The producers of the new musical An Officer and a Gentleman, based on the Oscar-winning film and original screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart, announced today that the world premiere will take place in Las Vegas at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on October 26-31, 2021 followed by a multi-season tour that will visit more than 50 cities in the 2021-2022 season.
Continue reading
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts (Las Vegas, NV) has announced that it will launch the national tour and world premiere of new musical An Officer And A Gentleman, opening October 26 with performances through October 31.
At a press conference on July 14, Smith Center president and CEO Myron Martin made the announcement alongside members of the show’s creative team and cast, who delivered an exclusive world premiere performance of the production. This followed with remarks by Martin and Patricia Wilcox, choreographer of An Officer And A Gentleman. Prior to the tour’s launch, the show will conduct technical rehearsals at Paducah’s Carson Center.
In addition to the official announcement of the national launch for An Officer And A Gentleman, The Smith Center also announced that tickets are now on sale for a variety of featured headliners, as well as select shows of the 2021-2022 season for its highly popular Broadway Las Vegas® Series. Tickets for the Tony Award-winning comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, which returns to The Smith Center this November, have also just been made available for sale to the public. The show had previously cancelled its tour prematurely due to concerns related to the pandemic.
Based on the Oscar-winning film starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger, the live stage production of An Officer And A Gentleman is a new adaptation by multiple Tony Award® nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture). Celebrating triumph over adversity with the same iconic and romantic ending as originally portrayed on screen, An Officer And A Gentleman features the Grammy Award-winning, No. 1 hit single “Up Where We Belong,” and a score based on the 1980s catalogue of music that gave voice to a generation.
“We have been waiting a long time to present shows again to our Southern Nevada community, and hosting the world premiere of An Officer And A Gentleman means that Southern Nevadans will be the very first to ever see this incredible production,” said Martin. “With our world-class venue and our welcoming community that is eager to see quality shows, we know that The Smith Center will be the perfect launching pad for this exciting national tour.”
Wilcox emphasized the significance of launching a national tour during such challenging times for the country.
“It is no small feat to assemble and launch a national tour of a stage production during a pandemic,” Wilcox said. “The Smith Center’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and stunning design make it an ideal venue for presenting this uplifting production to the world.”
The Smith Center’s announcement of the wide variety of tickets on sale to the public represents the largest number of tickets put on sale in more than 15 months.
“It’s time to celebrate – intermission is over and The Smith Center’s second act is about to begin,” Martin said. “We invite everyone to take their seats and join us as we reopen The Heart of the Arts® this fall.”
Broadway shows now on sale at The Smith Center include Cats (October 12-17), the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber, An Officer And A Gentleman (October 26-31)and A Christmas Carol (November 23-28), Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption featuring 12 cherished Christmas carols.
The Tony Award-winning hit comedy and one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history The Play That Goes Wrong returns to The Smith Center November 9-14. Combining the humor of Monty Python with a Sherlock Holmes mystery, the Olivier Award-winning production introduces the “Cornley University Drama Society,” who are attempting to put on a 1920’s murder mystery except, as the title suggests, everything goes wrong.
In addition to these, upcoming performances at The Smith Center include Broadway icons such as Kristin Chenoweth and Patti Lupone; music legends such as Paul Anka and Johnny Mathis; acclaimed jazz performers such as Wynton Marsalis and Boney James; internationally renowned dance groups such as Ballet Folklorico and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo; and notable speakers such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Garrison Keillor.
Tickets for all of these shows can be purchased HERE.
Due to public health and safety requirements during the pandemic, The Smith Center shuttered its theaters in March 2020. During its extended closure, the venue hosted a variety of virtual programming to engage patrons. The first live performance following the center’s reopening is scheduled for September 14, when Las Vegas favorite Frankie Moreno takes the stage again at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz.
For the latest details about The Smith Center’s health and safety protocols, please visit thesmithcenter.com/safety.
Producers of the new musical are now accepting video submissions for the non-equity touring production An Officer and a Gentleman.
Based on the Oscar-winning film starring Richard Gere, An Officer and a Gentleman is a breathtaking production that celebrates triumph over adversity and includes one of the most iconic and romantic endings ever portrayed on screen. Featuring the Grammy Award winning, #1 hit single ‘Up Where We Belong’, and a score based on the 1980’s catalogue of music that gave voice to a generation, the live stage production is a new adaptation by multiple Tony Awards nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture), based on the original screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart. The musical is directed by Scanlan with choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Motown, A Night with Janis Joplin).
Zack Mayo’s got smarts and a body built for US Navy pilot boot camp, but he also has too much swagger… until he meets a drill sergeant who’s determined to drill his arrogance out of him. Zack finds comfort in the arms of a local factory girl. But it isn’t until tragedy befalls a fellow candidate that Zack learns the importance of love and friendship and finds the courage to be his best self and win the heart of the woman he loves. A sweeping romance that lifts you up where you belong.
The production had originally been scheduled to begin in fall 2020, but has now been pushed to start in fall 2021, with many of the originally-scheduled stops having already been rescheduled including Kansas City, MO, and West Palm Beach, FL, as well as newly-scheduled stops in Sacramento, CA, and Charlotte, NC. View the current list of scheduled stops here.
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, A NEW MUSICAL – National Tour (Non AEA)
Producer/GM: Work Light Productions
Director/Writer: Dick Scanlan
Associate Director: Matt Kunkel
Music Supervisor: Dan Lipton
Choreographer: Patricia Wilcox
Casting: Wojcik | Seay Casting
Rehearsals on or about September 15, 2021 in NY
Tech in Elmira, NY commencing on or about October 10, 2021
Opening in Las Vegas, NV on or about October 26, 2021
Closing on or about June 1, 2022
**** All dates are COVID dependent***
Initial auditions will be done by video. Callbacks will be video and/or scheduled in person as COVID protocols allow. Please send headshot and resume to the following email address:
officergentlemancasting@gmail.com
Salary: Minimum $550/ensemble, $700 /Principals + per diem. Housing and travel provided commencing the first move to tech city.
Music style is straight tone, 80’s pop / rock. The male officers are primarily rock tenors who can comfortably hit high a G. Though, in the company we do need a few baritones and a few higher specialists who can hit up to high A or B.
Seeking:
Zack Mayo (Caucasian, 24) As arrogant as he is smart (and that’s plenty smart) this handsome, wounded loner carries resentment for his deadbeat, dishonorably discharged from the Navy father. As a result, Zack always challenges authority. Rock Tenor to High G. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. Must be in excellent physical shape and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this.
Sid Worley Jr (African American, 23) Everyone’s Best Friend. Always willing to help with no judgement. And fun! Only son of the first black U.S. Admiral, Sid does everything he does for his disapproving father’s approval. Rock Tenor to High C. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. ROLE IS CAST – SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
McNamara (Caucasian, 23) Working Class “boy next door” type. Underneath his youthfulness is a real maturity and deep commitment to his fiancé. No military background. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Rock Baritone. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound.
Watts (African American, 23) An activist who realizes his Philosophy degree will not give him real world opportunities, he’s looking for a new purpose. No military background. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Rock Tenor to High G. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. WILL LIKLEY UNDERSTUDY THE ROLE OF SID
Zuniga (Latino, 31) He is from Miami—the barrio not the beach. Tough city vibe. First to go to college in his family—and he got there by enlisting in the Navy right out of high school. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Rock Baritone. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound.
Cohen (Caucasian, 22) From a wealthy NY family. Funny and neurotic. A fish out of water with no military background. Our Character man. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Rock Tenor to High G. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. ROLE IS CAST – SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Greer (Caucasian ,22) A good-natured, goodtime guy with a real sense of uncomplicated patriotism, and little understanding of how the American Dream isn’t equally available to all. No military background. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Rock Tenor to High G. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. ROLE IS CAST – SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Leung (Asian, 24) Articulate and bright. An Architect who’s been working in the real world for a few years and is seeking a larger purpose. No military background. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this Rock Baritone or Tenor. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. This role must be one of the two dancers mentioned above. ROLE IS CAST – SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Perryman (African American, 30) A family man with 2 kids. Enlisted in the Navy right out of high school and has spent 10 years working his way toward the opportunity to be an officer. Must be in excellent physical shape, and move well or dance. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this Rock Baritone. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. ROLE IS CAST SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Drill Sergeant Foley and Others (African American, 30’s/40’s) Strong authoritative presence. He’s a Marine, called in to work these aspiring naval officers to their breaking point. Foley epitomizes military strength and correctness. Need an actor with range: he plays Sid’s and Seeger’s very different fathers. R&B Style Baritone. ROLE IS CAST SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Paula (21, Caucasian) Top of her class in high school; two years later she’s working in a factory. She wants to be a paralegal, but struggles to see how she can create a life beyond her meager circumstances. Rock Belt/Mix to high D or E. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound.
Lynette (22, Caucasian) Sexy and pragmatic with a good heart. Not manipulative. Has a history with men who’ve treated her badly. Rock Belt/Mix to high D or E. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. ROLE IS CAST SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Esther (43) Paula’s mother. Fiercely proud of her daughter and hopeful for her future. A strong woman who raised her daughter alone after being jilted by her naval officer boyfriend, leaving her deeply suspicious of Zach. Sultry Alto with thick sound. ROLE IS CAST SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Casey Seeger (25, any ethnicity, Female) Among the first women to be allowed into the program by mandate of the Supreme Court. Smart and hard-working but headstrong and sometimes self-righteous. She is competing in a man’s world. Must be in excellent physical shape. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Alto rock belter. Must dance or move extremely well.
Zack’s Dad/Troy/Mr. Ruddiger /Captain Wagner: (Caucasian 40s,) Character Actor who plays Zack’s deadbeat, violent dad; Lynette’s ex-local boy boyfriend with a dead-end job; a Navy Captain; and the hapless but goodhearted manager of a factory. Rock Baritone or Tenor. No Legit singing –Seeking pop-rock straight tone sound. ROLE IS CAST SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY
Female Ensemble & Swings: 20s, small town, blue collar, factory workers, any ethnicity. All must be excellent rock belters as each of them sings solo in either a country (a la Crystal Gayle) or rock style (a la Pat Benatar) UNDERSTUDIES FOR PRINCIPAL ROLES OF PAULA, LYNETTE , SEEGER AND ESTHER WILL COME FROM ENSEMBLE AND SWINGS. Seeger Understudy must be in excellent physical shape. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. Must dance or move extremely well.
Male Swings: 20s, Rock Baritones or Rock tenors who dance/ move extremely well. Must be in excellent physical shape. It is a plot point to scale a 12-foot wall and all officer candidates MUST be able to do this. SWINGS WILL UNDERSTUDY VARIOUS PRINCIPAL ROLES.
NOTE: ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SEVEN MALE ROLES MUST BE IN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL SHAPE; IT IS A PLOT POINT TO SCALE A 12-FOOT WALL, AND ALL SEVEN MUST DO SO. THEY MUST MOVE WELL, AND TWO OF THEM MUST DANCE. DANCERS WHO SING ARE ENCOURAGED TO AUDITION, AS ARE SINGERS WHO DANCE OR MOVE WELL.