[ActingDude17]

I was just wondering how big these two parts are and which one I should go for.

I'm 12 years old (13 in October), 5"4. My voice just changed.

On Stage Agent both parts are listed as Supporting, but I'm trying to look into specifics.

Thanks for all help!

[Vanessa20]

If your voice is changed, you should probably go for Friedrich, since he's older. In the movie Friedrich is 14 and Kurt is 11, but I don't know if those age references are in the stage script or not.

[ActingDude17]

In the show, isn't Friedrich 14 and Kurt 10?

[MunkuSwarley]

Yes. I have seen Friedrich performed by a young man with a changed voice however. And Friedrich is a great part. He is in a great number of scenes, he sings with all the kids, has some good harmonies and has a little solo here and there.

[ActingDude17]

[jackissensational]

Most of the kids parts are of equal size, with the exception of Liesl, Gretl, and Briggita. Both boys are male sopranos, which might not be great for you if your voice really has changed. (And the female children are all mezzos, weird, huh?) It really depends how old you look compared to the other children. I would just say tell them you'd like either part.

[ActingDude17]

My voice teacher is saying she THINKS I'll be a baritone, although there's no way to be sure, of course.

I sang Tenor in Once Upon A Mattress this past summer, if they gives you any help.

[jackissensational]

To be honest, it is highly unusual that your voice has changed and your a baritone at your age. Most males aren't through with their voice-change until about 17 years old. I'd go with Friedrich.

[ActingDude17]

My coach was just saying she thought I'd end up as a baritone.

Sound of Music is 50 miles round trip and I'm not the one driving, so it's highly unlikely I can even do it.

I've done a local community theatre production of The Wizard of Oz for the past 6 years, and that would be my other and much more highly likely option.

I'd be a Tree, Ozian, Jitterbug Dancer, Twister Victim, and possibly a Winkie (if I was cast).

[what_the_heck013]

Ok, wait... WHAT?

My voice changed at almost exactly his age... 12/13. Not 17!?!?!? WTF?
And Friedrich, when I played it, was most definitely a baritone part.

Haha. 50 miles roundtrip is nothing here in L.A. but I do understand your concern... IT SUCKS (a lot). Especially with gas prices how they are.

[ActingDude17]

[what_the_heck013]

Stage Agent is wrong a lot. Really, the vocal ranges of the characters don't matter too much, except for when they sing harmony, but even then you can have any of the kids sing whichever line is most comfortable for them.

[jackissensational]

Most of their solos are one liners, too.
Companies often take a lot of liberty with the children in this show, because it's incredibly hard to find seven children of mediocre talent, certain ages and genders, and look slightly similar to each other.
For this reason I often find the children may be cast older, but it really depends on the production.

[Beagle On Stage]

It's not unusual for one or both of the Von Trapp brothers to have changed voices. If Frederich is fourteen, it's highly unlikely that his voice still has not changed, and if Kurt is eleven, it's equally possible either way.

Younger boys with unbroken voices are often cast to maintain a childlike quality in the music. Even though it's unlikely in reality, it's helpful for the effect of Maria with the children. It can also steal Liesel's thunder if any of the other kids are on their way to becoming adults.

I remember when I was thirteen and didn't get Friedrich because I had a lovely tenor voice. I gave a great audition, but the director quickly bumped me up to the Rolfe contenders. Thirteen playing seventeen is a stretch though, and I did not get either part. I will never get to be a Von Trapp child. Life's a whore.

[Mark Walton]

Remember in the movie's "So Long, Farewell", Charmian Carr's older sister Darleen dubbed in Kurt's line "I leave, and heave a sigh, and say goodbye", apparently because Duane Chase's voice couldn't carry the line. Duane was 13 at the time the movie was filmed; his spoken voice sounded like it was just on the cusp of changing.