WORKSHOP CASTING CALL INFORMATION

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Thank you for your interest in our upcoming inaugural Workshop for "Pop's Diner". This is a unique opportunity to be involved in a brand-new theater project from the very beginning, from inception. After running several virtual table reads of our show during COVID, this is the first time ever that we will be facilitating a live, in-person workshop to act, sing (and maybe even dance a little) our musical, so we are looking for triple-threat actors/actresses for each and every role, from leads thru ensemble. 

For those who might be new to the term "Workshop," let me explain exactly what we are doing:

A musical theater workshop is often how new shows are born; It is in some ways a script "incubator." Many of the big Broadway productions that you might have seen have gone through this often long, tedious and sometimes painful process. Shows like Jonathan Larsen's "Rent" spent ten years in workshops at the Public Theater until it found a home on Broadway.  Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton." started as a workshop based on a mixtape. And most recently, the Bobby Darin musical, "Just in Time" spent seven years in development before making it to the Great White Way. This is often how shows go from an idea to hit, by workshopping until the show has legs and someone decides it's ready and needs to be produced for stage!

In my case, I have an original script and a large number of vocal arrangements for popular songs written by other composers/lyricists (ergo "jukebox musical") that need to be fully fleshed out. Our workshop will consist of:

• table reads of the script/dialogue
• learning and singing through the musical arrangements
• applying staging/blocking - scene by scene, act by act
• adding some simple choreography where we can (TBD)

Our desired end goal for this workshop is to eventually perform a staged read to determine next steps for bringing Pop's Diner to the stage for a full-blown production.

WHERE:

Brook Arts Center

10 Hamilton Street

Bound Brook, NJ 08805

WHEN:

• Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00am - 4:00pm
• Sunday, July 13, 2025, 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Callbacks will be held by invitation only on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 7:30pm - 10:30pm

Auditions are open to anyone 18-years-old and over - teens, adults and seniors. Sorry . . . no High School students please!

All roles are open!

• Lead roles are open to all actors who can play in either age group: 17 to 25 (playing late teen/early twenties), and 35 to 40
• Ensemble roles (including Swing) are open to all actors who can play in either age group: 17 to 30 or 50's to 80's

For a synopsis of Pop's Diner and the cast of characters, please click the button below:

Please prepare a 32-bar audition cut of either a ballad or an up-tempo song from the 1970's. It should be a pop song, not a Broadway song, as our show is a jukebox musical. Please bring a recent headshot with an up-to-date resume attached, and sheet music in your key. When you arrive, you will need to fill out an audition form that will be attached to your headshot and resume; you can download a pdf form at the bottom of this web page so you can print and fill it out ahead of time. 

If for any reason you cannot attend the audition in person, you can send us a video audition using the submission form at the end of this web page, however our preference is to attend the audition in person if possible. When recording your video audition, please be sure to slate first with your first and last name, age, and the name of your audition song.

If you are selected for a callback, you will receive an email with a secured link back to this website to retrieve your callback materials. Everyone who is selected - whether for a lead, supporting or ensemble role - will need to attend the callback. 

Sorry . . . You will not be able to submit a video callback.

If you are selected and accept to be part of our workshop, rehearsals will be held every Wednesday evening from 7:30pm until 10:30pm at the theater. As things progress, and further down the line we move to a staged read, we might require more rehearsals/week (TBD). 

All participants will be required to bring a laptop, iPad/tablet, or smartphone to use to access the Pop's Diner script and vocal score. The script and score is subject to change throughout the Workshop so we will not be printing hard copies until such time as we decide we are ready to lock down a "final draft."  

As mentioned above, the end goal for our workshop is to eventually perform a staged read of Pop's Diner. We have no set timeline; this will be based on work we put in and the progress we make. When the time is right, we will perform a stripped-down version of Pop's Diner for an invited audience to gain the feedback necessary to determine if we are ready to bring our show to the stage in full production mode: sets, scenery, costumes, choreography, orchestra, etc. It's our dream to see Pop's Diner come to life, and we hope you will take this journey with us . . .   

Not an actor, singer, or dancer but love the theater? If you have a passion and want to help be part of this ground-breaking new musical experience right here in New Jersey, then Pop's wants you! 

We are looking for volunteers to help us out with this upcoming workshop, as well as our production later this year. Right now we are looking for potential production assistants to help out our director, choreographer, musical director at rehearsals, volunteers for props and sets/scenery, etc. Please email us at info@popsdinermusical.com with your name, email address, phone number, your age, and how you might want to help. Anyone under the age of 18 must have the permission of a parent or guardian to participate in this adventure.

Thanks, in advance, for your interest . . . Marty Alen Angstreich!