Location

All auditions will be held in the VACT Building located at 103 Lincoln Street in Verona.
Audition Schedule

Please listen to the cast recording prior to choosing your audition selection.
Auditioners that would like to be considered for a leading role should be prepared to sing 32 bars of a musical theater style song from a CONTEMPORARY show OR a DISCO HIT that demonstrates range and style. If you are interested in the ensemble, please sing 32 bars of a CONTEMPORARY show.
Songs from the show will be used in the callback.
There will be an accompanist at the audition for those who bring in sheet music to accompany their audition. Please bring your sheet music in a three ring binder with as few page turns as possible and any cuts clearly marked. All staves of music, vocal and accompaniment, need to be present. Please do not bring cut off copies for the accompanist.
If auditioners are comfortable operating a backing track ON THEIR OWN for their vocal audition, we will have a speaker set up for that purpose. The auditioner must be comfortable navigating the technology and the timing of the track without assistance from the production team.
No acapella singing will be allowed.
Auditioners should bring a recent photo, no larger than 4 x 6, to the auditions.
There will be a dance audition required for all auditioners. Please wear clothes and shoes you can move in.
Our choreographer will provide an audition choreography INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO ahead of time for the dance audition number. You will receive that video no later than the end of the day on Saturday, July 29th, if you are registered by that date.
It is expected that you are AS FAMILIAR WITH THE DANCE ROUTINES AS POSSIBLE before coming to auditions. There will still be time for questions and review at the audition itself before performing the routines for the production team, but not much.

Additional Audition Information

Please record all known rehearsal conflicts on your online registration form. Because our rehearsal period is limited, it is very important to minimize any absences. We cannot accommodate regular late arrivals or early departures from rehearsals.
Please bring a recent photo to the audition, no larger than 4 x 6.
We will be selecting a cast of between 50-60 people.
We will not accept any day of, walk up, or late registrations. All registrations must be completed by 5pm on Friday, August 4, 2023.
If you are absolutely not available for one of the audition dates, an alternate video audition may be considered. Once audition registration opens, you may request an alternate video audition by contacting Director Sara Ward-Cassady at sara@vact.org later than Sunday, July 30 at noon.
VACT welcomes actors of every race, ethnicity, disability, age (minimum age requirement), gender identity, and body type.

Cast List will be posted on WWW.VACT.ORG

Rehearsal Schedule/Information

Regular rehearsal schedule will be: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 6:30 – 9:00, beginning 08/14/23.
Mondays will typically be ALL CALL rehearsals for the whole cast.
Small groups and choreography will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays until September 21, so some cast may not be called 3 nights a week.
Beginning September 21, all rehearsals will be ALL CALLS.
Dress rehearsals will be October 9 and 11th. There will also be a full run rehearsal Sunday, October 8.

All Dress rehearsals and performances are mandatory.
CLICK HERE to registration for auditions!

Questions? Please reach out to Directors Kenzie Ford-Merucci (k.t.merucci@gmail.com) and/or Sara Ward-Cassady (sara@vact.org) with questions.