Director Mark Sebens and the Lynn Canal Community Players are holding auditions for the musical “Mama Mia!”—a production based on the songs from the Swedish pop and dance band ABBA.
“It’s the most fun musical ever. Everybody knows the songs,” Sebens said. “It’s an unclassic love story.”
The musical, which was adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan in 2008, is set on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. The night before her wedding, the musical’s lead, Sophie, explains to her friends that she’s searching for her biological father and has invited three men to the wedding who she suspects to be her dad. Her mother, a bartender and former rock band front-woman, is surprised to see her former love interests show up for the wedding.
“It’s a comedy but there’s dancing, singing and a large cast,” Sebens said. “A musical is way fun.”
A Juneau choreographer, Hali Duran, will help with the dance scenes. Sebens said he’s looking for a cast of between 20 to 30 and that auditioners “should be able to sing, somewhat.”
“I want to hear them sing on stage. They can sing whatever they like or something from the show,” he said. “I’ll see if I can have a piano accompanist.”
Auditions will be held Sunday, Aug. 21 and Monday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Chilkat Center for the Arts. There are four major roles for men and six to seven major roles for females, he said. Also needed are volunteers to help with set construction, costumes and stage help.
Production dates are scheduled for Oct. 6,7,8 and 9.
Sebens said the Lynn Canal Community Players haven’t produced a musical in at least five years.
Community theater in Haines was sparse during the pandemic but has picked back up recently. In April, the players produced an Agatha Christie murder mystery directed by Roger Gentry. Gentry is co-directing and acting in a series of one-act comedies called “All in the Timing” at the end of August and Tod Sebens is currently casting for a comedy “The Play that Goes Wrong.”