Casting

Louie is bright, imaginative, generous, and a somewhat shy kid. He has just moved to a new neighborhood and feels lonely without his old friends. You will want to cast an excellent singer as Louie, but you need a solid actor too. While Louie has the most solos in the show, he also shows the greatest range of emotion.

Amy is the perfect friend who is always there to help and can take on leadership responsibilities whenever necessary. You are looking for a good singer and actress for this role. If possible, she should be taller than Archie.

Archie is the youngest and smallest member of Louie's old gang and seems to be scared of everything. He won't chicken out of doing things, but it often takes a lot of prodding from his friends. Archie can easily be cast as a girl by changing the name to Angie. When casting this role, look for acting skills and believability first, and singing skills second.

Roberta is the leader of the gang. She is not overly bossy, but she definitely is in control. She cares a lot about her friends and has a clear idea of how things should happen. She and Louie have innocent crushes on each other. Look for a good singer and actor who is not afraid to be loud and in charge of the other characters.

Ziggy is all around a big guy; physically and emotionally. Ziggy has got a big heart and is always ready to play a trick or two, and have some fun. The only thing that causes Ziggy any concern is embarrassment about his poor apartment that comes out when the kids start to talk about their homes. When casting Ziggy, look for a good actor and singer who can also sound good doing a rap.

Julio is the new kid in the group and is extremely outgoing and self-confident. He likes to tell jokes and really enjoys having a good time with people, whether they are new or old friends. Julio has a few short lines in Spanish that can be easily learned if you don't have a student who knows Spanish. Cast one of your students with a big personality who likes to show off as Julio.

Amy's cat is a member of the gang and is always around. You can cast a person as Cat or you could easily use a puppet manipulated by Amy. Remember Cat can't speak words, but still communicates fully to the gang with "meows" and actions. Also, feel free to have Cat sing and dance in each number. If you cast a person, look for a student with an expressive face and a good mover.

Louie's Mom should be portrayed as an offstage voice. She is kind to her son, but still pushes and encourages him to go outside and meet new people. This is the perfect solo role for one of your ensemble members.

Julio's Mom should be played as a puppet or an offstage actor on mic. At first she seems bewildered by all the commotion she hears outside her door, but she is soon pleased to learn that her son is making new friends. This is another good additional role for one of your ensemble members.

The ensemble in this show play kids from both Louie's old and new neighborhoods. Cast students who are good actors and singers, as well as students who are able to display their personality onstage.