Audition Information

Dates: Sunday, December 6 and Tuesday, December 8 (please note there are no auditions on Monday)

Times: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Virtual Auditions: If you are unable to attend any of the in-person audition dates, you may submit a virtual audition video to James Sharples directly. Please submit a video of yourself reading at least one of the provided sides to jamesasharples@gmail.com by Wednesday, December 8 by 9:00 p.m. at the latest.

Summary

In the madcap comedy tradition of Lend Me a Tenor, the hilarious Moon Over Buffalo centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s. At the moment, they’re playing Private Lives and Cyrano De Bergerac in rep in Buffalo, New York with five actors. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong, abetted by a visit from their daughter’s clueless fiancé and hilarious uncertainty about which play they’re actually performing, caused by Charlotte’s deaf, old stage-manager mother who hates every bone in George’s body.

Role Descriptions

George Hay: Male Presenting, age – 50s | George is a flamboyant, larger-than-life stage actor who loves the theater, his own talent, and the spotlight. Charming but impulsive, he has a gift for turning a manageable problem into a full-blown catastrophe. This role is ideal for an actor with excellent comic timing, a big personality, and physical comedy skills.

Charlotte Hay: Female Presenting, age - 50s | Charlotte is George’s equally theatrical wife and longtime stage partner, a passionate actress who dreams of Hollywood stardom. Proud, temperamental, and fiercely emotional, she can shift from romantic leading lady to furious wife in an instant. The role calls for a commanding stage presence, sharp comic instincts, and the ability to balance grand theatricality with genuine vulnerability.

Ethel: Female Presenting, age – 60s – 70s | Ethel is Charlotte’s sharp-tongued, nearly deaf mother, who has little patience for George and even less interest in making life easy for anyone. Her hearing difficulties and stubborn nature lead to a series of wonderfully chaotic misunderstandings. The role calls for a strong comedic presence, impeccable timing, and an actor who can make Ethel’s eccentricities feel both hilarious and completely natural.

Rosalind “Roz” Hay: Female Presenting, age – 20s to 30s | Roz is the daughter of George and Charlotte, who has left the theater behind in hopes of building a more conventional life. Smart, practical, and determined to escape her parents’ theatrical chaos, she finds herself pulled back into their world just when she least wants to be. The role requires an actor who can play the grounded voice of reason while still delivering the fast-paced comedy and emotional complications of a family that never does anything simply.

Howard: Male Presenting, age – 20s to 30s | Howard is Roz’s new fiancé, a well-meaning but nervous and somewhat awkward television weatherman who finds himself completely out of his depth among the Hays. Sincere, excitable, and easily overwhelmed, he becomes an unwitting participant in the family's increasingly absurd misunderstandings. This is an excellent role for an actor with expressive physical comedy, energetic reactions, and a talent for playing an ordinary person caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Eileen: Female Presenting, age – 20s to 30s | Eileen is a young actress in George and Charlotte’s company whose romantic involvement with George sets much of the story’s turmoil in motion. Eager to please and hopeful about her future, she is caught between her ambitions, her feelings, and the consequences of a very complicated situation. The role calls for an actor who can combine youthful enthusiasm and romantic sincerity with the comic tension of a backstage world full of secrets.

Paul Singer: Male Presenting, age – 20s to 30s | Paul is a devoted member of the Hays’ acting company and Roz’s former boyfriend. He still loves her, but his passion for the theater makes his romantic life anything but straightforward. Resourceful and earnest, Paul tries to keep the production on track as everything around him spirals out of control. This role is well suited to an actor with strong comic timing, physical agility, and the ability to play both romantic sincerity and frantic exasperation.

Richard: Male Presenting, age – 50s to 60s | Richard is the Hays’ successful, wealthy lawyer, who is also romantically interested in Charlotte. Confident, polished, and accustomed to getting his way, he offers Charlotte an appealing alternative to her tumultuous marriage. Yet the eccentricity of the theatrical family leaves him increasingly bewildered. This role suits an actor with strong verbal wit, a commanding presence, and the ability to play sophistication alongside mounting comic frustration.