We hope you get it.

AUDITION DATES: Friday, June 27th at 6:00pm and Saturday, June 28th at 5:00pm; Callbacks on Monday, June 29th, time/location TBA.

AUDITION LOCATION: Biloxi Little Theatre

PRODUCTION DATES: September 5-7 and 12-14 (possible additional date Sept 11)

DIRECTOR: Cuttino Alexander

AGE REQUIREMENTS: Must be 17 years or older by performance dates.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

  • Vocal: Prepare a 90-second cut of a contemporary Broadway-style song (please do not use a song from Ride the Cyclone). Bring your own instrumental or karaoke track.

  • Reading: Cold readings from the script will be provided.

  • Movement: Auditionees will participate in a short dance/movement audition. Please dress appropriately.

  • For Jane Doe: Prepare two 90-second vocal selections—one contemporary Broadway and one classical or legit-style piece that showcases soprano range.

  • For Karnak: Auditions will consist of readings only (no singing or movement required). Performers may audition for Karnak and all other roles.

THE SHOW

In the small town of Uranium City, Saskatchewan, the St. Cassian High School chamber choir’s lives are cut tragically short when their roller coaster derails during a school trip. In the afterlife, they find themselves in a liminal carnival space, presided over by The Amazing Karnak, a mechanical fortune-teller who offers one of them a second chance at life. As each choir member pleads their case through song, they reveal their deepest hopes, regrets, and the identities they crafted in life—whether real or imagined. Each story unfolds with humor, heartbreak, and theatrical spectacle. As the decision looms, Ride the Cyclone explores fate, identity, and what it truly means to live, culminating in a poignant and unexpected resolution.

ROLES TO BE FILLED

NOTE ABOUT AGES: All ages 17+ are encouraged to audition! While the characters in Ride the Cyclone are teenagers, we are seeking a wide range of ages for our cast. The actor’s actual age is far less important than their ability to portray these roles with truth, depth, and authenticity.

Roles are open to all races, ethnicities, and abilities.

Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg: The Overachiever with Cracks in Her Armor

  • Vocal Range: Soprano (B3-E5)

  • Character: (Female/non-binary presenting) Ocean is the self-proclaimed leader of the choir—bright, driven, and fiercely competitive. She thrives on control, using her ambition as both a strength and a shield. She sees herself as the hero of this story, but the audience should immediately recognize the cracks in that perception. Ocean is a classic Type-A character—highly ambitious, controlling, and confident to the point of arrogance. Yet beneath her bravado lies a deep-seated fear of failure. The key to portraying Ocean convincingly is not to soften her intensity, but to allow flashes of self-doubt to surface, making her journey feel real and compelling.

  • Requirements:

    • Strong belt and mix, with rhythmic precision.

    • Comedic timing and confidence in delivering fast-paced lyrics.

    • Must be able to handle rapid dialogue and emotional shifts convincingly.

Mischa Bachinski: The Tough Guy with a Poet’s Heart

  • Vocal Range: Baritone/Tenor (A2 – G4)

  • Character: (Male presenting) On the surface, Mischa presents himself as a hardened, brooding figure—intimidating, fiery, and at times unpredictable. Yet the actor portraying him must ensure that this exterior does not become one-dimensional. Mischa believes he embodies the ultimate tragic, masculine antihero. His energy is all swagger, making his transition to vulnerability even more powerful. Playing Mischa requires an actor who can commit fully to the character—Mischa takes himself deadly serious, without a hint of irony or self awareness. His passion for rap, for romance, for “dying young and tragically” all make him over-the-top in the best way.

  • Requirements:

    • Ability to switch between rap and powerful singing.

    • Ukrainian accent.

    • Shares a brief kiss with Noel.

Constance Blackwood: The Heart of the Choir, Learning to Stand Tall

  • Vocal Range: Mezzo-Soprano (G3 – E5)

  • Character: (Female/non-binary presenting) Constance is the warmest, kindest member of the group, often content to exist in the background while louder personalities, like Ocean, take the spotlight. Constance may believe she is a secondary character in Ocean’s world, but the audience needs to sense her quiet strength from the very start. She is neither naive nor weak—her kindness is a choice, not a lack of assertiveness. Some of the show’s sharpest and most unexpected humor comes from her, and her arc is not about becoming someone new, but about realizing she has always been enough. The role requires an actress who can make Constance’s growth feel both organic and triumphant.

  • Requirements:

    • Warm, expressive vocals with strong belt/mix.

    • Requires strong comedic delivery in the first half of the show and deep emotional payoff in the second.

    • Plays a recorder instrument.

Noel Gruber: The Theatrical Dreamer Hiding Real Pain

  • Vocal Range: Tenor (G2 – G4)

  • Character: (Male/non-binary presenting) Noel is flamboyant, extravagant, and utterly convinced he was meant for a life of high drama and tragic romance, far removed from his mundane existence as the only gay boy in Uranium City. Noel imagines himself as the star of a black-and-white French film, but the audience must see the deeper loneliness behind his performance. He idolizes suffering, but this tendency isn’t merely comedic—it stems from feeling out of place and unseen in his real life. If played too broadly, Noel risks becoming pure comic relief; if too subdued, he loses his charm. The challenge is to make him both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly heartbreaking, giving the audience a glimpse into the longing that fuels his theatricality.

  • Requirements:

    • Theatrical, cabaret-style singing and acting.

    • Strong comedic instincts with an ability to lean into melodrama.

    • Shares a brief kiss with Mischa.

Ricky Potts: The Silent Dreamer Awakening into a Rockstar

  • Vocal Range: Baritone/Tenor (A2 – A4)

  • Character: (Male/non-binary presenting) Ricky Potts starts the show as the most unassuming member of the choir—quiet, introverted, and seemingly lost in his own head. However, the actor playing Ricky must make sure his early silence does not read as emptiness. Ricky may appear invisible at first, but there is clearly something extraordinary beneath the surface. His transformation in Space Age Bachelor Man should feel like a moment of pure liberation. The key to playing Ricky is building his presence subtly at the beginning, allowing the audience to sense his inner world long before he takes center stage. When his moment finally arrives, it should feel inevitable, as if he has been waiting his whole life for this chance to shine.

  • Requirements:

    • Strong rock-style vocals.

    • Should be comfortable with physical movement and dynamic stage presence, especially in fantasy sequences, shifting from quiet presence to larger-than-life.

    • Willingess to learn some basic accordion skills.

Jane Doe: The Lost Soul Searching for Meaning

  • Vocal Range: Soprano (C4-E6)

  • Character: (Female presenting) Jane Doe is the show’s most haunting and enigmatic presence, a girl without a past, existing in a liminal space between life and death. The actress portraying Jane must fully commit to her eerie, detached quality while ensuring she does not come across as robotic. Jane believes she is nothing but a forgotten soul, but the audience must gradually recognize that she has more depth than even she realizes. Her journey is not simply about uncovering her lost identity—it is about understanding that she has intrinsic worth, regardless of who she once was. The challenge of playing Jane is finding the balance between her unsettling stillness and the raw emotion that lurks just beneath it, letting moments of quiet revelation break through in unexpected and chilling ways.

  • Requirements:

    • Classical soprano ability with control over haunting, ethereal tones.

    • Ability to maintain a detached yet deeply affecting presence and an almost mechanical, doll-like physicality.

The Amazing Karnak: The All-Seeing, All-Knowing Relic Narrator

  • Vocal Range: Spoken

  • Character: (Any gender) Think an ominous mechanical Santa Claus—or God—or HAL 9000. Karnak is no ordinary fortune-teller, but an ancient, mechanical soothsayer, programmed to predict the exact moment of a person’s death with unnerving precision. Karnak presents as cold and detached, often wielding dark humor with the indifference of something that has seen countless lives come and go. Yet, beneath the cryptic prophecies and weary omniscience, there is a flicker of something more—perhaps a trace of frustration, a lingering sense of amusement, or the ghost of something almost like regret. Karnak serves as both the architect and the narrator of this story, but in the end, is just as much a relic of fate, waiting for the moment when even the power to predict the future will no longer matter.

  • Requirements:

    • Strong voice acting with dry, dark humor.

    • A commanding presence in storytelling, even when movement is limited.