Chester Theatre Group

The Chester Theatre Group of the Black River Playhouse will be holding auditions for their late fall production of SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS by Richard Alfieri. This warm and endearing show is to be directed by Roseann Ruggiero and produced by Penny Hoadley.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, 9/26/10, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, 9/28/10, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the theater which is located on the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ.  All readings will be from the script.  Since the show does involve light ballroom dancing, there will be a dance portion of the audition, so please be prepared to move.

Performances will begin on Friday, 11/19/10 and run Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through Sunday, 12/5/10

Character Breakdown

Lilly Harrison – (range/late 50s to early 70s) – Conservative, attractive, minister’s wife, intelligent and cultured, retiree now living in St. Petersberg Beach, Florida.

Michael Minetti – (range/late 30s – late 50s) – Acerbic, attractive, rapier-witted, excitable, ex-broadway chorus boy now teaching ballroom dancing in Florida.

About The Play

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks is a touching and human comedy about  happens when an antagonistic relationship blossoms into an intimate friendship as the two characters from very different backgrounds reveal their secrets, fears, and joys while dancing the Swing, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha-Cha, and Contemporary Dance. A comedy with music and dance, the play also addresses the serious issues of ageism and intolerance.

Since its Los Angeles premiere and Broadway opening, Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks has been translated into 12 languages and has traversed the globe with productions in over 20 countries. With over 50 productions and two national tours in Germany alone, the play has established itself as an international hit and one of the most produced plays in the world.

Hot on the heels of the auditions for Fiction (thanks to everyone who came out!) we have auditions for an evening of one acts to be performed September 24-26, 2010.

On August 15 and 17 at 7 PM, Stephen Catron and Jeff Jackson will be holding auditions for the one acts, “Check, Please” and “The Actor’s Nightmare”, at the Black River Playhouse.  Auditioners will be asked to read from the provided scripts.

The plays:

CHECK, PLEASE by Jonathan Rand – directed by Jeff Jackson

Cast Breakdown: 4-8 men, 4-8 women, all mid-20s to mid-40s

Synopsis: Dating can be hard. Especially when your date happens to be a schizophrenic, a bigamist, or a mime. CHECK, PLEASE follows a series of blind dinner dates that couldn’t get any worse—until they do. Could there possibly be a light at the end of the tunnel?

 An extremely funny collection of short, SNL-style skits that present a fantastic—and rare—opportunity for actors to really explore their comic chops with fun, smart, hip material. Each is only 2-3 minutes long, so for actors who only want to tackle one character in one vignette, it’s a very easy, manageable undertaking that still offers a great payoff. But we may also cast actors as multiple characters, so if you want to take on more, there’s an opportunity for that, too!

 THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE by Christopher Durang – directed by Steve Catron

 Cast Breakdown:  2 men, 3 women (ages mid-20s to 50s)

 Synopsis: Anyone who’s involved in theatre knows the dream:  you find yourself on-stage, ready to perform, only you don’t know what the play is – you’ve never rehearsed  - you don’t know the plot, let alone the lines!   George finds himself on stage, uncertain of where he is or how he got there – suddenly he’s thrust on stage, it’s HAMLET?!? – a glamorous actress appears to be doing PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward?!?  Shakespeare??WAITING FOR GODOT??  A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS??   This hilarious spoof is a classic!

The Chester Theatre Group and director Jeff Knapp will hold auditions for a fall production of the play FICTION by Steven Dietz on Sunday, August 8th at 7pm and Tuesday, August 10th at 7pm at the Black River Playhouse, on the corner of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, New Jersey.  FICTION is a drama with much humor, but it’s not set-up/joke/joke humor…

The show runs Fridays and Saturdays, October 8-23, 2010 with a Sunday matinee performance on October 17.

All roles are open:

Linda Waterman: mid 40s-50s – her first book was a non-fiction best-seller; now a professor dying of brain cancer.  (Not not like Wit dying of brain cancer, she lives with it the best she can. No head shaving required. Maybe a bandana.)

Michael Waterman: mid 40s-50s – an author of pop-lit who had grander aspirations.  He’s dealing with his wife’s illness as best he can.  He’s maybe a little full of himself, takes himself a little too seriously.

Abby Drake,  late 20s-mid-30s – curator of “The Drake Colony”, a writer’s colony where Linda and Michael both wrote, at different times.  Abby knows both of them, separately.  She keeps secrets for both of them.

“The power to change one’s life comes from a paragraph, a lone remark.” – James Salter, Light Years

A bit about the play:  Linda, a successful author turned professor, is dying of cancer, and she asks her husband, Michael, to dispose of her diaries after she’s gone; but she invites him to read them after she’s gone before disposing or donating them.  Since she will be showing him hers, she says its only fair if he let her see his journals before she shuffles off the mortal coil.  He hesitates and then relents — what can he say?  What she reads is at times known to her, and at other times, a revelation.  When she reaches the volume about Michael’s time at The Drake Colony, a writer’s retreat, she recognizes a familiar face from her own time at The Drake.   The play dances around in time and place, so Linda is not always dying, Michael is not always 40ish, etc. But the one thing that endures is their love for one another, even through the dark times, their love binds them together.

For additional information, call the producer, Ellen Glasscock at 908-698-3678.

[UPDATE 8/5/10: Synopisis and character descriptions tweaked.]

The second round of Musical Chairs auditions is happening tonight at 7:00.

So, put down the cerveza and join us… sing a song, read a little and then you can go back out for Cinco de Mayo… :-)

The Chester Theatre Group will be holding auditions for its Summer production of MUSICAL CHAIRS, with Book by Barry Berg, Ken Donnelly and Tom Savage, and Music and Lyrics by Tom Savage. This production is to have both direction and musical direction by Clifford Parish of Bernardsville. MUSICAL CHAIRS is based on an original story concept by Larry J. Pontillo.

Auditions will be at the Black River Playhouse located on the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ on Saturday May 1st at 1:00 pm and on Wednesday, May 5th at 7:00 pm. Auditioners are asked to bring music in their key, an accompanist will be provided. Readings will be from the script.

Performances dates are to be determined.  Previously published dates may not be the actual dates.

ABOUT THE STORY

Joe Preston has not had a hit in years, and is hoping his new play will revive his career. He is at the mercy of an audience consisting of two typical “matinee ladies”, a married couple who fight all the time, an anxious young man waiting for his date, an illiterate rock singer trying to impress his date with some culture, a successful business man and his culture vulture wife and three critics–one of whom hates Preston’s work and another who begged his editor not to assign him to his show because Sam, his lover who recently jilted him, is in the cast. Also unexpectedly in the audience is Joe’s beautiful ex-wife who left NY Theater to become a TV Star. This bright show is about these audience members watching opening night of a new play and the drama and comedy aren’t only happening on the stage. Each audience member has a story and the audiences at MUSICAL CHAIRS get to hear them all. The NY POST said “it is clever, it is funny, and it is original.” And VARIETY called it, “a lively, entertaining musical.” The Sam French catalog states, “MUSICAL CHAIRS has marvelous music, hysterical comedy and at least 6 showstoppers which make this a surefire winner!”

CAST BREAKDOWN

With the exception of Sallie and Stage Manager – all are featured roles

• Maddie – Producer – 40+ – mezzo/belt
• Joe Preston – playwright – 35-50 – baritone
• Valerie Brooks – Joe’s ex-wife/tv star – 35-45 – mezzo/belt
• Roberta – matinee Lady #1 – 50+ – mezzo/belt
• Millie – matinee Lady #2 – 50+ – mezzo/belt
• Lillian – culture vulture wife – 40-60 – belt
• Harold – successful businessman – 40-60 – baritone
• Gary – concerned husband – 30-45 – tenor
• Janet – distracted wife – 30-45 – mezzo
• Brad – rock singer with big ego and small intellect– 20s – rock tenor
• Miranda – quirky insecure girl on first date with Brad – 20s – comedic mezzo
• Brown Suit – curmudgeonly old school theater critic -30+ – baritone – dancer
• Blue Suit – positive theater critic – 30+ – tenor – dancer
• Tuxedo –critic who had a personal relationship with actor in show – 30+ – bari/tenor – dancer
• Boyfriend – young guy waiting for new girlfriend to meet him at theater – 20s – baritone
• Sallie – new girlfriend who is late to show – 20s – non-singing role
• Stage Manager – non-singing role – male or female any age

For any questions regarding auditions, please contact the director at ChpMM@aol.com .