Tag Archives: Beavercreek Community Theatre

Beavercreek Community Theatre announces open auditions for THE SUGAR WITCH by Nathan Sanders

September 9 & 10, 7:00 pm

Production dates: October 25 – November 3,2024

3868 Dayton-Xenia Rd.
Beavercreek, OH 45432

Synopsis:
The Bean Family, in Sugar Bean, Florida live under an ancient family curse. The surviving members of the town’s founding family have reached the end of their rope. Just when things can’t possibly get any worse, tragedy strikes as a mysterious and brutal murder takes place in the Bean family home. The crime places “Moses” and “Sisser” in grave danger as “Annabelle”, the last in a long line of so called “Sugar Witches”, attempts to end the curse placed on their heads by the dying words of her very own grandmother. Dark family secrets are revealed and unusual passions ignited as the family confronts madness, truth and the destructive legacy of racism as the spirits of the dead walk the swamp, haunting the hearts of all who reside there. THE SUGAR WITCH is a dark, Southern Gothic play that is perfect for the Halloween season.

AUDITIONS WILL CONSIST OF READINGS FROM THE SCRIPT

Cast requirements:

• Sisser: (Female, Mid to late 30’s) Southern, Obese, and somewhat mad. A wheelchair bound lover of little Debbie snack cakes. Capable of anything –even murder
• Ruth Ann Meeks: (Female, mid to late 30’s) Southern, racist, and half insane. A “church-goer”, plain, not very pretty. Probably the product of incest.
• Annabelle: (Female, African-American, 50s) Southern swamp mystic and conjure woman. Brews magical potions from sugar cane molasses. The last in a long line of “Sugar Witches”.
• Moses Bean: (Male, mid to late 20’s) Southern, handsome and boyish. A mechanic at the local Texaco station. Innocent and virginal; a “gender-reversed Sleeping Beauty”
• Hank Hartley: (Male, 30’s) Southern, handsome and strong. The plays “gentleman caller”. Recently returned to Sugar Bean to take over his family’s funeral home business. Madly in love but holding a dark secret.
• Granddaddy Meeks – (Male, 60s-70s) Southern redneck, racist, abusive and mean. Ruth Ann’s grandfather.

Director: Matt Owens
Choreographer: Gretchen Obergefell
Music Director: Jenn Clark

Monday, April 22, or Tuesday, April 23, at 7pm each night
Callbacks on Wednesday, April 24, at 7pm

Performance dates are June 21-30

Prepare one minute of a Broadway-style song that demonstrates your vocal abilities and character.  An accompanist and Bluetooth speaker will be provided.

Auditioners should also be prepared to learn a brief dance combination to demonstrate movement ability.

Please arrive early to fill out audition form, which will include a listing of any conflicts between April 29 and the opening of the show on June 21.

We are looking for diverse performers to build a vocally strong ensemble of five women and at least five men who can each independently hold a harmony line.

Character Breakdown (general “stage age” listed in parentheses):
Grace Banker (mid 20s-30s): From Passaic, New Jersey; the leader of the squadron that went to the front, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for her bravery under fire; graduated from Barnard in 1915 and worked at AT&T as a telephone operator and supervisor before joining the army; articulate and poised, with a core of steely strength that makes itself apparent as she grows into her role as leader.

Suzanne Prevot (mid 20s-30s): From New York City; feisty, sardonic, tough talking; a close friend of Grace’s from AT&T; she was among the few who lived to be officially recognized by the Army; very invested in the fight for women’s suffrage and leads the women’s fight for recognition after the war.

Louise LeBreton (late teens-early 20s): From San Francisco; fearless, flirty, headstrong and often insubordinate; she lies about her age to join the army; born in France, she has family fighting with the French army.

Helen Hill (early 20s-30s): From outside Boise, Idaho; a typical small town farm girl. From a family of 17 children with a mother who speaks French; sweet, over-enthusiastic, wholesomely kooky and prone to nervous panic.

Bertha Hunt (30s-40s): From San Francisco; married to a Navy doctor who is also serving; older, wiser, reliable; The Den Mother; extremely knowledgeable about military matters.

Cpt. Joseph Riser (30s to 40s): The Signal Corps commanding officer who recruits and trains the women, and journeys with them to the front; a career army man, a stickler for rules and order, he is skeptical of the women’s presence in the army, even as his own success relies on theirs; he develops a close working relationship with Grace, who challenges his world view and converts him to an advocate.

Gen. John Pershing (40s to 50s): Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces; Hard, relentless, inflexible, with a deep sense of honor and American individualism and identity.

Pvt. Eugene Matterson* (20s to 30s): An enlisted man who works closely with Lt. Riser.

Lt. Ernest Wessen* (20s to 30s): Head of the recruiting center for the Signal Corps

Pvt. Robert Dempsey* (20s to 30s): A Signal Corps operator at the Paris Telephone Exchange

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