Category Archives: Auditions

Mariemont Players and director Jennifer Keith are pleased to announce auditions for EVELYN IN PURGATORY by Topher Payne.

Audition dates/times: August 19 and 21, 2019 7-9:30pm

Audition Location: Mariemont Players – 4101 Walton Creek Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45227

Production dates: January 10 – 26, 2020

Show Summary:
A sort of Breakfast Club for teachers, Evelyn in Purgatory shows what happens when teachers land in their own version of detention.  A claim of improper behavior by a failing student lands Evelyn Reid in the New York Public School’s Reassignment Center, one of a series of empty offices in the Department of Education Building. There she encounters a group of teachers who have to sit and wait for their cases to be reviewed.  Some are guilty, some are not, but all have long since lost any hope of returning to a classroom.  Over the course of the school year, these colleagues form an unlikely alliance, reminding each other of forgotten passions, emerging to face life outside in unexpected new directions. They also learn French, workshop a screenplay…and learn some troubling secrets about each other.

Character Descriptions:

CANDACE METZGER – 30s. The person with the most power in the room, and the least qualifications for it. From New Jersey, tries to hide the accent but fails when she gets emotional.

EVELYN REID – 30s. Likeable and resourceful. A careful mix of guarded pleasantry- she has a stellar game face. New England native.

LILA WADKINS – 50s. Calm, maternal, thoughtful, witty. The voice of reason. The art teacher everyone wishes they had. Upstate New York native, some residual hippie around the edges.

TOBY FLEMING – 20s. A bit of a geek. Quiet, passive-aggressive, perpetually uncertain. Brooklyn native.

FRED DISALVO – 50s. Bombastic, funny, a bit of a bully. A gym teacher from Hell’s Kitchen, back when that still meant something.

ROBERTA BURKE – 60s. The self-appointed queen of all she surveys. Razor-sharp wit, no patience, and an uncanny ability to spot the weaknesses in those around her. Very Bronx.

ATWOOD (unseen) – The head of the disciplinary panel. The invisible voice of absolute authority. Written as “Ms. Atwood,” but can be changed to “Mr. Atwood” to accommodate a gender swap.

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.  Headshots and resumes are appreciated but not required. Please bring any known conflicts. Rehearsals will begin at the end of October or beginning of November.   ALL CAST MEMBERS MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR TECH SUNDAY REHEARSAL ON DECEMBER 29, 2019. 

For more information, please contact director Jennifer Keith at jenniferann4097@gmail.com.