ABOUT THE SHOW

FALL 2025 MAIN STAGE | FUN HOME

Music by Jeanine Tesori | Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron
Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel
Directed by Adin Walker

Fun Home is a Tony Award-winning musical by Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music), adapted from the graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. The musical orbits a period of time when Alison Bechdel, as a college freshman in 1979, comes out to her parents in a letter, and then four months later her father commits suicide. Within those four months, Alison’s parents disclosed to her that her father was gay. The musical re-visits those four months from the vantage point of twenty years later as Alison approaches aging past her father. It is an elliptical exploration through her mind and her memory, her particular craft of accessing the past as a lesbian cartoonist, and a meditation on the creative labor for scripting a vision of one’s future beyond a too-soon narrative ending in death. Through it all, Fun Home invites audiences to join in a journey of experiencing and reflecting upon the particular pleasures, and the trials, of queer aging.

Stanford TAPS seeks to build a diverse cast for this production and encourages members of any race, gender identity, and ability to audition. If any accessibility accommodations are needed please email tapsinformation@stanford.edu for assistance.

In addition to its scheduled performances, this production may be live-streamed or recorded for public viewing.

ABOUT THE REHEARSAL PROCESS

A TAPS Main Stage production is a significant time commitment that comes with course credit (TAPS 122M) and requires rehearsals five to six times per week. Students will be encouraged to take the course for 2 or more units. 

Not all students will be called for every rehearsal, but participants will be expected to be available for each rehearsal unless they have listed it as a conflict on their audition form. You can view the Production Schedule in the right-hand column under “Important Resources.”

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Adin Walker is a collaborator as movement director + associate director with the internationally-touring dance, puppetry, and climate-justice focused Phantom Limb Company, whose production Falling Out about the 2011 tsunami and radiation disaster in Fukushima premiered in BAM’s Next Wave Festival. In San Francisco Adin directed the world premieres of Yilong Liu’s PrEP Play, or Blue Parachute (New Conservatory Theatre Center) and Adam Ashraf Elsayigh’s Data Queen (Golden Thread), and choreographed Theatre Rhinoceros’ Cabaret and Crowded Fire’s The Last of the Love Letters. Other recent directing includes Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel’s Lupe Finds Me in the Garden of Dreams (New York Theatre Workshop residency at Dartmouth; 2024 Breaking the Binary Festival, NYC); L M Feldman’s Limber, A Love Story (Emerson Stage, MA); Roger Q. Mason’s The White Dress (NYC). Adin has choreographed productions of Paula Vogel’s Indecent with Chautauqua Theater (NY) and Artists Repertory Theater/Profile Theater (OR), and has served as associate/assistant director to Shana Cooper, May Adrales, Dustin Wills, and Tony Award-winner Rebecca Taichman. Currently completing a PhD in performance studies at Stanford specializing in queer, feminist, and transgender cultural production and politics, Adin’s critical writing can be found in TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, Theatre Topics, New Review of Film and Television Studies, and TDR: The Drama Review.

ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

Jad Bernardo is a music director, vocal coach, and pianist has served as faculty/staff/coach at New York University, Adelphi University.  Credits include Cruel Intentions, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Legally Blonde (Ray of Light Theatre SF); Sondheim Awards (Shubert Theater); Evita, Annie (Westport Country Playhouse); Songs For A New World, Fugitive Songs, Carousel (RedRiverLyric,OBVI); The Fantasticks (Millbrook Playhouse); Footloose, Ragtime (RCA,CT); Five Guys Named Moe (feat. Grammy Winner Nathan Best) Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Northern Stage); Sweeney Todd (Gerald W. Lynch Theater NYC); Extraordinary (Vital Theater Co.) & Off-Broadway hit Pinkalicious! (New World Stages)

 

 

 

ABOUT AUDITIONS

Auditions will be held as 10-min individual timeslots, involving singing work. If you are unable to attend auditions in person, a video submission can be sent in via Google Drive link to tapsinformation@stanford.edu by April 29 at 4PM PT.

SIGN UP HERE

WHAT TO PREPARE

Please prepare a song in the style of Fun Home (16-32 Bars) with piano accompaniment sheet music. The Director and Musical Director will work with you during your audition on the song. A piano will be in the audition room, please bring your sheet music with you for the Musical Director.

If needed, you may choose your song from the provided Show Song Selections, linked in the right hand column under “Important Resources.” These selections are divided up by character and include the cut of sheet music, as well as a vocal backup track and an accompaniment backup track for practice use.

CASTING BREAKDOWN & DESCRIPTIONS

All Roles are open to people of all backgrounds. 

• ALISON—43 years old, a cartoonist (Range: E3-D5)
• MEDIUM ALISON—19 years old, a college freshman (Range: G3-E5)
• SMALL ALISON—around 9 years old (Range: A3-E5)
• BRUCE BECHDEL—Alison’s father (Range: A2-G4)
• HELEN BECHDEL—Alison’s mother (Range: A3-E5)
• CHRISTIAN BECHDEL—Alison’s brother, around 10 years old (Range: C#4-D5)
• JOHN BECHDEL—Alison’s brother, around 6 years old (Range: C#4-E5)
• ROY—a young man Bruce hires to do yard work (Range: G3-A4 (opt. D#5))
• MARK—a high school junior 
• JOAN—a college student (Range: G3-G4)
• PETE—a mourner
• BOBBY JEREMY AND THE SUSAN DEYS—imaginary television characters *The roles of Roy, Mark, Pete, and Bobby Jeremy are performed by the same actor. The Susan Deys are played by the actors playing Medium Alison and Joan.

ASSISTANT POSITIONS