Casting

A 19 ^th century English aristocrat. Vivacious and self-absorbed, her penchant for matchmaking leads to unwanted results and comic mishaps. With a lack of skill, she tries to arrange marriages for those around her, while remaining clueless as to her own heart. Must be a classically trained actress, with outstanding comic timing and skilled at English dialects. An extremely vocally demanding role, she must have a thrilling alto voice and incredible vocal stamina. Some pop sensibility welcome

Emma's father.

An awkward and shy girl, she is Emma’s make-over project as she tries to find the perfect husband for her new friend. She has a pure and innocent heart and takes Emma’s every word as Gospel. She is of a considerably lower class than Emma and her dialect and speech must reflect that inequality. It is essential that she be a superb comic actress with a quirky sensibility and an outstanding legit soprano voice.

A local land owner and old friend of Emma Woodhouse and her family. A 19^th Century English aristocrat with a strong moral center and a tendency to scold and lecture Emma on her lack of compassion for others. He must be a trained classical actor with a strong English dialect. He must possess outstanding comic talent and have a dry, dead pan wit. Vocally, he must have a thrilling Bari-tenor voice with some pop sensibility.

An old friend of Emma's.

Miss Bates's mother.

Emma’s nemesis. Quiet and reserved, she is everything Emma is not. Good-hearted and misunderstood by Emma, she remains slightly mysterious and hard to read. She must possess an extraordinary coloratura soprano voice with a sophisticated English dialect essential.

The vicar.

A snooty 19^th Century English aristocrat who is oblivious to her own over the top manner. She annoys everyone around her and always manages to say the wrong thing. She needs to be the comic spark in the second act and therefore be extremely funny with a hilarious pompous upper class English dialect. She has no solo singing lines, but still must have a good voice. Either alto or soprano acceptable.

A simple farmer in 19^th century England. Sweet and awkward he is almost unable to put two sentences together, but Harriet is smitten with him anyway by his gentle nature and puppy dog love for her. Must have an outstanding tenor voice with great comic ability. Lower class English dialect essential.

Robert Martin's sister

An early 19^th Century English gentleman and long time family friend. A kind and sensible man, he is the only successful product of Emma’s match-making skills. Even tempered and distinguished with a slightly dead pan sense of humor. No solo sung lines, but still must be a good singer with a fine English dialect. Tenor, baritone or bass all acceptable.

An early 19^th Century English governess. Elegant and graceful, she is Emma’s former governess and the maternal influence in her life. Her only shortcoming is a tendency towards idle gossip. Now more friend than governess to Emma, she will always be Emma’s mentor. Outstanding English dialect needed with good comic timing. Has one brief duet, great alto voice essential. Good pop sensibility welcome.

A 19th century English aristocrat. Smooth and elegant with a pervasive and winning personality. He ultimately has the nuances of a scoundrel, but in the end we understand that his motivations were not as ominous as they first appeared. He must have a beautiful and magnificent round tenor voice with an outstanding English dialect essential. A vocal pop sensibility is a plus for this role.