Casting

Jack is a young boy. He is bookish, careful and thoughtful, but he is NOT a nerd! Jack has tremendous curiosity about the world around him and loves to take notes about his observations. Jack tends to be very cautious in new situations, and his adventures in the Magic Tree House help him develop his confidence. He has a good (and protective) relationship with his younger sister, Annie, though her more impetuous nature often gets on his nerves. This is a big role and requires a strong singer and actor. When auditioning, you might mix and match your Jack and Annie hopefuls to see which ones have the best brother-sister chemistry.

Annie is Jack s younger sister and, in many ways, his opposite in terms of personality. She is a risk taker who often follows her heart instead of her head. She sometimes teases Jack about his careful attitude toward life and often encourages him to be more adventurous. She loves animals of any kind and has a very loving heart. Like Jack, this role requires strong singing and acting. When auditioning, you might mix and match your Jack and Annie hopefuls to see which ones have the best brother-sister chemistry.

Mr. Dickens is a man in his prime and has a flair for the dramatic, both in writing and speech. His public persona is that of a charismatic celebrity, but privately he is deeply depressed by the suffering he sees all around him in Victorian England, particularly the suffering of children. This leading part requires your most mature male performer with strong singing and acting skills (and a changed voice).

Merlin is a wise old magician who joyfully introduces the play to the audience and sends jack and Annie on their mission to help Mr. Dickens. Look for a lively actor with a commanding speaking voice. Merlin has the option of singing (or not) on the choral parts of the opening and closing songs, so this would be a good role for a strong actor who may not be an experienced singer. With clever costuming, this role could be played by a girl if necessary.

Morgan Le Fay is an ageless librarian enchantress. Merlin and Morgan are dear old friends and are playful with one another. Like Merlin, Morgan also has the option of singing (or not) on the choral parts of the opening and closing songs, so this would be another good role for a strong actor who may no be an experienced singer.

The Carolers, including Caroler #1, Caroler #2, Caroler #3 and Young Caroler, can be as small as a handful of performers or as large as your stage and theater can accommodate. If your cast is large enough that you are not double-casting your carolers as other named characters, consider assigning Dickensian-sounding names to your Carolers, or ever have them invent backstories so that they feel more connected to their roles.

Carriage driver is a cheerful, friendly character who is especially impressed by his well-to-do patrons. Costuming would allow for this role to be played by a girl if necessary. Look for an actor who is outgoing, has a strong voice and can move well, as driving a pretend horse-drawn carriage will require some miming and choreographed blocking.

People at Inn are non-speaking roles with only a small bit of singing (unless they are double cast), so these are good roles for beginning actors who can sing. Cast as few or as many actors in these roles as your production needs.

The Theatre Folk are non-speaking roles with only a small bit of singing (unless they are double cast), so these are good roles for beginning actors who can sing. Cast as few or as many actors in these roles as your production needs.

The High Society are non-speaking roles with only a small bit of singing (unless they are double cast), so these are good roles for beginning actors who can sing. Cast as few or as many actors in these roles as your production needs.

Emma and Olive are orphans who must resort to petty thievery to survive on the streets of London. Olive targets Jack and Annie when she notices their expensive-looking bag, and Emma follows her lead in a plot to steal it. These characters do not need to sing much, so these are good roles for younger actors who might want to build confidence before taking on larger singing roles.

Harry and Colin are young chimney sweeps who agree to trade places with Jack and Annie for a day. These comedic characters sing a duet and need to be able to change a few items of clothing (jackets and hats) during their song, so look for actors capable of moving and singing at the same time. Costuming (faces smudges with ashes, etc.) would allow for these roles to be played by girls if necessary. Cast two strong actors who get along well on stage and off.

Mrs. Tibbs is the peculiar and proud housekeeper of the Dickens estate. Look for a strong actor who understands comedy. She does not need to sing if she is not double cast in a singing role, so this is a good part for an actor who may not possess the strongest singing voice.

Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Nickleby and other Dickens Characters are the  faces in the mirror Dickens sees when he is in his office trying to write. These characters have little dialogue, so you can use these roles to cast kids who are more experienced singers than actors. Since the  other Dickens characters only sing choral parts, you can cast as large a number of kids as you like/need. For fun, you could assign all of the kids in the chorus names from a variety of books by Dickens  or let them research and pick out their own. If you have a smaller cast, all of these actors could be double cast as Carolers, High Society, Street Vendors, and Restaurant Workers.

Including Newsies, Newsie #1, Baker, Butcher, Bootblacks, Dressmaker, Street Person, Cabbie, Hawkers and Hawker #1 are all small acting parts, but these roles are essential for creating the feel of Victorian London. Look for actors who can pull off a cockney accent and who can also handle the kind of choreographed blocking required in  Stop Thief!

The Policeman arrests Jack and Annie believing they have stolen their own bag. He is chastised by Charles Dickens, and when he realizes his mistake, quickly and humbly apologizes. This is a small role that does not require a lot of subtlety, and singing is optional, so it would be a good part for a beginning actor and/or singer.

Mr. Pinch is the mean and miserly owner of the Purple Peacock Inn who refuses to give food scraps to a hungry Tiny Tim and his mother. He is the prototype for Dickens s Scrooge. While the song  Bah! Humbug! is meant to be comical, the actor playing Pinch doesn t need to be comedic; instead, he should be confident enough to play a shameless misanthrope without needing to wink at the audience. Look for someone who is both a strong actor and singer, but if there is a tough call, lean toward the stronger actor as much of his solo can be sung/spoken.

Mrs. Pinch is nothing like her ill-tempered husband; she is warm, hardworking and high-spirited. Though she is not onstage for much of the play, this role requires a good actor/singer who has a strong, energetic, mature presence.

Francois The Chef is the chef at Pinch s Purple Peacock Inn. He is proud and passionate and highly sensitive to criticism. This is a small, fun role that does not require any singing, so it would be a good part for an inexperienced singer.

Waitstaff, Waitstaff #1 and #2, Restaurant Workers, Restaurant Patrons, Patrons #1, #2, #3 and #4, Waitress, Dishwasher, Women Fans and Men Fans are the employees and patrons of Mr. Pinch s Purple Peacock Inn. These roles have little or no spoken dialogue, but  Right This Way has solo lines as well as choral work and some fairly intricate movement/choreography built into the song, so look for strong singers who can also move/dance.

Tiny Tim is a poor and sickly child who will not survive without the charity of others. Though his body is weak, his spirit is robust, and though his family is impoverished, he is rich in love and is remarkably cheerful and good-natured. As the name implies, try to cast your smallest child in this role. A girl dressed as a boy would work.

Roberta is Tiny Tim s humble, yet proud mother. This is a small role and singing is optional, so, unless double or triple casting the actor in this role, this would be a good part for a beginner looking to gain some confidence and experience onstage.

Orphan #1 and the Orphans are street urchins who  haunt Mr. Dickens after his disheartening encounter with Mr. Pinch. These are non-speaking roles, so this is a great opportunity to cast singers who are interested in exploring what musical theatre is all about without the pressure of having to memorize lines, etc. However, these roles do require kids who are able to  mime factory workers during a lengthy speech by Mr. Dickens and who must stay focused and  in character onstage even when they are not singing. Consider double casting as the Mourners who will sing a reprise of  Who Will Hear My Song?

The White Ghost, Green Ghost and Black Ghost are conjured by Jack and Annie s magic violin in order to convince Mr. Dickens to keep writing by showing him meaningful scenes from his past, present and future. All three can be played by girls. Although the Black Ghost doesn t speak or sing, the actor needs to have a strong stage presence and must be able to stay focused and in character through the lengthy  Come Three Ghosts segment. The Ghost Chorus is made up of all of your ensemble  no need to cast a separate group of students in these roles.

Mrs. Dickens is the mother of Charles Dickens. This is a small acting role and unless the actor is cast in other roles, requires no singing, so if you have a large pool of actors to cast, this would be an ideal role for a beginner.

Young Dickens is Charles as a small boy who is conjured by the White Ghost to remind Mr. Dickens of his love of reading, his passion for stories and the importance of The Arabian Nights in igniting his imagination as a boy. This is a small role, with no singing required. Consider casting the same actor who plays Tiny Tim.

Miss Twigby, Sara and the class, including Girl #1, #2, #3 and #4 are characters conjured by the Green Ghost to show Mr. Dickens how teachers in Victorian classrooms are using his stories to impart important lessons to their young students. These roles require memorizing and delivering in quick succession actual lines written by Charles Dickens, so cast some of your more confident performers.

Queen Victoria and her Lady In Waiting are characters conjured by the Green Ghost to show Mr. Dickens that even the Queen is being moved to make social reforms based on his stories. These are small, speaking-only roles, so look to double cast the roles for beginners who want to be part of the process but don t want a lot of responsibility.

The Bookseller, Henrietta and Barber are more characters conjured by the Green Ghost to show how much the  common people of London are enlivened and changed by the stories of Charles Dickens. Consider casting with the same group of actors who play the Street Vendors, etc., especially the actors capable of pulling off a Cockney accent.

The Mourners, including Mourner #1, sing a reprise of  Who Will Hear My Song? gathered around the gravestone of Charles Dickens and create a mournful tableau during Mary s monologue. Consider using the same actors who played the orphans. If you have a large enough cast that you don t want to double cast, these are good parts for strong singers with little acting experience. You can cast as many mourners as needed.

Mary Dickens is the grown daughter of Charles Dickens. She has a fairly large monologue at her father s gravesite, so look for a strong, confident actor with good memorization skills.