Monthly Archives: May 2018

Auditions for FutureFest 2018

Auditions begin at 7pm each evening. Auditioners are encouraged to arrive at the Dayton Playhouse in advance of the auditions to fill out the Audition Form. Theatre resumes are encouraged; auditioners need to be prepared to list all conflicts between the audition date and the final performance of the production. All auditions are held at the Dayton Playhouse: 1301 Siebenthaler Avenue in Dayton (inside Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark).

Casting Requirements: 16 m, 12 f

Plays auditioning on Monday, May 21, 2018 will be fully staged productions:

Queen of Sad Mischance
Directed by Richard Lee Waldeck
Synopsis: A play about gender, race, academia, and belonging.
Cast: 1m, 2f

Kym: 21, biracial with a black mother and white father. An intense, focused English major, reluctant to open up to others about herself.
Beverly: 55, white. An energetic, driven, feminist Shakespeare scholar beginning to be affected by early-onset Alzheimers. She tends not to finish her sentences. Especially in the first act, this isn’t because she has lost her train of thought but because her quick mind has moved on to the next idea.
Roy: 28, white. Beverly’s son, an actor. He’s left a graduate level acting program to move home and become his mother’s live-in caretaker.

Last Rites – Detroit, 1967
Directed by Kip Moore
Synopsis: Three strangers caught in the middle of the Detroit riots.
Cast: 2m, 1f

Ron Szymanski: 44, Polish/American, Catholic, 7 children. Proprietor of the Standard Oil gas station/convenience store on 12thSt. Lives in New Baltimore, MI, 15 miles outside of Detroit.
Esther Rollins: 68, African-American, Baptist, widow. Works nights as a cleaning woman at a local newspaper which has offices just outside of Detroit.
Sydney Rozier: 28, African-American. He lives in another neighborhood. He has come to 12th St. looking for a friend and out of curiosity, and he has been caught up in the riots.

What Are Words Worth to a Long Fellow?
Directed by Debra Kent
Synopsis: A young man intent on living a dissolute, artistic life is driven by necessity and the insistence of his older sister into accepting responsibility. Distracting him from this goal is a new love interest, along with her disapproving brother.
Cast: 2m, 2f

Norris Jordan: irresolute and aimless young poet.
Debbie Marsh: cheerful but sensible coed.
Phyllis Jordan: Norris’ bossy but caring big sister.
Jack Marsh: Debbie’s protective brother, very large.

Plays auditioning on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 will be staged readings:

Of Men and Cars (Reading)
Directed by Dawn Roth Smith
Synopsis: When I was very young I thought my father was amazing. As I grew older I discovered he was something less than amazing. As I grew older still I discovered I was also something less than amazing. And my father and I were able to come back to each other before it was too late.
Cast: 5m, 2f with doubling

Jim: 20 to 30.
Dad: 40 to 65.
Mom, Anna, NY Woman, Dorothy: 40 to 65.
Frankie Two Fingers, Salesman, Warren, Shrink, Man: 40 to 65.
Girl Next Door, College Girl, LA Woman, Saleswoman: 20 to 30.
Dominic, Man, Soldier, Jack: 20 to 30.
Russo, Pot Head, Dumb Guy: 20 to 40.

Late in the Game (Reading)
Directed by Shawn Hooks
Synopsis: Late in the Game is a play that looks at the experience of aging from the perspective of Baby Boomers. When a group of aging academics decide to try their hand at writing erotica, their relationships begin to evolve and secrets are revealed.
Cast: 2m, 3f with doubling

Margaret: 63 and recently divorced. Teaches poetry and creative writing at the local community college.
Iris: Margaret’s long-time friend, widow, early 60s. Teaches technical writing at the same college. A founding member of the writers group.
Callie: Daughter of a recently deceased member of the group. Early 20s, pierced and fierce, with a soft underbelly that you rarely see.
Donald: Early 60s. Teaches accounting at the community college. Never married. Likes to bake. Founding member of the writers group.
James: Mid 40s. Recently hired to head the IT department at the college. New member of the writers group.
Gina Mae: Boomer age. Manager of the Lilac Cove Community Center.
John: New President of the Lilac Cove Community College. Can be played by another actor.
Assistant to John: Can be played by actor playing Callie.

Fettered (Reading)
Directed by Annie Pesch
Synopsis: Fettered takes place in the Maryland Colony in 1680 and addresses issues such as religious freedom, political independence, illiteracy, slavery/racism, and forbidden friendship. Amid the backdrop of Major Boarman’s plantation, the spotlight illuminates the developing friendship between Charles and Nell. Will their controversial relationship survive the colony’s laws or the angry disapproval of their neighbors? The risks to Nell and Charles, along with the Major, may result in dire consequences. Their strength should not be underestimated!
Cast: 4m (with doubling), 2f

Town Crier: Mid 40s-mid 50s. A man of gravity, whose air of seriousness is, on occasion, betrayed by an ironic sense of humor. Also plays: Timothy Simmons, a Maryland plantation owner; Thomas Hobbs, philosopher,; John Coode, an Anglican rebel; Father Andrew, a Catholic priest.

Charles Calvert, Third Lord Baltimore: 44 years old. A man of solid build, with a square face and jowls that are just beginning to make their appearance in his life.
Eleanor (“Irish Nell”) Butler: 16 years old. Slight of build. Came to America from Ireland when she was nine years old. A quiet girl-until you get to know her. Irish accent.
Major William Boarman: 51 years old. Athletic build, with a face that reflects the balance he strives to achieve in his life.
Charles: 25 years old. Born in Virginia to a mother who had been abducted from Africa. Medium height and build. He keeps the fire he feels carefully contained.
Mrs. Mary Mathews Boarman: 30 years old. A handsome woman with an exceptionally upright posture