Molly Bass and I are directing the 10th anniversary of our musical Junk in the McCreary Theatre at The Green Room. Auditions are in June. The show opens the season in September.

This is a story about a yard sale, a mermaid, and the lives of the people around it, both sellers and buyers. Karissa is holding a sale to get rid of some excess baggage—including the “junk” left behind by her ex-boyfriend, Dwight. Things get kinda’ complicated when he shows up to the sale unknowingly with his new girlfriend. A trio of veteran pickers add to the fun.

This will be an opportunity to originate new songs for the 10th-anniversary production and new cast recordings.

For more information, check out the info and links below, including character descriptions and what to expect at auditions.

— Jeff Hartman, Co-Director, Co-Writer, Music Director
September 5-21 @greenrm_theatre #junk

Junk

A Bass~Hartman Musical
A play about a yard sale and a mermaid.

Book by Molly Bass
Music and Lyrics by Molly Bass and Jeff Hartman
Arrangements by Jeff Hartman

Art by John David Brown III
Butterfly Moo | Plastic Moon © 2015. All rights reserved.
Original Cast Album available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more.

Originally Developed for the Stage at Hickory Arts

Originally Produced by Hickory Theatre

Junk is presented through special arrangement with Butterfly Moo & Plastic Moon. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by Hickory Arts.

Auditions

Auditions for Junk will be held at The Green Room on Monday, June 9 from 7 pm and Tuesday, June 10 from 7 pm, with possible callbacks on Wednesday, June 11 from 7 pm.

The Green Room
Old Post Office Playhouse
10 South Main Avenue
Newton, NC 28658
828-464-6583
thegreenroomtheatre.org

Auditions will include singing and reading.

Please prepare 32 bars from one of the following Junk selections ONLY.
*Any can be used for any character

Karissa - Never Forever - Audition Cut

Jean - Treasure Hunters - Audition Cut

Jann - Treasure Hunters - Audition Cut

Joe - Fish in That Thee Sea - Audition Cut

The Extra - The Extra - Audition Cut

Crystal - Crystal's Ball - Audition Cut

Dwight - Crystal Lite - Audition Cut

The Mermaid - Begin Again - Audition Cut

An accompanist will be provided. Do not bring your own accompanist. Do not accompany yourself unless you are auditioning for the role of Dwight with a guitar. Please bring sheet music with you if needed.

Free Audition Prep

Hickory Arts will sponsor Complimentary Junk (10th Anniversary) Audition Prep with the Music Director. One FREE session per auditioner. The booking link is below.

Hickory Arts
720 2nd Ave SW
Hickory, NC 28602
828-270-9801
hickoryarts.com

Creative Team

Molly Bass... Co-Director, Script Supervisor
Jeff Hartman… Co-Director, Music Director, Sound Design
Karen McGuire… Stage Manager & Props
Sarah Kate Pedraza... Assistant Stage Manager
Rachael & Matt Morris… Technical Directors
John David Brown III… Costumes
TBD… Lighting Designer
Steven Thigpen… Sound Engineer

Orchestra

Jeff Hartman... Music Director / Piano-Conductor
TBD... Percussion
TBD... Cello
TBD... Woodwinds (Tenor Sax / Clarinet / Flute)
TBD... Acoustic Guitar
TBD... Violin

*The band will be on stage.

Rehearsals

Monday-Thursday from 7 pm to 9 pm beginning Monday, June 16
*Rehearsals may run longer and/or additional dates may be added only if necessary

Tech:
(Call is 1 hour before)

Sunday, August 31, 2 pm - Sitzprobe
Sunday, August 31, 7 pm - Cue to Cue
Monday, September 1, 7 pm - Dress Tech
Tuesday. September 2, 7 pm - Dress Tech
Wednesday, September 3, 7 pm - Dress Tech
Thursday, September 4, 7 pm - Dress Tech

Performances

(Call is 1 hour before)

Friday, September 5, 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 6, 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 7, 3 pm

Friday, September 12, 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 13, 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 14, 3 pm

Friday, September 19, 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 20, 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 21, 3 pm followed by Strike

*Producers Night: TBD

Character Breakdown

*Casting is relative. Don’t be afraid to audition against what’s suggested. It may give the creative team new ideas and a different perspective. Show us what ya got! Play Age is how the character will be perceived and not necessarily the age of the actor.

Karissa
A sexy nerd or a nerdy, hot girl; insecurely strong or strongly insecure; very OCD
Play Age: 20's to 30's
Vocal Range: Mezzo / D5
Songs: Everything Must Go, Dwight's Plight, Never Forever, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Bite You, Begin Again, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

The Mermaid
Karissa’s inner voice; a little-girl’s dream of the most beautiful, whimsical, and powerful siren of the sea
Play Age: 16 & up
Vocal Range: Soprano / F5
Songs: Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Begin Again, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

Jann
One of the pair of ladies you always see at a yard sale; blunt, crass, and hateful, but that’s why you love her
Play Age: 50's & up
Vocal Range: Mezzo / E5
Songs: Treasure Hunters, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

Jean
The other lady in the pair you always see at a yard sale; a kinder, gentler Jann; actually has manners and feelings
Play Age: 50's & up
Vocal Range: Mezzo / E5
Songs: Treasure Hunters, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

Joe
A professional junker; loves the “game” of yard sales; very direct
Play Age: 50's & up
Vocal Range: Baritone / E4
Songs: Fish in That There Sea, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

Dwight
Karissa’s ex-boyfriend; a man-boy; doesn’t want to grow up, not much ambition, coasts through life; Guitar playing a plus.
Play Age: No younger than Karissa
Vocal Range: Tenor / G4
Songs: Dwight's Plight, Crystal Lite, La La La, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Bite You, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

Crystal
Dwight’s new girlfriend; a hairstylist; a total free spirit, loves life and adventures, does not like to waste her time thinking too much
Play Age: 18 & up
Vocal Range: Mezzo / E5
Vocal range bottom: G4
Songs: Crystal's Ball, La La La, Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

The Extra
The recurring buyer at the yard sale; “wears 20 costumes with not one line to say”
Play Age: 16 & up
Vocal Range: Tenor / G4
Songs: Fish in That There Sea (Reprise), The Extra, Finally, Fish in That There Sea (Bows)

History

Inspiration

Jeff Hartman, “Junk” composer, is the Artistic Director and a teaching artist for Hickory Arts, specializing in Artist Development.

“I like to call it a ‘Psuesical.’ That would be a ‘psuedo-musical.’ It’s a play with music vs. a musical with some lines thrown in between. Molly is brilliant, hilarious, and the simplicity of it all is what makes her very own brand of humor and writing so special. It’s been a pleasure contributing to ‘Junk.'”

“The spark for ‘Junk’ came from a passage in the book, ‘The Mermaid Chair,’ by Sue Monk Kidd,” Bass says. Molly Bass is “Junk’s” playwright. Many of her plays have been produced at Hickory Theatre. “She describes a painting of a mermaid diving to the bottom of the ocean with different objects streaming off of her—a spatula, refrigerator magnets, apple peels, etc. So my mind jumped to—’ What if a mermaid had a yard sale?’ That description also led me to think about cleansing, baptism, renewal. Then ‘Karissa,’ the main character of ‘Junk,’ was born!”

Productions

The Firemen's Kitchen
Junk, a musical written by Molly Bass & Jeff Hartman, premiered in the newly renovated Firemen's Kitchen at Hickory Theatre in Hickory, NC, in 2015. The production ran for one month and starred Grace Bollinger, Connie Bools, Joni Coppinger, Bill Boyd, Daniel Breuer, Nathan Crabtree, Carol Anne Hartman, and Shannon Underwood. The show sold out.

Jeffers Theatre
With new producers, the musical later opened in the Jeffers Theatre on October 14, 2016, closing on October 30 of the same month. Allison Andrews, Molly Bass, Jairo Pereira, and Jeremy Whitener stepped in to star opposite Connie Bools, Joni Coppinger, and Bill Boyd.

Pinkerton Theatre
Venice Theatre’s Stage 2 Series area premiere from January 31 through March 8, 2020, featuring Thayer Greenberg, Lisa Taylor, Jack Kaiser, Kenneth Glesge, Brittany Roa, Laurie Colton, Thomas Rhoor, and Sabiné Timol.

Critical Reaction

"An unexpected treasure! Like finding a rare and vintage item at a random rummage sale, this play is exactly that, a discovered gem that was originally performed at a community theatre..."
— Dave O'Sullivan, Our Town Sarasota

Awards

North Carolina Theatre Conference | Community Theatre Festival
2016 - Winner

Hickory Theatre | Kay Awards
2016 - Outstanding Character Actress in a Musical, Winner (Connie Bools)

Southeastern Theatre Conference | Community Theatre Festival
2017 - Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Winner (Allison Andrews)