AUDITIONS
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s
Mary Poppins
Saturday, October 18th at 1:00 PM
Sunday, October 19th at 7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 21st at 7:00 PM Callbacks
CENTERstage Productions announces open auditions for the musical Mary Poppins, a musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film. Original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, book by Julian Fellowes, with new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh.
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."
Presented by: CENTERstage Productions
Director: Duane Joseph Olson
Music Director: Russell Nissen-McCook
Choreographer: Maria Coppola
Assistant Choreographer: Haley Swetz
Stage Manager: Liz Corey
Location: The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck NY
Performance Dates: January 9, 2026 - February 1, 2026, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays & Sundays at 3PM
Seeking: Adult actors, singers, and dancers aged 16 - 65, and child actors aged 7-14.
There will be a dance portion of the callback
All ethnicities, gender expressions, abilities, cultural heritage / background and body types are encouraged to audition. Casting will be approached with no regard to an actor’s gender expression, race, or ethnicity. Women, persons of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals are strongly encouraged to audition. We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas of our work.
Please prepare: 16 - 32 measures of a song in the style of the show/character, or sing from the show if you wish. Bring your sheet music for the piano accompanist, or recorded tracks.
Questions: Contact Director Duane J. Olson at duanejosepholson@gmail.com
Casting Breakdown
MARY POPPINS (30-45) is Jane and Michael Banks’s new nanny. She is extraordinary and strange, neat and tidy, delightfully vain yet very particular, dry, witty, brief, occasionally intimidating, and sometimes a little frightening, but always exciting. She is practically perfect in every way, and always means what she says. A mezzo soprano with strong top notes, she should be able to move well and have strong posture. Must be comfortable with potential heights. Must have an understanding of the “RP English Accent” - clear, and “well-bred” accent. She can have a more traditional soprano sound, but precision and diction is key.
BERT (30’s-40’s), the narrator of the story, is a good friend to Mary Poppins. Charismatic, charming, warm, likeable, and energetic. An everyman, Bert has many occupations, including hurdy-gurdy player, sidewalk artist, and chimney sweep. Bert watches over the children as well as the goings on in Cherry Tree Lane. He has charm, speaks with a Cockney accent, and is a songand-dance-man. Baritone.
GEORGE BANKS (40’s-60’s), father to Jane and Michael Banks, is a banker to the very fiber of his being. Demanding “precision and order” in his household, he is a pipe-andslippers man who doesn’t have much to do with his children and believes that he had the perfect upbringing by his nanny, the cruel Miss Andrew. His emotional armor, however, conceals a sensitive soul. He is, in many ways, a broken man, who has been trying to live up to the Old English standards of a very toxic masculinity. Though it is perceived on surface-level that Mary Poppins is here to save the children, it is he who she will save. A baritone, George may speak-sing as necessary.
WINIFRED BANKS (40-50) is George’s wife and Jane and Michael’s mother. A former actress, she is a loving and distracted homemaker who is busy trying to live up to the strict and unrealistic standards of the so-called “perfect wife,” and her husband’s desire to only associate with “the best people.” She suffers from anxiety, impostor syndrome, the conflicting feelings that she’s not up to the job of “being Mrs. Banks,” yet she is, and more. She has a great warmth and simplicity to her tone. Mezzo Soprano.
JANE BANKS (8-14), the high-spirited daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, is bright and precocious but can be willful and inclined to snobbishness. Child soprano.
MICHAEL BANKS (8-14) is the cute and cheeky son of Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Excitable and naughty, he adores his father and tries to be like him. Both he and Jane misbehave in order to get the attention of their parents. Male child voice, unbroken.
MRS. BRILL (Any Age) is the housekeeper and cook for the Banks family. Overworked and harassed, she’s always complaining that the house is understaffed. Her intimidating exterior is a cover for the warmth underneath. Mrs. Brill doesn’t have a high opinion of nannies in general and Mary Poppins in particular. She does not have to be a strong singer. Alto.
ROBERTSON AY (20-30) is the houseboy to the Banks family. Sweet, but lost. He never gets things right and believes himself to be useless. He doesn’t do a lot of singing, but his “Spoonful” solo can be a fun surprise. Tenor.
ENSEMBLE ROLES
MARY POPPINS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com