Horizon Performing Arts is thrilled to announce auditions for our March 2026 production of Merrily We Roll Along!
Recently revived on Broadway, Sondheim's semi-autobiographical musical turns back the clock on friendship and the high price of success. Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered.
AUDITION DATES: December 1 & 2 beginning at 7 p.m.
Callbacks will be held on December 3 by invitation only
Sign-Up for an audition time HERE:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4CA9A723AAFC1-59930712-hpaauditions
Please fill out the electronic audition form prior to auditions:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmjesNz3hXgquivt1FcSryhspccZ0C49-HZYbUERCiYs1U6w/viewform?usp=publish-editor
LOCATION: Dicken Elementary School (2135 Runnymede Blvd. Ann Arbor)
Auditionees should prepare a 1 minute audition cut of a song similar to the style of the show. An accompanist will be available. Please bring sheet music for your audition. A Bluetooth speaker will be available for backing tracks, but it is HEAVILY preferred to utilize the accompanist since the show will have a live orchestra. There is no other preparation needed for auditions.
Please direct any audition questions to
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SHOW DATES: March 5, 6, 7, & 8, 2026 at Riverside Arts Center
Available Roles:
Franklin Shepard: His character ranges from an influential songwriter and film producer to an innocent, bright-eyed optimist in NYC. Talented and handsome but misled, tragic, and tormented.
Gender: male
Age: 25 to 40
Vocal range top: Bb4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Charley Kringas: A stubborn, intense man with average looks. He ranges from a successful lyricist and Frank's long-time friend to a bright-eyed optimist creating his own opportunities in NYC.
Gender: male
Age: 25 to 40
Vocal range top: G#4
Vocal range bottom: A#2
Mary Flynn: A middle-aged theatre critic. Her character arcs to the youthful, gorgeous 20-something living in NYC with best friend Frank. Sardonic, bitter, and witty.
Gender: female
Age: 30 to 45
Vocal range top: Gb5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Joe Josephson: Big-talking Broadway producer and husband to Gussie. He later becomes pathetic and poor.
Gender: male
Age: 35 to 50
Vocal range top: F#4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Gussie Carnegie: The flamboyant, self-invented actress. Her character begins at the end of her relationship with Frank, but throughout the show we see her grow more and more helplessly in love with him. Greedy and seductive.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: C5
Vocal range bottom: G3
Beth Spencer: A naive and insecure middle-American who is the mother of Frank's son. She arcs from a down-trodden housewife at her wits end to a hopeless romantic at the beginning of her engagement to the man of her dreams.
Gender: female
Age: 25 to 35
Vocal range top: G5
Vocal range bottom: A3
Meg Kincaid: Starry-eyed starlet who is naive and ambitious. At the start of the show, she is Frank's newest fling.
Gender: female
Age: 18 to 25
Vocal range top: Gb5
Vocal range bottom: D4
Franklin Shepard Jr.: Frank and Beth's son.
Gender: male
Age: 6 to 10
Ensemble: Party guests, artists, producers, students, etc.
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Director: Carrie Sayer
Music Director: Ezra Donner
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