Author Archives: robbucher

THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST

Auditions: March 10th and 11th at 7:00 at LTC

Show Dates: May 2nd -11th

Synopsis
The place is the small Mississippi town of Brookhaven, the time a few days before the Fourth of July. Carnelle Scott (known locally as “Miss Hot Tamale”) is rehearsing furiously for the Miss Firecracker Contest—hoping that a victory will salvage her tarnished reputation and allow her to leave town in a blaze of glory. The unexpected arrival of her cousin Elain, a former Miss Firecracker winner, (who has walked out on her rich but boring husband and her two small children) complicates matters a bit, as does the repeated threat of Elain’s eccentric brother, Delmount, (recently released from a mental institution) to sell the family homestead and decamp for New Orleans. But, aided by a touchingly awkward seamstress named Popeye (who is hopelessly smitten by Delmount) and several other cheerfully nutty characters, Carnelle perseveres—leading to a denouement of unparalleled hilarity, compassion and moving lyricism as all concerned finally escape their unhappy pasts and turn hopefully toward what must surely be a better future.

Characters

• Carnelle Scott- (Age: 20s-30s)
  The play’s central character, Carnelle is a vulnerable and self-conscious young woman. She longs to receive the respect and admiration that her cousin Elain won with the community years ago. Kind, generous, and a little bit naive, she hopes to wipe away her scandalous past in Brookhaven by winning the Miss Firecracker Contest and leaving town in a blaze of glory.
• Elain Rutledge- (Age: 30s-40s) Carnelle’s cousin and Delmount’s older sister, Elain is a former beauty queen desperately trying to hang
  on to her youth and looks. As a former Miss Firecracker winner, Carnelle worships the ground she walks on. Her
  confidence and elegance conceal a terrible secret: she is trapped in a marriage she has come to resent.
• Delmount Williams- (Age: late 20s-late 30s) Delmount is Carnelle’s first cousin and Elain’s younger brother. He deeply loves his family, but
  suffers from an extremely volatile temper. Recently released from a state mental hospital, he intends to sell his
  deceased mother’s home and leave town forever. Delmount is a true romantic and a connoisseur of beauty. His obsession haunts him in the form of strange nightmares.
• Popeye Jackson- (Age: 20s-30s)
  Popeye is a quirky young seamstress hired by Carnelle to make costumes for the contest. She wears massive Coke-bottle glasses as the result of a childhood accident and keeps strange habits like sewing tiny outfits for frogs. She is kind and loyal and almost immediately falls madly in love with the fiery Delmount.
• Mac Sam- (Age: 30s-50s)
  Mac Sam is a local carnie currently peddling balloons at the Miss Firecracker Contest. A former lover of Carnelle’s, his “magnetic eyes” hold a great power over women. He is quite the ladies’ man, but has always carried a special torch for Carnelle. Mac Sam suffers from a number of medical maladies including alcoholism, tuberculosis, and
  venereal disease which he contracted from Carnelle during her checkered youth.
• Tessy Mahoney- (Age: 20s-30s)
  Tessy is one of the coordinators of the Miss Firecracker Contest and the ugliest girl in town. Conniving and manipulative, she once had a brief fling with Delmount and seeks to rekindle that flame.