Auditions for 1776

Come out and audition for our season opener 1776! Sides will be available closer to the audition dates!
We embrace creative and inclusive casting. Performers of all backgrounds are encouraged to audition for this production, and actors may be considered for roles regardless of gender, ethnicity, or traditional casting expectations.
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 and legendary book.
Character Breakdown
John Adams
Delegate from Massachusetts. John is a dutiful husband. Opinionated, passionate, and a bit boisterous, he wears his age with pride. Starving for independence from England.
Vocal range top: F#4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Stephen Hopkins
Delegate from Rhode Island. Loves his rum and his jokes. Has an active part in the show and is always one of the most memorable characters.
Vocal range top: Eb4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Roger Sherman
Delegate from Connecticut. A coffee drinker with a penchant for hyperactivity, Sherman is a simple cobbler.
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.
Vocal range top: F4
Vocal range bottom: Bb2
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.
Vocal range top: Eb4
Vocal range bottom: Ab2
John Dickinson
Delegate from Pennsylvania. A hawkish gentleman. He is sharp-tongued and a touch detestable.
Age: 44
Vocal range top: E4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Col. Thomas Mckean
Delegate from Delaware. McKean is florid and likable with a charming, yet commanding, Scottish Brogue if possible..
Age: 42
Vocal range top: Eb4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Richard Henry Lee
Delegate from Virginia, Lee is a willowy aristocrat. His flamboyancy is intoxicating and borderline infuriating.
Age: 45
Vocal range top: G4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Thomas Jefferson
Delegate from Virginia. Though noticeably tall, Jefferson is mild-mannered and sweet. Along with being a well read man, he is very much in love with his wife.
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.
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Abigail Adams
Loving wife to John Adams. Intelligent, quick-witted, and talented with a pen, Abigail is a radiant and shapely beauty. Every bit as bright as her husband.
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.
Age: 27
Vocal range top: D5
Vocal range bottom: Bb3
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.
Age: 15 to 20
Vocal range top: Db4
Vocal range bottom: C3
John Hancock
President of the 1776 Continental Congress, John Hancock, put the first and largest signature on the Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Josiah Bartlett
A New Hampshire delegate, Dr. Josiah Bartlett sides in favor of independence.
Lewis Morris
A New York delegate, Lewis Morris abstains from the original vote.
Reverend John Witherspoon
A New Jersey delegate, the Reverend John Witherspoon, argues for, and wins, the inclusion of the Supreme Being in the Declaration.
James Wilson
A Pennsylvania delegate, James Wilson casts the final vote to approve the Declaration, not because of his own belief in the cause, but because he does not want to be remembered in history as “the man who prevented American independence.”
Caesar Rodney
A Delaware delegate, Caesar Rodney works hard for independence, despite the fact that he is suffering from skin cancer.
George Read
A Delaware delegate, George Read is opposed to independence and sides with Dickinson.
Samuel Chase
A Maryland delegate, Samuel Chase always seems to be eating. He initially sides with Dickinson.
Joseph Hewes
A North Carolina delegate, Joseph Hewes sides with Rutledge on the slavery issue, demanding the Declaration allow slavery.
Dr. Lyman Hall
A Georgia delegate, and a physician and pastor. Dr. Lyman Hall initially sides with Dickinson.
Charles Thompson
In the show, he reads all the letters from General George Washington, introduces each item up for a vote, gives minutes from previous sessions of Congress, and has one short solo when he reads a final letter from General George Washington. He has quite a bit of dialogue. Actor must be able to sound very efficient in reading letters and in rattling off long lists of congressional duties and committees. The secretary of the Congress.
Andrew McNair
He is portrayed as a quirky, exasperated man who lights the fires and candles, opens and closes the windows, fills the ink wells, and keeps the Continental Congress meeting room clean. He is supervisor to the young boy known as the Leather Apron apprentice, who is learning McNair’s job. McNair’s additional job is to fetch mugs of rum, mostly for Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island. He has lots of dialogue in the show.
Leather Apron
A leather worker.
A Painter
An artist who paints Benjamin Franklin’s portrait.