Download auditions: play on - Olympia Little Theatre

AUDITIONS: PLAY ON
Needed: 7 Women, 3 Men
Monday & Tuesday, April 11-12, 2011, starting at 7:00pm; call-backs TBA
Location: The Annex, at Olympia Little Theater, 1925 Miller Ave NE, Olympia (off Bethel on
the Eastside).
Directed by Kathryn Beall ([email protected]). The production runs June 3 - 26, 2011 for 14
performances.
THE STORY: When a small community theatre group is offered a royalty-free play "Murder
Most Foul" from a new playwright, the group welcomes the chance to put the theatre back into
the black for the first time in years. The group tries desperately to put on the play, amid all kinds
of maddening interference from its author who keeps revising the script until almost opening
night. The actors squabble their way through the rehearsals, the tech goes completely awry
during the dress rehearsal, and the opening night fulfills that old theatrical adage - if it can go
wrong, it does. A behind-the-scenes comedy in the tradition of “Noises Off”.
Character Descriptions:
The 'acting' side
Henry Benish (male, 50s-60s): A man who tries to please, especially his wife Polly. He stutters
when nervous and has a difficult time staying on track (plays Lord Dudley in the play)
Polly Benish (female, 50s-60s): An insecure diva. She loves the attention of center-stage. She
is quick to take offense at any slight, either real or imagined (plays Lady Margaret in the play)
Marla “Smitty” Smith (female, mid-late teens): A pretty but awkward young girl. She is a
reluctant actress who suffers from stage fright and often forgets her lines (plays Doris the Maid
in the play)
Saul Watson (male, 40s): A bit of a jokester, he loves to stir things up. His favorite victim is
Polly because she is so easy to get a rise out of. Sometimes indulges in a little “liquid courage”
off-stage (plays Dr Rex Forbes in the play)
Billy Carew (male, mid-late 20s): A handsome, high-spirited young man. He develops a crush
on Violet while rehearsing (plays Stephen Sellers in the play)
Violet Imbry (female, mid-late 20s): A pretty face behind which medical science may someday
discover a brain. She knows her lines, just not always what they mean (plays Diana Lassiter in
the play)
The 'technical' side*
Aggie Manville (female, 30s+): the stage manager and prompter, tough and patient. She is
almost “bomb-proof” regarding theatrical disasters.
Gerry Dunbar (female, 40s+): the director, who is determined to pull together the troubled
troupe of thespians, without strangling any of them (or the pretentious playwright)
Louise Pearey (female, 25-40): the sound-and-lighting-and-set-design technician. The only
thing she doesn’t do backstage is dress the actors. A bit of an Eeyore.
Phyllis Montague (female, 40s+): the playwright. A bit ditsy and self-centered, she doesn’t
understand why everyone objects to her “little tinkering” with the script
* The roles of Gerry, Louise, and Aggie can be played by men (the characters become Jerome,
Louis, and Algernon).
General Information about Auditions at OLT
Our audition procedures are generally as follows, but may vary at the discretion of the Director:
Auditions are typically held on a Monday and a Tuesday evening, starting at 7:00 p.m. You do
not have to attend both nights of auditions, but you are welcome to read both nights of auditions
if you’d like. If callbacks are necessary, the director will schedule the date and time.
Audition appointments are not necessary unless you are unable to attend auditions on the
regularly scheduled days and times. In that case, the Director may agree to schedule a separate
audition appointment for you. This choice is entirely up to the Director.
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. You do not need to have prepared
monologues. Copies of the scripts for the current season’s plays are available at the Downtown,
Lacey, and Tumwater branches of the Timberland Library. You may ask for a copy of the script
at the information desk. Scripts are only available for use at the library and may not be checked
out.
Headshots and resumes are welcome at auditions, but are not necessary.
Rehearsals are typically Monday through Thursday. Additional rehearsals and/or the rehearsal
schedule are at the Director’s discretion. Performances are typically Thursday through Sunday;
Sunday is the only matinee. Special performances are typically on the Tuesday evening after the
second weekend of performances.
Olympia Little Theatre is a community theater and you need not have any previous experience,
just passion and commitment!