Ordinary Days

Production Team:

Director – Stevie Musk

MD – Joe Poppy

Producer – Helen Dunlop

Key Dates:

Monday 23rd March 7.30pm: Get together (Show info and audition music run through) Wednesday 25th March 7.30pm: Auditions

Rehearsals: Mondays and Wednesdays

Tuesday 30th June: Tech rehearsal

Wednesday 1st July: Dress rehearsal

Thurs 2nd – Sat 4th July: Performances at 7.45pm, inc. 2pm Saturday matinee.

Show Synopsis:

Ordinary Days is an intimate contemporary musical that follows four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect in unexpected ways as they navigate love, loss, ambition, and connection in a sprawling city. Claire and Jason are a couple struggling to move forward together as Claire continues to process the lingering grief of losing her husband, while Deb, an overworked graduate student, collides with Warren, an optimistic street artist devoted to creating small moments of human connection. As chance encounters ripple outward, each character is forced to confront their fears about the future and their assumptions about control, success, and healing. Through a series of ordinary interactions that gradually reshape their perspectives, the four discover that meaning often emerges not from grand events but from small acts of openness, kindness, and vulnerability that allow them to move forward and truly see one another.

The show is structured as a contemporary song cycle and is performed in one continuous act, with music running throughout and minimal spoken dialogue. Presented with just piano accompaniment and a small cast of four actor-singers, Ordinary Days is an intimate, actor-driven piece that relies on storytelling through music, clear ensemble connection, and simple staging to bring its intersecting stories to life.

Audition Information:

As this is a sung-through musical, with only 4 performers, we need strong, confident singers in the roles, so there are 3 music audition pieces for each role – one solo, one duet and a quartet. There will be no dialogue piece for the audition, but we will be looking for strong acting through the songs.

Audition Pieces:

Debs – ‘Dear Professor Thompson’ bar 26 through to the end

Warren – ‘One by One by One’ bars 157-189

Claire – ‘I’ll Be Here’ bars 39-92

Jason – ‘Favourite Places’ bars 41-72

Debs and Warren – ‘Beautiful’ bars 25-58

Claire and Jason – ‘Fine’ bars 1-33

All 4 roles – ‘Hundred Story City’ bars 64-73

Other Information:

There will be a fee of £25 per person to take part in the show (includes script hire).

Cast must be aged 18 by opening night (2nd July 2026).

Character & Vocal Breakdown:

DEB, in her 20s

Voice type: Mezzo-soprano. A3 – D5/E♭5

Casting notes: Driven grad student. Needs strong diction and must portray emotional arc from anxious to open. Relies on good comic timing.

Deb is an intensely driven, anxious graduate student determined to prove herself in New York City, clinging to structure and achievement as a way to feel in control. When a chance encounter with Warren causes her to lose her thesis notes, her carefully managed life begins to unravel, forcing her to confront how rigid expectations and fear of failure are limiting her ability to connect with others. Over the course of the show, Deb moves from tightly wound perfectionism toward vulnerability, spontaneity, and emotional openness, ultimately discovering that success and meaning can come from unexpected human connection rather than rigid plans.

WARREN, in his 20s

Voice type: Baritone/Tenor. B2 – G4/A4

Casting notes: Optimistic street artist. Must balance quirky charm with sincerity and vulnerability.

Warren is an optimistic, slightly eccentric street artist who spends his days handing out flyers as part of a personal project to create small moments of connection between strangers. Beneath his cheerful, philosophical exterior lies a deep loneliness and a desire to matter in a vast, impersonal city. His worldview—that small interactions can change lives—guides the emotional core of the show. Through his encounters with Deb, Warren reveals a thoughtful and sincere nature, gradually allowing himself to be vulnerable and to form a genuine bond that transforms both of their perspectives on what it means to belong and to be seen.

CLAIRE, in her 30s

Voice type: Lyric soprano. G3 – E5/F5

Casting notes: Grieving but grounded. Most emotionally demanding role; requires strong narrative singing.

Claire is a thoughtful and emotionally guarded woman still living in the shadow of losing her husband. While she is in a loving relationship with Jason, she struggles to move forward with milestones like moving in together or building a shared future, feeling that letting go of grief might mean losing her connection to the past. Claire’s journey is one of learning that healing does not require forgetting, and that it is possible to carry love and loss simultaneously. By confronting her grief directly, she ultimately finds the courage to re-engage with life and her relationship, allowing herself to imagine a future again.

JASON, in his 30s

Voice type: Tenor. C3 – A4/B♭4

Casting notes: Earnest and grounded partner. Needs sincerity and emotional intelligence.

Jason is Claire’s devoted and well-meaning boyfriend, an earnest and optimistic presence who wants to build a stable, shared future together. He believes deeply in forward momentum—new apartments, proposals, and plans—and struggles to understand Claire’s hesitancy to move on from her grief. Though occasionally frustrated, his patience and sincerity reveal a deep love and commitment. Jason’s arc involves learning to support Claire without trying to fix her, balancing his desire for progress with empathy for her emotional process, and discovering that moving forward together requires listening, trust, and emotional flexibility rather than simple solutions.