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Johnnie's Song 

Book by George Pinney

Music& Lyrics by Larry Kass

Director/Choreographer:  George Pinney

Music Director:  Terry LaBolt

Tap Choreographer:  Nathan Middleman

Stage Manager:  Trish Hausmann

Casting Director:  Kate Galvin 

 

Indiana University’s Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance is seeking local, Equity and Non-Equity actors for a workshop production (fully off-book, choreographed, minimal production elements) of the new musical Johnnie’s Song. Seeking current IU students as well as professional actors from the Bloomington/Indianapolis area. Initial auditions will take place via video submissions, with in-person callbacks scheduled in Bloomington on Sunday, March 8th. 

 

Rehearsal dates:  August 3 – 15, 2026 (afternoons and evenings)

Performance Date:  Saturday 15 August at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Wells-Metz Theatre on IU’s campus 

Compensation:  AEA Single Engagement Agreement (formerly Guest Artist, $604/wk plus health, pension and a $50 media payment), Non-AEA $550/wk

 

Interested actors should submit the following to Kate Galvin, Casting Director (johnniessong@gmail.com) by Friday, February 13th. 

 

• Note of interest, indicating any preferred role for consideration

• Headshot and resume

• Shareable video link (YouTube or Vimeo preferred) with a slate and 2 contrasting songs - standards from the Great American Songbook or musical theater songs with some country music influence 

• Link to dance reel featuring tap skills, if you wish to be considered for a featured dance role 

• Link to your website (if available)

 

Seeking actors for the following roles: 

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JOHNNIE: 18-22 to play 17-18, male identified, strong Tenor voice. A charismatic, young leading man, Johnnie is quite appealing both inside and out. He naturally puts people at ease, as they are attracted to him like flies to sweet apple pie. 

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JANIE:  18-22 to play 18, female identified, Soprano. Janie plays the ingenue but has been around the block a few times. She loves to dance and dreams of making it on the professional stage. This role requires tap skills. 

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CHARLIE/ACTOR 1:  18-20 to play 18, male identified, Baritone. Charlie is a bit of a conman and isn’t afraid to rough people up when necessary. Deep down he has a heart of gold and secretly pines away for Johnnie. This actor also plays additional roles in the ensemble. 

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BALTHAZAR:  25-40, male identified, Baritone. The villain of the story, Balthazar is a rogue and conman. He is polished in manner and speech, a ringmaster, gracious, with a sting of a rattlesnake. A charmer who can talk anyone into anything. 

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JACK/ACTOR 2:  40+, male identified, Bari-Tenor. Jack is Johnnie’s father, who became an alcoholic and darn mean after his wife died. This actor serves as the primary narrator and plays numerous additional roles in the ensemble.

 

ENSEMBLE: Any age 18+, all genders and voice parts. The Ensemble members play a wide variety of characters including townsfolk, circus performers, G-men, farmers, hobos and more. There will be 2 featured dancers in roles that require tap proficiency. 

 

About the show…

Johnnie’s Song is a new musical set in 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression, charting a journey from the hills of Arkansas to the promising sunshine of California. The story follows seventeen-year-old Johnnie, a young man with a "magnificent tenor voice" who is beloved by his local congregation but yearns for a "big stage" beyond the dirt lanes of his small town. His life is upended after a violent confrontation with his embittered, alcoholic father, Jack, who blames Johnnie for the death of his mother. Believing he may have killed his father, Johnnie flees into the night, embarking on what is described as a "transformative odyssey" and the "destruction of innocence".

 

On the road, Johnnie teams up with Charlie, a jovial eighteen-year-old conman with a "heart of gold" who is desperate for a best friend. They eventually hop a freight train and join the remnants of a bankrupt traveling circus led by Balthazar, a polished rogue and ringmaster with the "sting of a rattlesnake". Among the troupe is Janie, a guarded eighteen-year-old tap dancer who shares Johnnie’s dreams of making it on a professional stage. As Johnnie and Janie fall in love, the group creates "The Heaven or Hell Show," a traveling revival scam designed to fleece desperate townspeople by using Johnnie’s angelic voice to fill a "Passion Chest for the Poor".

 

The journey reaches a climax in Los Angeles, where the law catches up to the troupe, and Janie’s criminal past is revealed, leaving Johnnie crushed by the betrayal. Visited by the ghost of his mother, Johnnie is urged to forgive his father and himself. In a final act of redemption, Charlie chooses to stay by Johnnie’s side, and the two return to Arkansas to use the Passion Chest to truly help their struggling community.

 

The production style utilizes a company of storytellers who play multiple roles—ranging from church ladies and carnival performers to hobos and G-men—transforming a minimalist set of boxes, planks, and benches through enormous imagination.