Chester Theatre Group

We’re holding auditions for our upcoming production of TRIUMPH OF LOVE based on the play by Marivaux with book by James Magruder, music by Jeffrey Stock and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.  The show will be directed by Jeffrey Fiorello with musical direction by Tom Rodgers and will be produced by Penny Hoadley and Jeff Jackson.

Auditions will be held at the theater on Sunday, 2/7/2010 at 2:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, 2/9/2010 at 7:00 p.m.  The theater is located at the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, New Jersey.

Performances of the show are scheduled for 4/30, 5/1, 5/7, 5/8, 5/14, 5/15, 5/16 (matinee), 5/21, 5/22 and close with a matinee on Sunday, 5/23.

Needed are 4 male and 3 female musical comedy performers. Please come with a resume and a musical theatre song (with sheet music in correct key). An accompanist will be provided.

About the Show:

Love can make a woman do strange things.  Like lie about her past.  Or give up her career for the man she loves.  Or throw off her princessly raiment and disguise herself as a young man in order to infiltrate the guarded “men-only” palace compound of an exiled prince she’s admired from afar, who is secretly plotting to murder her and usurp her throne.  Such is the state of things in this hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic adaptation of the classic Marivaux comedy, “Triumph of Love.” 

Cast Breakdown:

• Agis – (age range 20 – 35) a student of reason, a young innocent who has been raised to reclaim his rightful throne, but discovers that his true desire is to find love.  Tenor (ability to sing and sustain a High A).
• Hesione – (age range 40 – 60) Agis’ Aunt. A stern philosopher who wants her nephew to take down the current ruler of Sparta to reclaim the throne that is rightfully his.  A Betty Buckley type.  Mezzo / Strong Belt (up to a high D).
• Harlequin – (age range 25 – 40) the Valet.  Servant to Hesione.  Tenor with strong comedic abilities.
• Dimas – (age range 25 – 45) the Gardner.  Servant to Hesione.  Baritone with strong comedic abilities.
• Hermocrates – (age range 40 – 60) Agis’s Uncle.  A philosopher.  The brother to Hesione, a powerful, forbidding intellectual tyrant.  Feared by those around him.  Baritone.
• Princess Leonide – (age range 20 – 35).  A beautiful young woman, and ruler of Sparta.  A driven woman who will do almost anything to find true love, and hopes to find that in Agis.  Disguises herself as a man for part of the musical.  A strong comedic actress, with the ability to portray the many different characters that Leonide uses to deceive those around her.  High Mezzo – Belt (up to a high D).
• Corrine – (age range 25 – 40).  Princess Leonide’s maid servant.  A little rough around the edges, but would do anything to help Princess Leonide reach her goal.  Strong comedic actress.  Mezzo with a VERY high Belt (up to an E) and the ability to sing the D above high C.

If you have any further questions about the play please contact the director via email at fiorelloje@yahoo.com

The Chester Theatre Group of the Black River Playhouse will be holding auditions for Shirley Valentine, by Willy Russell, the author of Educating Rita and Blood Brothers.  The show will be directed by Cindy Alexander and will be presented weekends in March 2010. Shirley Valentine is a full-length one-woman comedy.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, 10/25/09 at 6:00 PM and Tuesday, 10/27/09 at 7:00 PM. Auditions will be held at the theatre which is located at the corner of Maple and Grove Streets in Chester, NJ. 

UPDATE: Auditioners are asked to familiarize themselves with these two excerpts: “Shirley Valentine – Side One“ and “Shirley Valentine – Side Two.”

Audition Requirements

One Actress to play 40-50 year-old working-class English mother of two grown children.

Actresses auditioning for the role must be adept at comedy, working class English accent (preferably Liverpudlian) and memorization. Readings will be from the script. 

About the Piece

Inside Mrs. Joe Bradshaw is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out. Her self- confidence badly shattered by school, marriage and life, she is reduced to talking to the kitchen wall whilst preparing her husband’s evening meal – to be on the table as he opens the front door every night.  As she sips a glass of wine, she dreams of drinking in a country where the grape is grown.  Her feminist friend offers her a holiday in Greece and, with great trepidation and a lot of forward planning; Shirley seizes the opportunity.  In Greece she encounters a totally different lifestyle, breaking out of the mold cast for her by society. 

For more information, contact Cindy Alexander (908) 713-6207

Save the date!

Auditions for Adam Bock’s play “The Receptionist”, directed by Jeff Knapp, will be held on Sunday, October 11 and Tuesday, October 13 and 7:30 PM at the Black River Playhouse.

The Receptionist is a dark comedy about office life… and it might be about torture.  Or not…

To let Samuel French summarize:  “At the start of a typical day in the Northeast Office, Beverly deals effortlessly with ringing phones and her colleague’s romantic troubles. But the appearance of a charming rep from the Central Office disrupts the friendly routine. And as the true nature of the company’s business becomes apparent, The Receptionist raises disquieting, provocative questions about the consequences of complicity with evil.”

Character Breakdown:

Beverly Wilkins (late 40s-50s), the receptionist:

Lorraine Taylor (late 20s, mid-40s), A co-worker. Single.

Edward Raymond. (Early 50s) Their boss. A young grandfather.

Martin Dart (Mid-30s), Married, with a child

The audition will consist mostly of script readings.

Actresses auditioning for the role of the receptionist, should have a one-sided telephone call prepared.  Portray the OTHER person’s story using only your side of the conversation.  There’s a lot of that sort of thing in the play that may be difficult to convey in a cold reading, so being able to sell your ability to listen and react will be key.  You’ll also be asked to read from the script.

Due to popular demand, here are pages from the script that show Beverly’s one-sided conversation.  Feel free to familiarlize yourself with this instead of preparing your own: The Receptionist – Beverly Side

The show opens November 21 2009 and runs into December.

“A deceptively complex work that intends to reinvent the concept of the office comedy, The Receptionist plays with the idea of who knows how much and how good a thing that ultimately is.” – Tom Avila, Metro Weekly

“The genially mundane goings-on in this blandly average workplace are throw into macabre relief when … a single, jarring line of dialogue sets the calm surface of the play rippling with creepy currents.” – Charles Isherwood, New York Times

Second night of auditions are happening tomorrow!

Details here: http://www.chestertheatregroup.org/2009/06/auditions-the-hound-of-the-baskervilles/

We’re having auditions for Tim Kelly’s adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles on Sunday, August 2nd and Tuesday, August 4th at 7pm at the Black River Playhouse.  The show runs weekends in October, 2009.

This is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most spine-tingling mystery, featuring his most famous detective, adapted for the stage with plenty of suspense, humor, and ultimate terror. Sir Henry has become heir to the vast Baskerville fortune, a legacy that comes complete with a family curse – death at the fangs of a living horror prowling the English moor. Not knowing who to trust, a family confidant enlists the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. As suspicions grow and long lost family secrets are reveled, the true source of this age old curse only becomes more disturbing. From nosy neighbors to shifty house servants, Holmes and Watson are put to their ultimate test in trying to save the young Barron’s life.

The production is directed by Chris Mortensen, and readings will be from the script.  The rehearsal schedule will be determined by the cast’s availability.

Characters

Sherlock Holmes (30s-40s) The Famed private investigator interested in bizarre cases. A master at detection. a genius among geniuses.

Dr. Watson (30s-40s) Mr. Holmes’ colleague. A man fascinated by mysteries and his friend’s ability to solve them. Loyal to the end, and cleaver enough in his own right.

Sir Henry (20s-30s) A young man who’s just inherited the entire Baskerville fortune, and the curse which goes along with it. A fully capable gentleman, even he finds himself struggling to keep his head above water in his new situation.

Lady Agatha Mortimer (40s-50s) A medical doctor and old friend to Dr. Watson. A forceful woman who has an invested interest in the outcome of the case, yet does not escape suspicion herself.

Perkins (20s) A young simple girl from the village who has been employed as a maid at Baskerville Hall. Her innocence and ignorance would seem to save her from suspicion.

Barrymore (60s) The Butler. An older gentleman who has been in service at Baskerville Hall for many years, ranging back to his own childhood. A sinister old coot who is not always forthright with his information. But a capable servant non-the-less and devoted to his wife.

Mrs. Barrymore (60s) The housekeeper. A quirky old woman who, like her husband, has spent most of her days at Baskerville Hall. Her loyalty to the family of Baskervilles is unmistakable, yet she does hold close to her own secrets.

Kathy Stapleton (20s-30s) A vivacious young woman who attracts every man she comes in contact with. Always smiling and full of energy…not that she doesn’t have her own demons to deal with as well.

Jack Stapleton (30s) Kathy’s brother. A somewhat simpleminded fellow, very into his butterfly collection. Country life suits him well, although he is prone to emotional outbursts.

Laura Lyons (30s) A fully capable young woman who was forced to make her own way in life. Self sufficient and focused, she holds tight to a dangerous secret.