Mary Poppins JR - Principal Cast (GR 5-12)

An all-youth musical theatre production!

Tuition: $435 includes souvenir cast t-shirt

Director: Rebekah Hirons
 

ALL REGISTERED STUDENTS WILL BE CAST IN THIS PRODUCTION! Before you register your student for this production, please read and understand the attendance, audition, and parent volunteer requirements as well as our UCYT Casting Policy.
 

Based on one of the most popular Disney movies of all time and the Broadway musical that played for over 2,500 performances and received multiple Olivier and Tony Awards nominations, Cameron Mackintosh and Disney's Mary Poppins is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect Broadway Junior musical!
 

The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that "Anything can happen if you let it."

 

Rehearsal Schedule Conflicts:

Cast members are required to attend ALL tech/dress rehearsals and ALL performances

Cast members must submit any conflicts with the published rehearsal schedule before casting. They may have a limited number of excused rehearsal conflicts and still have a successful experience if those conflicts are submitted before casting.
 

Rehearsals: 

Rehearsals begin Tuesday, September 17

Tuesday/Thursday 6:30-8:30pm, Friday 5:30-7:30pm
Sunday 1:00-5:30pm on 9/29, 10/27, 11/10, 11/24
No rehearsal 10/31, 11/28, 11/29
 

Mary Poppins JR Principal Cast Tech Week Schedule
No conflicts accepted

Monday, December 2, 5:00-9:00 pm - No conflicts accepted

Tuesday, December 3 5:00-9:00 pm - No conflicts accepted

Wednesday, December 4 5:00-9:00 pm - No conflicts accepted

Thursday, December 5 5:00-9:00 pm - No conflicts accepted

 

Mary Poppins Performances
No conflicts accepted

Friday December 6, 7pm Kite Cast
Saturday, December 7, 2pm Umbrella Cast
Saturday, December 7, 7pm Kite Cast
Sunday, December 8, 2pm Umbrella Cast
Friday, December 13, 7pm Umbrella Cast
Saturday, December 14, 2pm Kite Cast
Saturday, December 14, 7pm Umbrella Cast
Sunday, December 15, 2pm Kite Cast

Parent Volunteer Hours:

Principal cast families are required to volunteer at least 8 hours for this production or to buyout the required volunteer hours at $15 per hour. Volunteer opportunities include helping make costumes, set painting, set building, costume or prop shopping, providing supervision at dress rehearsals and performances, ushering, etc.
 

Costume Fittings: 

Cast families will need to sign up for two costume fitting appointments, one on 10/5/24 and one on 11/16/24. A link to signup for costume fittings will be included in the enrollment confirmation email.

Saturday, October 5th, 10:30am-3:30pm - by appointment

Saturday, November 16th, 10:30am-3:30pm - by appointment
 

Audition requirements:
Audition requirements are based on your student’s status of NEW vs. RETURNING and whether they would like to be considered for a specific role.
 

Individual Auditions - by appointment

A link to sign up for Individual audition appointments will be included in your registration confirmation email!

Individual audition dates:
Sunday, September 8th
Wednesday, September 11th
 

Group auditions - full cast 

Thursday, September 12th 5:00 - 8:30pm. Everyone attends the full 3.5 hour group auditions. We will get to know each other, learn a short segment of the show choreography together, and participate in cold reads. Bring a snack and a water bottle, wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can move in, and be prepared to have fun!

 

FAQ: Does everyone need to prepare an individual audition?

Answer: This depends on two things.

1. Is the student NEW (never been in a UCYT production) or RETURNING (has been in at least one UCYT production as a principal cast member)?

2. Would the student like to be considered for a specific role?
 

ALL students: 

Any student who would like to be considered for a specific role MUST prepare an individual vocal/acting audition. All students should attend the group auditions on September 12th.
 

RETURNING students: All returning students (any student who has participated in the principal cast of any of our previous productions) must prepare and schedule an individual audition to be cast in this production in any role. 
 

Returning students must also attend the group audition. If your student has a conflict with the scheduled group audition date on Thursday, September 12, please contact the stage manager at [email protected] to discuss your options. 

 

NEW students: New students (any student who has never participated in the principal cast in one of our previous productions) who do not want to be considered for a specific role are invited but not required to prepare an INDIVIDUAL audition. However, ALL students (including new students) must attend the GROUP auditions. 
 

We highly encourage new students to participate in the individual auditions. We’re happy to answer any questions in advance that students or parents/guardians may have about the audition instructions or any other concerns you may have.
 

If your student is unable to attend the individual auditions on 9/8 or 9/11, they may submit a video audition. Video auditions must be received by Tuesday, September 10th.
 

Cast List:

The final cast list will be posted by Saturday, September 14
 

Auditions

What to prepare for auditions:

Please review the character list at the end of this page for descriptions of the characters in Mary Poppins JR.

Individual Audition - Acting and Vocal
For your individual audition you will prepare a vocal audition and an acting audition. 

ACTING AUDITION:

Acting auditions may be a little different for our returners so be sure to read the instructions carefully. Rather than preparing a monologue, auditioning students should prepare two “sides” from Mary Poppins JR. What are sides?
Detailed instructions for your acting audition and all of the sides you can choose from will be provided in a link included in your registration confirmation email!
 

VOCAL AUDITION: 

If you are auditioning for:

Mary Poppins: Prepare Practically Perfect
Bert: Prepare Jolly Holiday
Jane or Michael Banks: PrepareThe Perfect Nanny
Bird Woman: Prepare Feed the Birds
John Northbrook: Prepare Precision and Order pt 2
Miss Andrew: Prepare Brimstone and Treacle pt 1
George Banks: Prepare A Man Has Dreams

Winifred Banks or any character/ensemble role not listed above: Prepare Anything Can Happen pt 2
Detailed instuctions for your vocal audition and all of the official Mary Poppins JR music tracks and sheet music will be provided in a link included in your registration confirmation email!
 

ROLES in Mary Poppins JR:

Students may audition for roles of any gender. 

Mary Poppins

Jane and Michael Banks’s new nanny. She is extraordinary and strange, neat and tidy, delightfully vain yet very particular, and sometimes a little frightening, but she is always exciting. She is practically perfect in every way and always means what she says. The role calls for an excellent singer and actor who should be able to move well. Since she carries a majority of the show, precision and diction are key. 

Character Gender: female
 

Bert

The narrator of the story, is a good friend to Mary Poppins. An everyman, Bert is a chimney sweep and a sidewalk artist, among many other occupations. With a twinkle in his eye and a skip in his step, Bert watches over the children and the goings-on around Cherry Tree Lane. He is a song-and-dance man with oodles of charm who is wise beyond his years. 

Character Gender: male

 

George Banks

Husband to Winifred and father to Jane and Michael, George is a banker to the very fiber of his being. Demanding "precision and order" in his household, he is a pip-and-slippers man who doesn't have much to do with his children and believes that Miss Andrew, his cruel, strict childhood nanny, gave him the perfect upbringing. George's emotional armor, however off-putting, conceals a sensitive soul.
Character Gender: male

 

Winifred Banks

George's wife and Jane and Michael's mother. She is a loving homemaker who is busy trying to live up to her husband's social aspirations while striving to be a model wife and mother. 

Character Gender: female

 

Jane Banks

The high-spirited daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, bright and precocious but can be willful and inclined to snobbishness. 

Character Gender: female
 

Michael Banks

The cheeky son of Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Excitable and naughty, he adores his father and longs desperately for his attention. Both he and Jane misbehave in order to get the attention of their parents.

Character Gender: male

 

Miss Andrew

Miss Andrew is George’s overbearing and scary childhood nanny. With her bottle of nasty- tasting brimstone and treacle to keep naughty children in line, she is a bully who only knows one way of doing things: her way. 

Character Gender: female

 

Bird Woman

The Bird Woman is covered in a patchwork of old shawls, her pockets stuffed with bags of crumbs for the birds. She tries to sell the crumbs to Passersby, who ignore her as if she doesn’t exist. 

Character Gender: female

 

John Northbrook

John Northbrook is an honest businessman seeking a loan to build a factory for his community.
Character Gender: male

Mrs. Brill

The housekeeper and cook for the Banks family. Overworked, she’s always complaining that the house is understaffed. Her intimidating exterior is a cover for the warmth underneath. 

Character Gender: female

Robertson Ay

The houseboy to the Banks family. Forgetful and clumsy, he often bungles simple tasks. He doesn’t do a lot of singing, but he should be a good comedic actor. Note: his last name is pronounced like “eye.” 

Character Gender: male

 

Ensemble & Featured Characters include:

Katie Nanna, Park Strollers, Statues, Neleus, Bird Woman, Honey Bees, Clerks, Miss Smythe, Chairman, Von Hussler, John Northbrook, Vagrants, Buskers, Passerby, Mrs. Corry, Customers, Miss Andrew, Kite Flyers, Chimney Sweeps, Policeman and the Messenger. 

 

Katie Nanna

Katie Nanna is Jane and Michael’s nanny at the beginning of the show. Overwhelmed and upset, she has absolutely had her fill of the Banks children. 

Character Gender: female

Park Strollers

The Park Strollers are citizens of London who go from drab and dreary to bright and colorful as they get swept up in Mary Poppins’s adventures in the park. 

Character Gender: any

 

Statues

The Statues are stone sculptures. Thanks to Mary Poppins, these works of art come alive and dance with Bert and the Park Strollers. 

Character Gender: any

Neleus

Neleus is a statue who, once brought to life by Mary Poppins, is very happy to befriend Jane and Michael. 

Character Gender: any

 

Honeybees

The Honeybees are conjured by Mary Poppins to help teach the children the benefits of “A Spoonful of Sugar.” 

Character Gender: any

 

Clerks

The Clerks, like George, are employees at the bank. 

Gender: any

 

Miss Smythe

Miss Smythe is the bank Chairman’s humorless secretary. 

Character Gender: female

 

Chairman

Chairman, the head of the bank where Mr. Banks is employed, is an Edwardian stuffed shirt. 

Character Gender: male

 

Von Hussler

Von Hussler is a businessman seeking a loan from the bank for a shady business deal. 

Character Gender: male

 

Vagrants, Buskers, and Passerby

Vagrants, Buskers, and Passerby are citizens of London passing by the cathedral during “Feed the Birds.”

Character Gender: any

 

Mrs. Corry

Mrs. Corry owns a magical Talking Shop. She is a mysterious woman of indeterminate age, but has plenty of spirit and is sharp as a tack. 

Character Gender: female

Customers

The Customers are bright, colorful British citizens visiting Mrs. Corry’s Talking Shop. 

Character Gender: any

 

Kite Flyers

Kite Flyers consist of families flying kites in the park. 

Gender: any

 

Chimney Sweeps

Chimney Sweeps (including Sweep 1,
 Sweep 2, Sweep 3, and Sweep 4) are Bert’s cheerful, friendly, and agile friends who keep London’s chimneys in working order. 

Character Gender: any
 

Policeman and the Messenger

The Policeman, a neighborhood patrol officer, and the Messenger deliver a summons to George from the bank

Character Gender: any