Story By John Mann
The Whole Backstage Theater in Guntersville has released the cast list for their upcoming show 9 to 5: The Musical after a week of auditions that came to a close on Saturday.
“We were incredibly happy with the turnout for auditions,” Director Will Casey, who is also joined by Director Diane DuBoise, said. “While it was a slightly smaller group than past shows it was packed with incredible talent. In fact, the smaller numbers actually made casting more challenging, because Diane and I were able to spend more time hearing people sing and read for different roles and showed just how many of them could have been a great fit. It was truly a wonderful problem to have.”
Originally premiering in 2008 the show is a musical comedy set during the 1970s, based on the 1980 film of the same name featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. It’s the story of three coworkers named Violet, Judy and Dolores who decide to take revenge on their overbearing and sexist boss.
Casey says that he wanted lead performers who could “bring both the comedy and the heart of the story to life” as well as put on a strong vocal performance. He says that timing, personality, a balance of humor and sincerity and the ability to connect with the audience were the main selling points during the auditions.
The three leads chosen for the play are Lori Boatfield as Violet, Ashleigh Harris as Dolores and Charlotte Watts as Judy. The play will also feature Denton Gillen as the trio’s villainous boss Franklin Hart, Jr. Though the cast list is small it does feature many other familiar faces from the WBS including Wesley Rorex who played Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Marc Munoz who played Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda and Kristen Gillen who directed Matilda alongside John Davis Rollings.
“There were several roles where we could have easily gone in different directions,” Casey said. “Diane and I spent a lot of time talking through what each role needed and how the cast would fit together as a whole. In the end, we feel really confident in the choices we made and are thrilled with the group of performers who will be bringing this show to life.”
Rehearsals for the show are set to begin in mid-October, with music and choreography being the immediate focus as well as scene work between the three leads who will be sharing the stage together for most of the show. Casey says getting a foundation established between the three will really help set a pace for the rest of the cast.
9 to 5: The Musical will open to the public in February 2026 and will run for seven shows at the theater. In the meantime there are two other shows set to open this year for The Whole Backstage as Kory Duquette’s The Putnam County Spelling Bee kicks off on October 10, followed by Johnny Brewer’s It’s a Wonderful Life on November 29.
Tickets for The Whole Backstage Theater, as well as information about upcoming shows and becoming a patron, can be found on their website at wholebackstage.com. You can also find them on Facebook under “The Whole Backstage Theater.”
