Auditions for 1776 at PTPA
Schedule
Sat Apr 11 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts | Hazleton, PA
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Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the writing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the PTPA is very pleased to be presenting the ORIGINAL musical of American Independence, 1776 - Don’t miss out on being a part of American History on stage with us this July!WHO:
Auditions are open for performers ages 15+ of all experience levels!
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Director - Adam Randis
Music Director - Michele Millington
Technical Director - T.R. Laputka
Set Design - Michael Gallagher
Choreographer - Cali Solarek
WHERE AND WHEN:
Saturday, April 11th, 2pm
Wednesday, April 15th, 7pm
at the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts, 212 W Broad St, Hazleton PA 18201
*Auditions will be held in the rehearsal studio in the theatre basement. Please enter the building at the rear stage doors on Mine Street (next to the former PNC Bank lot) and follow signs downstairs to the audition space.
SHOW DATES:
Friday, July 3rd @ 7pm
Saturday, July 4th @ 7pm
Sunday, July 5th @ 2pm
Thursday, July 9th @ 7pm (private performance)
Friday, July 10th @ 7pm
Saturday, July 11th @ 7pm
Sunday, July 12th @ 2pm
Friday, July 17th @ 7pm
Saturday, July 18th @ 7pm
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
*Those participating will be provided with an audition form to complete upon entering the theatre. Please have a list of rehearsal conflicts that you are aware of between the dates of April 18 and June 27 ready to be submitted. There will be a MANDATORY TECH WEEK of rehearsals June 28-July 2.
*Auditionees should prepare 16-32 bars (approximately between :45 and 1:30) of a song from the show or in the style of the show and come with sheet music or a karaoke track to sing along with on their phone. Auditionees will also be asked to perform cold reads from the script. Auditionees also have the option of performing a short monologue (1-2 minutes)
*If Audition Callbacks are necessary, auditionees will be contacted individually regarding dates and vocal requirements.
*If you are unable to be at in-person auditions but still wish to audition for the show, please email [email protected] regarding your interest. An audition sheet and audition sides will be forwarded to you for completion and recording. You should also record a separate video with a vocal audition. Auditionees may be asked in follow-up emails to send in additional scenes or vocal selections. Completed video submissions of auditions will also be accepted until Wednesday, April 15th @ 11:59 PM and should also be emailed to [email protected]
SYNOPSIS:
The seminal event in American history blazes to vivid life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits. 1776 puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, irritable, charming, often petty and ultimately noble figures, determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation.
It's the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence... if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence.
1776 is a funny, insightful and compelling drama with a striking score by Sherman Edwards and a legendary book by Peter Stone.
ROLES:
**All roles are open and available - ages are of the actual historical personages and do not necessarily reflect casting**
MAJOR SINGING ROLES:
JOHN ADAMS
Delegate from Massachusetts. John is a dutiful husband, opinionated, passionate, and a bit boisterous. Starving for independence from England. Not tall. Commands respect from his fellow congressmen even if they and he joke that he is “obnoxious and disliked.” Sings several duets with his wife Abigail and carries the lion-share of the dialogue in the show.
Age: 41
Vocal range top: F#4
Vocal range bottom: C3
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Delegate from Pennsylvania. Franklin is intelligent, well-traveled, and pleasantly cunning. A jolly and admirable fellow with whom one would desire to have a friendship. Franklin is well-respected and must also have an edge to his character when serious. Large amounts of dialogue.
Age: 70
Vocal range top: Eb4
Vocal range bottom: Ab2
JOHN DICKINSON
Delegate from Pennsylvania. A hawkish gentleman who serves as the intellectual foil to Adams and his quest for independence. Magnetic personality and ability to perform large amounts of dialogue needed. Leads the conservatives' “Cool, Considerate Men” number.
Age: 44
Vocal range top: E4
Vocal range bottom: A2
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Delegate from Virginia. Though noticeably tall, Jefferson is mild-mannered and sweet - a man of few words who is still able to command attention when he uses them. Along with being a well read man, he is very much in love with his wife. Forms a triumvirate with Adams and Franklin when he is unwillingly forced on the committee to write the Declaration of Independence and becomes its primary author at Adams’s insistence. Strong singing required and large amounts of dialogue.
Age: 33
Vocal range top: G4
Vocal range bottom: C3
EDWARD RUTLEDGE
Delegate from South Carolina. Despite his good looks, Rutledge is haunting and somewhat ominous as the youngest member of the Continental Congress. There is a serpent-like quality to him. Strong singer with a convincing southern accent needed, performs one of the most vocally challenging numbers in the show, the sarcastic and scary “Molasses to Rum.”
Age: 26
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: C3
ABIGAIL ADAMS
Loving wife to John. Intelligent, quick-witted, and talented with a pen, Abigail is a radiant beauty. Every bit as bright as her husband, she anchors the emotional center of the show through her correspondence and duets with John.
Age: 32
Vocal range top: F5
Vocal range bottom: Db4
MARTHA JEFFERSON
Thomas Jefferson's very-much-in-love wife. Her looks are striking, her dancing delightful, and her humor appealing. She doesn't shy away from a good time. Joy radiates from her. She appears in one scene and sings the charming song “He Plays the Violin.”
Age: 27
Vocal range top: D5
Vocal range bottom: Bb3
RICHARD HENRY LEE
Delegate from Virginia, Lee is a lanky and willowy aristocrat. His flamboyancy is intoxicating and borderline infuriating. Appears in beginning of musical only, but has a show-stealing number, “The Lees of Old Virginia” and requires southern accent and comic timing.
Age: 45
Vocal range top: G4
Vocal range bottom: C3
COURIER
The message runner between General Washington's army and the Continental Congress. He has witnessed the hardships of war firsthand, although his innocent disposition and appearance may imply otherwise. Sings the powerful “Mama, Look Sharp” to close out the first act of the show and needs to be an excellent vocalist with strong emotional voice.
Age: 15 to 20
Vocal range top: Db4
Vocal range bottom: C3
SMALL GROUP SINGING REQUIRED
ROGER SHERMAN
Delegate from Connecticut. A coffee drinker with a penchant for hyperactivity, Sherman is a simple cobbler. He is co-opted into the committee to write the Declaration of Independence and is featured in the very funny number “But, Mr. Adams.”
Age: 55
Vocal range top: Bb4
Vocal range bottom: C3
ROBERT LIVINGSTON
Delegate from New York. Recently a father, Livingston's disposition has become one of humility and graciousness. He has changed considerably over the years. He is also unwantedly brought into the Declaration Committee and joins Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, and Sherman in singing “But, Mr. Adams.”
Age: 30
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: Bb2
ANDREW MCNAIR
Congressional Custodian and bell-ringer. Much put upon by members of Congress and often the butt of their jokes, but can give back as well. Requires good comedic timing and has to harmonize in song “Mama, Look Sharp.”
Age: Middle-aged
Vocal range: Baritone
LEATHER APRON
Teenage apprentice to McNair. Also sings harmony on “Mama, Look Sharp.”
Age: Teenager
Vocal range: Tenor
LITTLE SINGING REQUIRED (Mostly Large Group Numbers):
JOHN HANCOCK
President of Congress. Massachusetts-born. Role that requires gravitas and comedy in equal measures as he keeps the proceedings moving along in Congress despite the heat, flies, and arguments that surround him. Large amounts of dialogue, small singing solo in “Cool, Considerate Men.”
Age: 40
Vocal range: Baritone/Tenor
CHARLES THOMSON
Congressional Clerk & Secretary. An important role that requires comic timing and gravitas when trying to keep Congress on track and reading the often depressing dispatches from General Washington on the front lines. Sings the introductory solo to “Is Anybody There.”
Age: 47
Vocal range: high baritone/tenor
COL. THOMAS MCKEAN
Delegate from Delaware. McKean is florid and likable with a charming, yet commanding, Scottish brogue. Good comic timing and strong personality needed.
Age: 42
STEPHEN HOPKINS
Delegate from Rhode Island. Crusty old man who loves rum as much as antagonizing the conservatives in Congress. Requires excellent comic chops and has decent amount of dialogue.
Age: 70
SAMUEL CHASE
Delegate from Maryland. Enjoys eating and not committing himself to causes that he doesn't think the colonies can win. Has a brief solo in "Sit Down, John." Good character actor's part.
Age: 35
JUDGE JAMES WILSON
Delegate from Pennsylvania. Very much a “third banana” behind Franklin and Dickinson from Pennsylvania, but surprisingly holds a key role in the resolution of the show after spending most of it as Dickinson’s yes-man.
Age: 34
DR. JOSIAH BARTLETT
Delegate from New Hampshire. A very serious fellow. Present throughout show in Congress, minimal dialogue.
Age: 47
LEWIS MORRIS
Delegate from New York. Leads the New York delegation and has a great continuing bit with having to abstain from every vote (courteously). A good small part with personality.
Age: 50
REV. JOHN WITHERSPOON
Delegate from New Jersey. Shows up late to Congress but plays a major role in the voting for Independence. Another good small part with comic opportunities.
Age: 56
CAESAR RODNEY
Delegate from Delaware. Strong supporter of Independence but has a malady that causes him to collapse in the middle of the show, changing the dynamics of voting. Requires a talented actor to give a sympathetic performance.
Age: 48
GEORGE REED
Delegate from Delaware. Unlike his fellow delegates, Reed is in the conservative camp with Dickinson opposed to independence. A bit of a fop.
Age: 43
JOSEPH HEWES
Delegate from North Carolina. Very deferential to South Carolina.
Age: 46
DR LYMAN HALL
New delegate from Georgia. He may hold the key to breaking the deadlock in Congress as he wrestles with how to vote - between his personal beliefs and those of his constituents.
Age: 52
*Please forward all video auditions and questions to [email protected]*
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Where is it happening?
Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts, 232 W Broad St, Hazleton, PA 18201-6202, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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