CASTING BREAKDOWN 

 

WELCOME TO HOPE SPRINGS  

Home to everyday wonders and eternal mysteries 

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PRODUCTION TYPE - Audio Drama Series 

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PRODUCTION COMPANY - Augustine Institute Studios 

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RECORDING LOCATION - St. Louis, MO 

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RECORDING DATES - Late summer or early fall 2024 

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Season 1 | 29 Roles | 9 Episodes  

 

*Seeking local-hire actors for all roles* 

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Welcome to Hope Springs is a brand-new family audio drama series being produced by Augustine Institute Studios. We are seeking talented actors with strong storytelling abilities and enthusiasm for family-friendly content!  ​Any non-union child actors with a background in voice acting, film, theatre, audiobook narration, or radio theatre/audio drama would be welcome to submit.​ We are seeking CHILD ACTORS AGES 10-15 to fill a recurring cast of characters. ​

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Creative Team

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Executive Producer, Steve Flanigan 

Writer/Director, Paul McCusker 

Casting, Madison McAllister 

Audio Engineer/Sound Design, Nate Jones 

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Project Details

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Callback Location 

Augustine Institute Campus  

16805 New Halls Ferry Road 

Florissant, MO 63034 

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Recording Location 

Shock City Studios 

2200 Gravois Avenue 
St. Louis, MO 63104 

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Union Status 

Non-Union  

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Compensation 

$100-350/day (depending on size of role offered) + an additional stipend for any cast read-throughs prior to recording  

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Usage 

This is an audio drama series that will be recorded and released on our streaming platform called Formed https://watch.formed.org//browse. Formed is our mission-based, exclusive Catholic distribution platform. As a multi-season series, we plan to continue recording and producing this series with the same players for years to come, featuring new episodes yearly. 

  

Key Dates 

Auditions - virtual submissions only 

Callbacks Round 1 – virtual (selected talent will be asked to read and record sides from the script) 

Callbacks Round 2 – in person (if needed, selected talent will be asked to come to our campus in Florissant for a final callback)  

Rehearsals (cast read-through) TBD – one or two days prior to recording 

Recording Starts TBD – There will be about 10 full consecutive days of recording sessions (possibly through a weekend or two weeks broken up by a weekend). Aiming for some time in July- September 2024.   

Recording Ends TBD – Expecting to record this first season by the end of September 2024 

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*Official recording schedule is TBD and will be determined as actors are finalized. Please note: If cast, your child may be asked to record on a school day, but we will make every effort to work with parents on the best possible scheduling.*

 

What is recording like? 

Actors are in the studio together in person. A scene at a time is recorded. Each actor is set up in front of their own mic, but they are all in the same room together. The number of actors in the tracking room depends on the number of characters in the scene. The actors are expected to play off each other. All actors will be expected to be present for recording in person at Shock City Studios.  

 

Synopsis 

Welcome To Hope Springs is a family audio drama series. High unexpected adventure abounds, centered around “The Grand Depot.” The opening of a renovated train depot in the heart of the town of Hope Springs, Colorado brings together a group of kids and situations that allow for the exploration of everyday and extraordinary stories. Filtered through the essentials of the Catholic faith, with an emphasis on choices and consequences, relationships, and the spiritual journey every person is taking (whether they know it or not), this series presents faith-affirming slice-of-life stories through the kids, characters, and families in Hope Springs. 

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AVAILABLE ROLES 

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*The kids (minus Andrew) are 11 years old and about to go into the 6th grade. We will consider actors younger or older than 11 for those roles. However, they should not sound too old or too young. Child actors must be good readers and perform well. The character of Andrew is 14 so he should sound older than the other kids.  

 

JAY WEST  

(Lead, Male, 10-12 years old) a “typical” kid this age, alternating between precocious, naive, and both mature and immature. Spends a lot of time fixing his bike but is never seen riding it. He’s best friends with Rooney and the leader of the group. Representative of your average boy this age.  

 

ROONEY LANE  

(Lead, Female, 10-12 years old) good friends with Jake, a lot of initiative (she’s started her own podcast called Rooney's Ramblings), wants to be a world-class newscaster someday. Amiable, friendly, ambitious, and driven. She has strength of character. Representative of your average girl this age.  

 

BRACE NELSON  

(Lead, Male, 10-12 years old) somewhat of a mystery, Brace is low-key, intelligent, and thoughtful - with a wry humor that comes from being a latch-key kid whose parents are not highly engaged in his life. Guarded, private, and a bit of an outsider. He’s the new kid in the group.  He’s seeking connection, even if he doesn’t realize it.  

 

DANTE HALL  

(Lead, Male, 10-12 years old, Hispanic, lead) son of Detective Hall. More thoughtful and spiritually minded than even he realizes. A foil for his friend Woodward, he’s smarter, wiser, and a bit more mature than him. He’s glib and always has a comeback or something witty to say to the group.  

 

WOODWARD "WOODY" WOODWARD  

(Lead, Male, 10-12 years old) “the kid with the most boring name in the world” has a geeky intelligence and a naiveté that allows others to playfully tease him. He’s the embodiment of the expression “kids just say the darndest things!” Feisty, kid-like, and a little random, he despises nothing more in the world than being bored. (He’s scrappier and smaller than the others so his voice should sound a bit younger than the rest of the group.) 

 

DAKOTA "DAX" THORPE  

(Lead, Female, 10-12 years old) Dakota is a force to be reckoned with and has an edgy arrogance that comes out from time to time. She’s quite opinionated—even if she’s not always right. Like Rooney, she’s interested in doing podcasts, but mostly to be an online “influencer” with things like hairstyles, makeup, etc. The two girls often seem more like “frenemies” than friends.  

 

ANDREW PERRY  

(Lead, Male, 13-15) Andrew is known from The Adventures of Nick & Sam book series (as their older brother) and our time-traveler in The Virtue Chronicles book series. His time-travel adventures are a closely guarded secret and not seen in this context (yet), but that doesn’t keep his love of history and occasional weird events from happening around him. He’s athletic, smart, brave, resourceful, curious, and adventurous. He takes on the role of a big brother and mentor towards Brace.  

 

ZACH SYKES  

(Supporting, Male, 10-12) son of Ray Sykes. He's a goofball and a relentless mischief-maker, always looking for a laugh at anyone’s expense. Impulsive, emotional, and has some attitude. He tries to appear bigger and tougher than he is. He’s the reckless kid who would get on a bike and ride it down a steep hill or slide down a banister. He’s really not happy that the depot (his “headquarters”) has been taken away from him. (Should sound a bit younger than Troy) 
 

TROY CURTIS  

(Supporting, Male, 10-12) Zach’s friend who is often complicit in - and even instigator of - various kinds of mischief. Sharper side of the duo. Shrewd, calculated, wily, a conniver, a manipulator (as manipulative as is possible for an 11-year-old). Might grow up to be a successful Wallstreet type. (Should sound slightly older and more mature than Zach)