Hartford Stage Company Inc.
Hartford, CT

DESCRIPTION

Notice: Submission

CONTRACT

LORT Non-Rep

$1144 weekly minimum (LORT B) until 6/29/26

$1213 weekly minimum (LORT B) after 6/29/26

SEEKING

Equity actors for SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (See breakdown).

In Partnership with TheaterWorks Hartford

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit your headshot and resume for consideration. Please include the name of the project, role and your union status in subject line.

Deadline: 01/26/2026

SUBMIT TO

[email protected]

,

PERSONNEL

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by Hugh Wheeler

Based on an adaptation by Christopher Bond

Directed by Rob Ruggiero

Casting Directors: Alaine Alldaffer, Lisa Donadio

OTHER DATES

NYC audition: TBD

First Rehearsal: May 5, 2026

First Preview: June 5, 2026

Opening: June 12, 2026

Closing: July 5, 2026

OTHER

Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.

BREAKDOWN

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: We are committed to a strong anti-racist ethos and a collective recommitment to nurture and sustain a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging at our organization. We seek to build a team that is passionate about theatre and that reflects the abundant vibrancy and diversity of our city, state, and nation. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender-identity, sexual orientation, familial status, religion, ability, age, national origin, class and veteran or immigrant status.

While the characters are written with "he/him" or "she/her" pronouns in the original scripts, we welcome gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to audition for the roles they most identify with. We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities. In addition, we will list disability when specific to a character but are otherwise seeking actors of all abilities. Thank you to First Folio Theatre for inspiring the language in this note as we work towards a more inclusive casting process.

NOTE: This is an intimate chamber production. Most actors are as cast and will double with other ensemble roles. Seeking actors with excellent dialect skills. All characters speak with British dialects, except Pirelli, who speaks with an Italian and Irish dialect.

SEEKING:

SWEENEY TODD: Male, 40s-50s. An impassioned, emotionally tormented man imprisoned on a false charge. He returns as a murderous barber seeking revenge and reconciliation with his family, which ultimately turns to dark obsession. He finds vengeance in his razors by systematically slitting the throats of all his enemies. He becomes consumed by his thirst for blood. Strong baritone/bass who can whistle. Speaks with an Estuary or London dialect. Vocal range top: Gb4. Vocal range bottom: F2

MRS. LOVETT: Female, 40s-50s. Hardy and entrepreneurial owner of a pie shop on Fleet Street. Hard-edged but with a savvy sense of humor. She is in love with Todd and hopes that he’ll forget the past and build a new life with her. Lovett aids Sweeney in his massacre by making meat pies out of his victims. Her love for him clouds her judgement and is ultimately her undoing. She is charismatic and has great comedic timing with depth. Speaks with a Cockney accent. Has an excellent mezzo-soprano voice. Vocal range top: E5. Vocal range bottom: G3.

ANTHONY HOPE: Male, 20s. Anthony is the idealistic handsome young sailor, befriended by Todd whom he rescued during the voyage home. He is idealistic, romantic and a little reckless. His passions sometimes get the better of his reason, and his enthusiasm sometimes makes him unintentionally comedic. Over the course of the show, he awakens to the horrors around him and becomes disillusioned with London. Trusting, optimistic and romantic, he is prepared to fight for his beliefs. Speaks with a British accent, and has an excellent baritone voice with strong falsetto for ensemble moments. Vocal range top: F4. Vocal range bottom: Bb2.

JOHANNA: Female, late teens to early 20s. Johanna is Sweeney Todd's daughter, stolen from the barber many years ago by Judge Turpin who has taken her in as his ward. Locked up in her room, Johanna dreams of freedom outside. She is rebellious, subversive and has a romantic streak longing to escape her confinement. Johanna is aware that Judge Turpin isn’t her real father and suspects that he might be a predator. Like her father, she has experienced trauma and possesses a buried capacity for violence. Youthful and innocent with a quirky side. Speaks with a British accent. Vocal range top: A5. Vocal range bottom: Bb3.

TOBIAS RAGG: Male, late teens to mid-20s. Young, waifish, and vulnerable. A bit of an urchin with a good heart. Apprenticed first to Pirelli and then to Mrs. Lovett. He is industrious and eager to please, with a good sense of humor. Uneducated, but innately clever and observant, Tobias responds quickly to the kindness of Lovett but grows increasingly suspicious of Sweeney. He comes to view Mrs. Lovett as a surrogate mother figure. Speaks with a thick Cockney accent. Vocal range top: Ab4. Vocal range bottom: Bb2.

JUDGE TURPIN: Male, 50s-60s. Pompous, self-centered, and powerful. A lecherous public official who portrays himself as a sanctimonious authoritarian. He takes advantage of his position to imprison Todd, assault Lucy, and take Johanna in as his ward. Embodies Puritanical hypocrisy. He lusts after Johanna, even as he professes to keep her innocent, and plans to marry her. Powerful, unforgiving, rich, and egocentric. Speaks with a British accent. Strong bass/baritone voice. Vocal range top: Gb4. Vocal range bottom: E2.

THE BEADLE: Male, late 30s-50s. Sleazy, pompous, menacing henchman of the Judge. He possesses a dry, deadpan sense of humor and enjoys wielding his power. He is not a sniveling civil servant. He is deeply loyal to Turpin, though in his heart of hearts he believes he’s better than the judge. He can be subtly terrifying or outright threatening yet, equally fastidious, and fussy. Speaks with a British accent. A tenor with a strong falsetto. Vocal range top: D5. Vocal range bottom: D3.

BEGGAR WOMAN: Female, 40s-50s. An eerie, poor soul living on the streets of London. Once glamorous “Lucy,” she’s a mentally unstable unhoused woman and prostitute. Seemingly helpless and naïve until she lifts up her skirts and propositions any man who walks by. Emotionally damaged and out of touch by the hard life she has lived. It turns out that she is the wife of Sweeney, the man she loved deeply many years ago. Has significant music skills, in particular a high, legit soprano. Vocal range top: F5. Vocal range bottom: Ab3.

ADOLFO PIRELLI / JONAS FOGG: Male, 30s–40s. ALFREDO PIRELLI: A flamboyant Italian rival barber; a charlatan with a secret past. An “Italian” not traveling salesman/scam artist who invents a hair tonic and sells it to the inhabitants of Fleet Street. Long-winded, self-absorbed, and brazen, he challenges Sweeney to a shaving match – and loses. Later he is revealed as the Irish former employee of Sweeney trying to blackmail Todd. Unconventional, darkly comic. Speaks in both an Italian and Irish accent. Has a high operatic tenor voice. revealed later as the Irish former employee of Sweeney. JONAS FOGG: The owner of Fogg's Asylum. He sells the hair of madmen to wigmakers.

SALARY

LORT Non-Rep $1144 weekly minimum (LORT B) until 6/29/26; $1213 weekly minimum (LORT B) after 6/29/26

UNION

AEA