THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family–a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before–keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

Director's Vision Statement: 

I am so excited to be part of the team bringing The Addams Family Musical to life.  This comedy brings the beloved comic turned TV series to the stage.  The creator, Charles Addams, crafted the ghoulish American family with a flare for the eccentric and macabre.  
I love that this show displays that God has created us all to be unique. Our  differences are what make life interesting.  Everyone brings something special to the table, quite literally in this case. We can all learn and grow from one another. It is important to embrace who we are at our core and not try to change to impress others.  Normal is relative after all.

We meet the family in their mansion in the middle of Central Park on the night of ancestral celebration; when I say we meet the family, I mean all of them, “living, dead, and undecided”. We find out early on in our story that Wednesday has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a college student from Ohio.  Wednesday and Lucas both find their families to be unusual for very different reasons.  They both request just “One Normal Night” as they bring their families together to announce their engagement.  
The night takes an unexpected turn when Pugsley steals Grandma’s truth serum with the intent of slipping it in Wednesday's drink  to sabotage her engagement.  The family plays “The Game” in which they each disclose a secret.  Alice ends up being the one to get dosed with the truth serum and reveals much more than anyone at a first time meeting should. Chaos ensues and Uncle Fester enlists the Ancestors to help trap the bunch in the mansion overnight. Ultimately, all’s well that ends well and the potion being slipped to the wrong victim was all a happy accident that ends up bringing everyone together.

The character traits and show content of Addams Family do lend to a more mature cast.  The character breakdown of this show will require our actors to be believable as adults with children, young adults (college age), an elderly grandma, kooky uncle, an intimidating butler, and The Ancestors.  Many of the Ancestors are referenced by name, title that describes what they did, or how they died.  We will need a Pugsley, who should read as a pre-teen when performing against our “adult” characters. 

***Note regarding ages: All actors in this production should present as at least pre-teen in appearance. We do not plan to cast small children as ancestors, but CYT does not limit our shows by specific age since some students appear different ages than their numerical age might suggest. Please use your discretion and choose the show that is best for your student, realistically determining how their age presents on stage. 

The characters in this show are witty with a dry sense of humor.  Practice delivering comedy with very little expression for most of The Addams. However, just because your face is expressionless doesn’t mean the inflection of your voice and energy through your body should drop.  Work on being a little “off your rocker“ and unpredictable for Grandma.  Fester plays by his own rules and does not give much thought to how he is perceived by others.  Lurch should feel as though he towers over the rest of the cast and has a silent yet strong presence.  The Beineke’s appear as the all American Family to outsiders, but harbor lots of secrets.  Think about the layers of that characterization. The Ancestors will require embodying personality traits and physicality of their specific name, and the ability to think through a backstory for what brought on their demise.  

Please take the time to think through if this is the most suitable option for your age, character type, voice, and acting style.  When sides are released, please study them ahead of time.  Use that week to get to know the vocal and acting sides and think about the characters.  

We are excited for this show experience and are looking forward to auditions!  We are praying for each and every auditioner as they make their decisions for which show they choose and begin preparing!

-Christina Haynes
Director