Tag Archives: Xenia Area Community Theatre

Xenia Area Community Theater is honored to announce the local premiere of David Hassler’s play MAY 4TH VOICES, about the Kent State shootings (this year being the 50th anniversary of the event). The play will be shown at the XACT theater May 1 and 2 at 7:30pm and May 3 at 3pm. The director is Craig Smith. AUDITION DATES ARE FEBRUARY 24 and 25 at 7PM AT XACT, 45 E 2nd St., Xenia, Ohio 45385

Auditioners are asked to bring a rehearsed, but not memorized, passage. The show will be a staged reading so they can read it. It should be a speech of some sort; people’s words, not narrative or descriptions. The character list consists of 20 different, unnamed characters ranging from a junior high school student to an older adult and a narrator. The largest scene consists of 17 characters engaged onstage. Roles will be doubled and tripled as required, potentially in the same scene. Age specific concerns will not be a factor but gender specific MAY be when it is required by the script. Race will not be a factor except as specified in the script (this is germane to the story).

MAY 4TH VOICES by David Hassler recounts the events leading to the shootings at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio on May 4th, 1970 and what followed. The play is an oral history recount collected from members of the Kent Community, The University, The National Guard and members of Ohio Law Enforcement. It is a one act play with nine scenes, several of which include a narrator.

The play will be performed as a staged reading presentation with blocking and movement. Actors may be asked to play multiple roles that could consist of a variety of gender, age and racially diverse characters. The show has some adult language and adult themes.

AUDITION NOTICE for Neil Simon’s RUMORS at Xenia Area Community Theater.

Auditions will be cold readings from the script on Monday January 27 and Tuesday January 28 at 7pm. Directed by Carter Hume.

RUMORS is a madcap, slamming door farce set in a large home located just outside of New York in the year 1988. The characters are arriving as guests at a 10th Anniversary Dinner. The first couple to arrive discovers that one of their hosts (Charley) has apparently attempted suicide…unsuccessfully. Charley’s wife, Myra, is nowhere to be found and neither are the servants. Through the course of the show, the audience never meets Charley or Myra. As more guests arrive, there are cover-ups, deceptions, mistaken identities, and a lot of huge laughs.

Characters:

• Chris Gorman (F) – Chris is an attractive woman in her mid 30s. She is nervous and neurotic. She recently quit smoking but quickly falls off the wagon. (part involves some physical comedy)
• Ken Gorman (M) – Ken is Chris’ husband. He is in his 40s and is Charley’s attorney and friend. Ken is pompous, serious, a know-it-all.
• Claire Ganz (F) – Claire is late 30s to early 40s. She is an unimpressed smart mouth who is seemingly amused by everything that is going on. Not surprising considering her husband.
• Leonard “Lenny” Ganz (M) – Lenny is Claire’s husband and is also in his late 30s to early 40s. He is Charley’s accountant. Lenny is by far the most foul-mouthed, outspoken member of the cast. He is also HILARIOUS. (has a 3 page monologue)
• Cookie Cusack (F) – Cookie is a host of her own cooking show, in her mid to late 40s, garish, a bit ditzy and will be expected to deliver quite a bit of physical comedy.
• Ernie Cusack (M) – Ernie is Cookie’s husband and Charley’s analyst. He is in his late 40s/early 50s. He is a somewhat quiet and calming presence in the midst of the storm of confusion.
• Glenn Cooper (M) – Glenn is a candidate for the State Senate. He is in his late 30s/early 40s and quite handsome. The TV cameras love him. He is constantly worried about his image.
• Cassie Cooper (F) – Cassie is Glenn’s wife, early 30s, very good looking, and totally nuts. She and Glenn hate each other. She doesn’t want to be there, she is constantly fighting with Glenn and she is constantly threatening divorce.
• Officer Ben Welch (M) – No nonsense cop in his 40s-50s. Has a couple of smaller monologues.
• Officer Connie Pudney (F) – Late 20s cop. Welch’s partner. Minimal lines.

Production dates: March 27-April 5