Want to join a production this season?
Interested in being in a production? See dates below; all auditions are at 7:00 pm at the Little Theatre unless noted.
Interested in working on a production? Come to auditions and talk with the production producer or email us and we will connect you with the producer.
The Play That Goes Wrong (comedy)
Audition Information:
Dates August 20 and 21: 7 pm - 9 pm
6 men 2 women
By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields
Directed by Kay Fenimore-Smith and George Smith
About the Show:
Welcome to the opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!
Age range for characters is flexible (18+) and will depend upon groupings and pairings found through auditions.
Character Breakdown:
Chris: Head of the drama society and plays Inspector Carter in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” High status clown. Rigid, uptight. everything really matters; he is the directos of the show and this is the biggest day of his life; everything is riding on this; it is a nerve wracking and and exciting night; his pain is evident and every time someone laughs, the pain deepens; he has equal amounts of contempt for his fellow actors and the audience watching the play. Speaks with a British accent.
Robert: Plays Thomas Collamore in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” Wants to be like Richard Burton as evidence by his declamatory style, he is, however, not a parody of a bad actor; he is unaware of others around him; he does not feel badly when things go wrong and never learns from his mitakes; there is a power struggle between Robert and Chris to be president of the Cornley Poly Drama Society (a position that matters a great deal to Robert); seeking an actor with real vocal power. Speak with a British accent.
Max: Plays Cecil Haversham in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” He has never been on stage before. He learned his lines and does exactly what he’s told to do. He has zero connection with any of the other actors, but when he gets a laugh, he break the fourth wall and engages with the audience. Childlike and Naive. His mistakes are fundamental. He doesn’t think anything through, just looks for approval. Speaks with a British accent.
Dennis: Plays the butler, Perkins in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” He has no real desire to be involved in the theatre; he just wants to make friends (of which he has none). He believes that if he does well in the show, he will be more successful socially. Laughter from the audience is agony for him. He may be slightly oblivious but understands when he gets things wrong. The laughter is personal tragedy/failure. Speaks with a British accent.
Trevor or Tina: The Play’s lighting and sound operator; they simply want to get on with the show; curmudgeonly and doesn’t care for actors; they are easily distracted and do many things they shouldn’t, including engaging with the audience; when things go really sideways they are forced to act in the play; they hate acting. Speaks with an American accent.
Jonathan: Plays Charles Haversham in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” A bit bland but sees himself as a James Bond type. Excited and having fun, but not naive. He technically must drive the show. He care about the play, but not to the same extent as others. Very physical role. Speaks in a British accent.
Sandra: Plays Florence Colleymoore in “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” She is vain and posses a huge ego. Wants to be loves. Has ambitions to go to Hollywood and will hurt anyone standing in the want of what she wants but is smart enough to stay on the good side of someone who can help her. The stakes are high for her. Very physical role. Speaks with a British accent.
Annie: The stage manager; she has the biggest journey of any of the characters; when Sandra is indisposed, Annie, who cannot bear to be on stage, must step in; initially terrified by acting, she is willing to kill for it by the end of the play; her initial terror turns to joy and then to fury; she starts small but grows and grows. Speaks with an American accent
*Please note: This is a physically demanding show. Most roles will require varying amounts of crawling, climbing, lifting, running, and/or falling. There is also a sword fight and some hand-to-hand combat
Performances:
October 25, 26, November 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10
Guys and Dolls (musical comedy)
Audition Information:
Dates October 29 and 30: 7 pm - 9 pm
7 men 3 women plus an ensemble (dancers, gamblers, mission workers, Cubans)
Auditions will consist of cold-readings of selective scenes from the production. Those auditioning are asked to prepare a song that shows your range and also provide the sheet music, with a start and stop indicated. You will be asked to sing up to around one minute of the song. Please also dress for movement auditions as well.
Book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling
Music by Frank Loesser
Directed by Robert Randall and Cheryl Sutlick
Assistant Director Jess Clausen
About the Show:
Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the strait-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually, everyone ends up right where they belong.
Character Breakdown:
Sky Masterson: A high-stakes gambler whose luck never seems to run out and a wild card who surprises himself when he falls in love with the unlikeliest of women. Suave, smart, and handsome. Able to play 35-45 years old. Vocal range top: E5, bottom B3
Sarah Brown: A pretty, bright-eyed woman who serves as Sergeant of the local Mission. She fully believes in her worthy cause and wishes to convert the gambling sinners to saints. Falls unexpectedly in love with Sky along the way. She is prudish and uptight but eventually lets go. Able to play 20-30 years old. Vocal range top G5, bottom B3.
Nathan Detroit: A good-hearted gambler and craps game organizer who could never hit the big time. He loves Adelaide, but cannot quit his gambling ways. A broke schemer with unwitting ways. Able to play 35-45 years old. Vocal range top F5, bottom D4.
Miss Adelaide: Nathan’s fiance and lead performer at the Hot Box nightclub. She loves Nathan more than anything in the world and desperately wants to get married. Pretty, outspoken, and stubborn. Able to play 25-35 years old. Vocal range top E5, bottom A3.
Nicely-Nicely Johnson: Just like his names suggests, he is the nicest and cheeriest of the gambling crooks. High spirited and a bit naive, but sincere and genuine. Nathan’s loyal friend and lackey. Able to play 30-45 years old. Vocal range top B5, bottom D4.
Benny Southstreet: Nathan’s right-hand man and gambler himself. Smart, slick, always moving and shaking, but with what he thinks are Nathan’s best interests at heart. Able to play 30-45 years old. Vocal range top G5, bottom D4.
Arvide Abernathy: The bass drum and cymbal player in the Mission band, he is Sarah’s loving grandfather. Wise, sweet, he wants nothing but the best for her. Able to play 50-65 years old. Vocal range top F5, bottom D4
Harry the Horse: A crook and gambler. He’s a tough guy with dollar signs as his bottom line. Brings Big Jule into Nathan’s crap game and backs his cheating, but is also a man of his word in the gambling community. Able to play 35-55 years old. Vocal range top G5, bottom F3
Lt. Brannigan: A New York police office who is on to Nathan’s illegal craps games and is dead-set on catching him. Able to play age 40-55.
Big Jule: A big time craps player from Chicago who uses a gun and his own pair if rigged dice to bully his way into never losing. Tough looking. A bit of an oaf. Able to play age 30-50
General Cartwright: Regional representative of the Salvation Army. Powerful, matronly, no-nonsense with a formidable presence and it transpires a sense of humor. Able to play age 40-70
Hot Box Girls: Performers who back-up Adelaide in her nightclub act. Dacing, singing, and character performance required. They perfrom 2 numbers with Adelaide and will double into other aspects of the ensemble. Able to play ages 18-35.
Ensemble (playing multiple roles, some with lines): Sightseeers, Mission Band, Crap Shooters, waiters, Cuban Dancers.
Performances:
January 31, February 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23
The Father: A Tragic Farce (drama)
Audition Information:
Dates February 11 and 12: 7 pm - 9 pm
3 men, 3 women
By Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Douglas Carlsen
Assistant Director Jacob Kuwahara
About the Show:
As André tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality. The Father is a sobering and realistic family story, and an unsentimental, emotionally intense look at the world from André’s perspective. The Father is a darkly humorous and deeply poignant play about aging, dementia, and love.
Characters:
Anthony: An aging man caught in the stages of dementia. He has been very independent and successful until his mind starts deteriorating. He has difficulty adjusting to his changing environment and the role reversals that accompany family caregiving. Confusion and anger lead to some dynamic and powerful scenes. There are substantial lines associated with this character. Age 75-90.
Anne: Anthony’s daughter. She is the only child left to decide and help her father in his final years. She is carrying a heavy burden. Her own life is not an easy one. Her emotional reservoir is running dry. She is logical and knows what needs to happen but the choices she has become limited as her father’s disease advances. Age 45-55.
Laura: She is a licensed caregiver. She prefers to do “in-home” care as opposed to institutional care. She is compassionate and efficient. She has a good amount of experience with dementia and Alzheimer’s for someone her age. She is “charmed” by Anthony and finds him something of a challenge. But she is confident in her skills. Age 25-30.
Paul: Paul is Anne's romantic companion. He is her husband. But at times, the script is as confusing as Anthony’s mind as to Anne and Paul’s real relationship. He loves Anne but is ready to be free of this burden and wants to travel and live his life with Anne unencumbered. He can be unkind at times to Anthony. Age 45-55.
Man: He is a caregiver at the institution. He is a strong force physically. He will sometimes be confused in select scenes with Paul. He needs to have the ability to be physically abusive to the elderly. This character delivers a few slaps to Anthony. They will be choreographed slaps, but we will be in the Adventure Space so contact will be important to be believed. Age 35-50.
Woman: In some scenes, this character will be perceived as “Anne.” For that reason, she needs to be compatible with Anne in terms of size. She is a caregiver at the institution. She is compassionate but also very structured and intelligent in dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s. She knows what her patients need and to comfort their conflicted minds. Age 45-55.
Performances:
April 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20
The Nerd (comedy)
Audition Information:
Dates April 8 and 9: 7 pm - 9 pm
5 men 2 women
By Larry Shue
Directed by Kevin Loomer
Shadowed by Eileen Settle
About the Show:
Now an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, Willum Cubbert has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has written to Rick to say that, as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you” —so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his thirty-fourth birthday party. But his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless “nerd” —a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence, and less tact. And Rick stays on and on, his continued presence among Willum and his friends leading to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence—a dire development which, happily, is staved off by the surprising “twist” ending of the play
Character Breakdown:
Willum Cubbert: Stands at the center of the narrative. He is an architect deep in his latest project, designing a hotel for overbearing Mr. Waldgrave. Kind and intelligent (though something of a pushover), Willum struggles with a lack of assertiveness. His character serves as the linchpin around which the comedic chaos unfolds.
Tansy McGinnis: A smart, successful woman, Tansy plays a crucial role in The Nerd's drama. She grapples with the allure of her dream job as a television weather forecaster in Washington, D.C., though it might draw her away from Willum. Idealistic and upbeat, Tansy brings a refreshing energy to the play. Her internal conflict highlights the delicate balance between personal aspirations and romantic entanglements.
Alex Hammond: A theatre critic who happens to be Willum’s best friend. He’s a bit pretentious, especially when he’s had a drink or two. Always armed with a sarcastic comment, Axel injects a dose of cynicism into the play,
Rick Steadman: Rick Steadman, the titular ‘nerd’ takes center stage as the root of the plays’s absurdity. Oblivious to insults and lacking manners, Rick adds an element of chaos to the otherwise mundane lives of the characters. Rick’s quirks become a source of frustration and amusement for those around him—and ultimately, a catalyst for change.
Warnock Waldgrave: An overbearing businessman with eight hotels under his ownership. His lack of a smile and brash demeanor contrast the more amicable characters surrounding him.
Clelia Waldgrave: Right beside Mr. Waldgrave stands Clelia, his high-strung and put-upon wife. Suppressing her emotions, Clelia finds solace in breaking “something small” to release her stress.
Thor Waldgrave: Thor, the chaos-inducing son, completes the Waldgrave family. Axel calls him the “poster child for Planned Parenthood,” and it’s clear to see why. Thor’s antics, often hiding in closets or bedrooms, contribute to the farcical nature of the play.
Performances:
May 30, 31, June 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15