Plans for a Spring 2012 reading were announced in December, and dates are now confirmed for early March. John Tartaglia, the Tony-nominated star of "Avenue Q," will direct. This developmental workshop will be followed by an out-of-town tryout, before a possible Broadway opening. Equity principal auditions will be held Friday, February 17 in New York City.
"Because of Winn-Dixie" tells the story of Opal, a young girl who gains confidence and rekindles her relationship with her father after she finds a stray dog at a Winn-Dixie supermarket. A film adaptation of "Winn-Dixie" was released in 2005.
Actors cast in the stage production must be comfortable working with animals, as "Because of Winn-Dixie" will be the first Broadway musical starring a live dog as the central character. Taran, an Irish Wolfhound, has been cast in the title role. The workshop will be used to integrate a live animal into the story and music.
"It has always amazed me the reaction animals have on an audience," animal trainer Bill Berloni said in a statement. "My theory is we all know anything onstage is an extension of reality... So when a dog or cat comes onstage, our collective reality is 'Wait a minute, you can't get an animal to act, what is it going to do?' And it brings the audience closer into the piece. While you can create animals as main characters in film, it has never been tried onstage."
For more information and audition details, view the full casting notice on BackStage.com. (Subscription required.)
Melanie Lockyer is a freelance casting director who recently cast "John Tartaglia's "Imaginocean." She also worked with Mungioli Theatricals on the Broadway and touring companies of "Fela!."
