AUDITIONS - A GOOD PANTO DIE HARD
Schedule
Tue Sep 30 2025 at 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
620 Sassafras St, Erie, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 16501 | Erie, PA
UPCOMING SCHUSTER THEATRE AUDITIONSUSA Premiere of full length musical A GOOD PANTO DIE HARD
By Trevor O'Connell
Director: Angela Howell
Music Director: Kate Thiem
Choreographer: Caitlyn Wolfe
Monday, September 29th at 6:00PM
Tuesday, September 30th at 4:00PM
Auditions are open to both Gannon University students and Erie community members, with the understanding that casting priority will be given to students. Open to actors 17 and up.
Please arrive promptly at the start time to complete an audition form. Prepare a 1-minute comedic monologue from a play or movie and your best 32 to 36 bars of a comedic song from a musical. Accompanist will be available. Be prepared for a short dance audition and cold readings. It would be a great idea to watch the movie Die Hard.
Scripts are available upon request. Please email Angela Howell at [email protected] for a PDF version.
Can’t make it to the audition? Email Angela Howell before September 29 to make other arrangements.
Available Roles:
(3 Men, 1 Woman)
1. John McClane: A tough New York cop with a wisecrack for every bullet. Outgunned, outnumbered, and barefoot, but never out of fight.
2. Argyle/Takagi/Al
Argyle – McClane’s upbeat limo driver, stuck in the parking garage but ready to jump into action when needed.
Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi – The brainy, dignified Nakatomi president. Calm under fire, principled to the last breath, the kind of leader who earns respect.
Sgt. Al Powell – A steady, empathetic LAPD sergeant who becomes McClane’s lifeline and moral support over the radio.
3. Hans Gruber/Ellis/Agent Johnson
Hans Gruber – The refined mastermind of mayhem. His suits are perfect, his plan flawless, and his cruelty dressed up with charm.
Ellis – The self-styled hotshot who thinks fast talk and charm can outsmart terrorists. Spoiler: it can’t.
Agent Johnson - Another overly confident and largely incompetent special agent in charge.
4. Holly Gennero McClane/Karl/Special Agent Johnson
Holly Gennaro McClane – A no-nonsense exec who keeps her cool when the world goes off the rails. Sharp, fearless, and more than a match for any boardroom—or terrorist.
Karl – A towering enforcer with icy eyes and a boiling temper. Relentless, ruthless, and ready to spill blood for vengeance.
Special Agent Johnson – An overly confident and largely incompetent special agent in charge.
Performance Dates:
Thursday, November 20, 7:30PM
Friday, November 21, 7:30PM
Saturday, November 22, 7:30PM
(Break for Thanksgiving)
Thursday, December 4, 7:30PM
Friday, December 5, 7:30PM
Saturday, December 6, 2:00PM MATINEE
Saturday, December 6, 7:30PM
Notes from the director:
What on earth is A Good Panto Die Hard!?
A Panto is a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances.
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film (and also the greatest Christmas movie of all time) directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. It stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia, with Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, and Hart Bochner in supporting roles. Die Hard follows a New York City police detective, John McClane (Willis), who becomes entangled in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife during a Christmas Eve party. John McClane is known for defeating the bad guys while shoeless and uttering the famous phrase “Yippee Ki-yay M$%* F&*%@#”
Panto + Die Hard + Irish Playwright Trevor O’Connell = A Good Die Hard Panto
*Rated R
