2026 Casting Information
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, a composer
KASPAR VAN BEETHOVEN, his brother
JOSEPHINE BRUNSVIK, his student
JOSEPH HAYDN, his teacher
PRINCE LICHNOWSKY, his patron
PRINCE LOBKOWITZ, his patron
JULIE GUICCIARDI, his student
JOHANNA VAN BEETHOVEN, his sister-in-law
KARL VAN BEETHOVEN, his nephew
MOZART, a dead composer
HANDEL, a dead composer
BACH, a dead composer
OTHERS:
COUNT FRIES, COUNT DEYM, DANNY STEIBELT, DOCTORS, SERVANTS, JULIE'S HUSBAND, SOLDIERS, LIEUTENANT, VIVALDI, FUX, OWEN, CHRIS, THERESE MALFATTI, LEONORE, FLORESTAN, FRANZ LISZT, FRANZ SCHUBERT
Beth - female, plays ages 14-24, the third March sister. Quiet, paralyzingly shy, passionate lover of music and family. Her presence is a cool sea breeze on a blazing summer’s day. This actor must play the piano with great feeling. Beth appears as both a ghost and the memory of a living girl. Folksy Mezzo-Soprano with Belt a la Lizzy McAlpine.
Meg - female, plays ages 18-28, the eldest March sister. Calm, determined, grounded, a little vain, a lot parentified, deeply romantic. Falls in love at first sight, which forces her to choose between following her heart or following through on her ambition to marry advantageously. Folksy Soprano a la Imogen Heap.
Jo - female, plays ages 16-26, the second eldest March sister. Restless and wry, a tall tempest of a person, wants badly to be good but disagrees with society’s definition. A born storyteller, her ambition is at war with her devotion to her sisters. Folksy Alto with Belt a la Maggie Rogers.
Amy - female, plays ages 13-23, the youngest March sister. An artistic firecracker, she shares Meg’s love of beauty and Jo’s passionate ambition. She struggles with feeling left behind and regulating her self-esteem, yet is certain that her destiny involves being universally beloved. Her marriage to Laurie may be the one time a childhood crush actually blossoms into real love. Punk Belt a la Hayley Williams.
Laurie - male, plays ages 17-27, the boy next door. An only child, outsider longing to be part of the gang. He mistakes wanting to be Jo with being in love with her, and is as surprised as anyone when he actually falls for Amy. Tenor a la Jeff Buckley.
Marmee - female, plays ages 50-60, the March family matriarch. Warm, wise, witty; she really is the GOAT of motherhood. She takes great pride in what she sees as the ultimate project: raising her daughters up to be their own women. Alto a la Alanis Morisette.
Mr. John Brooke - male, plays ages 25-45, Laurie’s tutor, the book-smart but impoverished suitor of Meg. Mr. Brooke cares a great deal about propriety, but loves Meg more. Bari-Tenor a la Hozier.
Professor Bhaer - male, plays ages 35-50, the book-smart but impoverished suitor of Jo. The Professor is a lonely German immigrant, who thought love had passed him by. Jo knocks him off his axis. Bass-Baritone a la Johnny Cash.
Father male, plays ages 55-65, the March family patriarch. Father is the ideal absent father: gone for a noble reason, encouraging from afar. Folksy Baritone.
Ensemble, playing a variety of characters
A NOTE ON CASTING: these are real people based on beloved characters played by actors in the America of today (so please cast for the diverse world we live in today).
AMALIE: a shy, socially awkward 11-year-old girl (preferably cast a person of color; mezzo soprano)
MADISON: popular girl, born leader, but bullies others
LILY: 11-year-old girl, a follower, popular, always twirling hair, love-sick
CHLOE: 11-year-old girl, intellectual, tries to be kind but wants to fit in
NORI: quirky, 11-year-old, non-binary, confident in self
ZACH: 11-year-old boy, athletic popular jock
RUDY: 11-year-old boy, hip-hop and gamer fan
VINCENT VAN GOGH: at age 37(tenor)
Adult & Youth Ensemble
Jess - a sixteen year old girl responsible for caring for her younger brother, Jack. Her mom works all day to support the family and is therefore never present. Jess is weighed down by obligation, finding it very difficult to balance school work on top of everything else.
Bailey - A people-pleasing fifteen year old girl dating Dylan, a boy in her grade. She is eager for everyone to get along, but hides her own personality behind a smile. In reality, she is sad and scared because she is being blackmailed by Ryan.
Lily - a smart, high-achieveing sixteen year old girl. She has no social life, spending all her time on homework, which is causing her to become depressed.
Gracie - a reserved, cautious, and kind sixteen year old girl who feels constrained by her mother’s expectations. She wants to be an artist, but her mom wants her to be a mathematician.
Jack - Jess’ younger brother. He is nine years old and in third grade. Generally in good spirits, though he doesn’t understand why his mother is so absent.
Dylan - Bailey’s boyfriend. He is very popular, but kind and is running for class president against Ryan.
Ryan - Bailey’s brother’s best friend. He blackmails Bailey in order to have the upper-hand in class president elections.
John - Lily’s dad. He is not around much and pressures her to get good grades.
Diana - Lily’s divorced, single mother. Concerned for Lily’s well-being, but doesn’t know how to best approach the situation.
Jean - Jess’ mom. Always at work supporting the family after her husband's absence.
Jessica - Gracie’s mom. She dreams of her daughter becoming a mathematician just like she was in order to fulfill her long-lost dreams.
Dr. Green - the biology teacher who groups the four girls for a presentation
Bella - A fifteen year old girl who has liked Dylan since freshman year, but is too scared to say anything to him.
Rose - A friend of Dylan’s in freshman year.