AUDITION INFORMATION AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Transcription

1 AUDITION INFORMATION AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Written by Tracy Letts Directed by Jimmy Kontos Audition Dates: June 24 & 25, 2018 Performance Dates: Aug 23-Sept 9, 2018

2 CONTENTS WELCOME 3 ABOUT OUR AUDITIONS 4 THE PLAY 5 ABOUT THE DIRECTOR 5 IMPORTANT DATES 6 A rough overview of the show s rehearsal calendar, from auditions to performance dates. Subject to change. CHARACTERS 7 Roles that are open for audition, with descriptions and age ranges. AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS 9 SIDES Side 1: Beverly Side 2: Violet Side 3: Barbara Side 4: Jean Side 5: Charlie Side 6: Karen Side 7: Bill Side 8: Mattie Fae CREDITS 18 AUDITION FORM 19 2

3 WELCOME Thank you for your interest in auditioning for a Theatre Tallahassee production! If you ve auditioned for us before, welcome back! If this is your first time auditioning at Theatre Tallahassee, we re thrilled to have you! We ve been around now for 70 years, and we wouldn t have lasted so long without new people, new talent, and new voices. Whether you re a veteran performer who just moved to town or you ve never been on stage before but really want to try, we d like to encourage you to audition for shows at Theatre Tallahassee. We re aware that auditioning can be an overwhelming experience, even if you ve done it a hundred times before. We ve put this information booklet together for you to help you learn a little more about the play, the characters you will be reading for, and to give you some idea of what to expect during auditions. Please read over the character list and director s comments, and pay attention to any specific audition requirements for this show. Then review any script sides provided. We ve included a printable audition form at the back of this information booklet that you can fill out and bring with you. You may also bring a headshot and/or resume, if you have one, but they are not required. Break a leg! BECOME A PART OF OUR LEGACY... We ve been around for over 70 years, and produced more than 460 shows. This season, we hope you ll become part of our Theatre Tallahassee family. 3

4 ABOUT OUR AUDITIONS Theatre Tallahassee auditions are open we try our best to discourage directors from pre-casting roles. Know what you re auditioning for. Most directors provide script sides in this packet for you to study ahead of time. Do a little research online about the play. We also keep copies of the script at the theatre, so if you would like the opportunity to read it ahead of time, you can drop by during business hours and we ll let you peruse it at Theatre Tallahassee. Audition requirements may vary from show to show. Some directors like cold readings. Some might ask for monologues. For musicals, you may be asked to bring music, or wear dance clothes. Read the audition notes in this booklet to be prepared. Audition formats vary depending on director. Some directors prefer closed auditions, where you will wait in another room until you are called in. Others like having everyone in one room. During closed auditions, if you bring someone to support you they may be asked to wait in the other room (unless you are a minor). We know that it can be disappointing not to get a part. We always have more people audition than we have roles for, and there are many factors that directors have to weigh when casting. We encourage you to audition often. Just because you weren t right for one role, doesn t mean that you won t be perfect for another. We encourage you to get involved in other ways. Helping paint or build sets, costumes or props, working backstage, or volunteering to usher are great ways to meet people, network, and become part of our theatre family. We look forward to seeing you on stage. Break a leg! MAINSTAGE SEASON SHOWS This production is part of Theatre Tallahassee s Mainstage season. If you ve never performed on our Mainstage, here s a quick list of what you should know. Mainstage productions are performed in our main auditorium, which seats approximately 270 people. Rehearsals usually start about 5-6 weeks before the show opens. Opening night is usually held on a Thursday evening. Performances run for three weekends, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. 4

5 THE PLAY In Tracy Letts s play, August: Osage County (Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best New Play) the American dysfunctional family drama comes roaring into the twenty-first century with eyes blazing, nostrils flaring, and fangs bared, laced with corrosive humor so darkly delicious that you re squirming in your seat even as you re doubled over laughing. The play centers around the Weston family, brought together after their patriarch, award winning poet and world class alcoholic Beverly Weston, disappears. The matriarch, Violet, depressed and addicted to pain pills and truth-telling, is joined by her three daughters and their problematic lovers, who harbor their own deep secrets, her sister Mattie Fae and her family, well-trained in the Weston family art of cruelty, and finally, the observer of the chaos, the young Cheyenne housekeeper Johnna, who was hired by Beverly just before his disappearance. Holed up in the large family estate in Osage County, Oklahoma, tensions heat up and boil over in the ruthless August heat. Bursting with humor, vivacity, and intelligence, August: Osage County is both dense and funny, vicious and compassionate, enormous and unstoppable. ABOUT THE DIRECTOR JIMMY KONTOS Jimmy has an MFA in Directing from the University of Alabama and has directed over 40 productions in the semi-equity, non-profit, and university arenas including five previous productions at Theatre Tallahassee. He has been teaching Theatre and Performance classes for students of all ages for over twenty years, and has taught at schools including Florida State University, University of Alabama, Ringling College of Art and Design, and University of Alabama-Birmingham. Currently, Jimmy is the Program Director for Southern Shakespeare Company, and recently served as the Production Manager on Romeo and Juliet. In addition to his MFA, Jimmy has a BA from Florida State University and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration from the University of Connecticut. Jimmy is also a playwright and his short play, Video Diary, was published in the collection, Inside the Tornado: A Community s Response to Cataclysm through Theatre. 5

6 DATES actors must be able to commit to all performance dates & tech/dress rehearsals. OTHER AUDITIONS Sun, June 24 & Mon, June 25, at 7pm Call Backs Tues, June 26 at 7pm By director invitation only. REHEARSAL PERIOD June 27-Aug pm, Mon-Fri NOTE: See calendar for potential rehearsal dates. Subject to change after casting. Tech Week Aug Crew integration, cue-to-cue, tech rehearsals. Please try to avoid schedule conflicts during this week Dress Rehearsals Aug required attendance PERFORMANCES Aug Aug 31-Sept 2 Sept 7-9 Weeknight and Saturday evening performances are at 8 pm, with a 6:30 pm call time. Sunday matinee performances are at 2 pm, with a 12:30 pm call time. Pick Up Rehearsals Aug 30 & Sept 6 At director & stage manager s discretion. Keep dates open for potential rehearsals or benefit shows. Closing & Strike Sept 9 Cast & Crew are required to participate in show strike. Please keep this evening free of conflicts. JUNE Theater Tallahassee 6 S M T W T F S JULY S M T W T F S AUGUST S M T W T F S SEPTEMBER S M T W T F S

7 Theater Tallahassee 7 CHARACTERS VIOLET WESTON female, 60 s Violet is the matriarch of the Weston family. She suffers from mouth cancer and is addicted to several prescription drugs. She is shrewd and sharp tongued and spouts horrifying barbs and pointed insults at her family under the guise of truth telling. She seems to know everything about everybody in the family, and has no problem revealing their well guarded secrets as a means to achieve her own agenda. BARBARA FORDHAM female, 40 s Barbara is the oldest of the Weston daughters. She is a highly intelligent college professor who is in the midst of a nasty separation from her husband, Bill, who has taken up with one of his students. She is tough as nails, and of the Weston sisters, she is the most like her mother. She has a need to control everything around her, and struggles as events in her life slip out of her grasp. IVY WESTON female, 40 s Ivy is the middle daughter of the Weston family and the only one to remain in Oklahoma. She harbors resentment towards her sisters for leaving her to serve as the sole caretaker of Violet. Her calm and pragmatic exterior hides a passionate woman who is involved in a sweet and genuine love affair with her cousin, Little Charles. KAREN WESTON female, mid-30 s-early 40 s Karen is the youngest of the Weston daughters, and has returned home with her fiancé, Steve. She is highly energetic, a bit scattered, and often appears clueless to the pain of the rest of her family. She willfully avoids the truth about her fiancé s past marriages, profession, and proclivity for under age girls rather than face the reality of not getting her fairy tale ending. BILL FORDHAM male, 40 s Bill is Barbara s estranged husband who has taken up with one of his students. In spite of their marital issues, Bill has traveled with his family to Oklahoma in an attempt to be present and supportive for his wife and daughter. He is highly intelligent and often uses wit and humor to soften family tensions, but his ever-growing frustrations are eroding his patience.

8 Theater Tallahassee 8 CHARACTERS JEAN FORDHAM female, teens Jean is Barbara and Bill s fourteen year old daughter. A vegetarian, old movie buff, and frequent smoker, Jean is 14 going on 30 at least she believes she is. Though she appears to be a typical American teen (awkward, self conscious, self-absorbed) she also has a fierce intellect and sharp wit. MATTIE FAE AIKEN female, 50 s Mattie Fae is Violet s younger sister, and is often just as jaded and cruel, especially to her son, Little Charles. Her sassy and blowsy exterior can be highly amusing, but hides a deeper pain underneath. She remains in a longstanding marriage with her husband Charlie, but its solidity is threatened underneath the weight of her constant need to belittle their son. CHARLIE AIKEN male, mid-50 s-60 s Charlie is Mattie Fae s husband. He is easy-going, patient, and honest, and often acts as the family mediator. He was lifelong friends with Beverly, and is distraught over his disappearance. He loves his wife, but struggles with her unceasing disrespect toward their son, Little Charles. LITTLE CHARLES AIKEN male, 30 s Little Charles is Mattie Fae and Charlie s son. Little Charles is shy, clumsy, and often at a loss as to how the world around him works. His diminutive and self-deprecating nature hides his inner sweetness and creativity. He is deeply in love with his cousin Ivy, and is making big plans for them to run away together to New York. JOHNNA MONEVATA female, 20 s Johnna is a Native American from the Cheyenne Tribe who was hired by Beverly as a live-in housekeeper and caretaker for Violet just before his disappearance. Johnna is practical and straight-forward, and has a deep rooted connection to her personal heritage. She is a quiet presence in the house, observing everything and saying nothing, except when she steps in to defend Jean from the lecherous Steve.

9 Theater Tallahassee 9 CHARACTERS STEVE HEIDEBRECHT male, mid 40 s-50 s Steve is Karen s fiancé. He is used to being an outsider, but has a deep seeded need to be liked. Steve has been married three times, has a possibly less than legitimate profession in Middle Eastern securities work, and has a proclivity for underage girls. He flirts with Jean, smokes pot with her, and attempts to molest her. SHERIFF DEON GILBEAU male, mid 40 s-50 s Deon is an inexperienced small town sheriff who was also a classmate and prom date of Barbara s. Deon grew up with an alcoholic father who now suffers from Alzheimer s, and this similar familial turmoil, combined with their past romantic history, creates a bond between him and Babara. BEVERLY WESTON male, 60 s-70 s Beverly is the patriarch of the Weston family. He is a former award-winning poet as well as a world class alcoholic. He is quiet, soulful, and self-aware, but also depressed and desperate. It is Bev s disappearance that spurs the family reunion in the play. AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS Auditions will consist of readings from provided sides. Callbacks will consist of cold readings. Sides should not be memorized.

10 Theater Tallahassee 10 SIDE 1 Beverly My wife takes pills and I drink, That s the bargain we ve struck... one of the bargains, just one paragraph of our marriage contract... cruel covenant. She takes pills and I drink. I don t drink because she takes pills. As to whether she takes pills because I drink... I learned long ago not to speak for my wife. The reasons why we partake are anymore inconsequential. The facts are: my wife takes pills and I drink, and these facts have over time made burdensome the maintenance of traditional American routine: paying of bills, purchase of goods, cleaning of clothes or carpets or crappers. Rather than once more assume the mantle of guilt... vow abstinence with my fingers crossed in the queasy hope of righting our ship, I ve chosen to turn my life over to a Higher Power... (Hoists his glass)... and join the ranks of the Hiring Class. Please do not memorize sides

11 Theater Tallahassee 11 SIDE 2 Violet You had better understand this, you smug little ingrate, there is at least one reason Beverly killed himself and that s you. Think there s any way he would ve done what he did if you were still here? No, just him and me, here in this house, in the dark, left to just ourselves, abandoned, wasted lifetimes devoted to your care and comfort. So stick that knife of judgment in me, go ahead, but make no mistake, his blood is just as much on your hands as it is on mine. He did this, though; this was his doing, not ours. Can you imagine anything more cruel, to make me responsible? And why, just to weaken me, just to make me prove my character? So no, I waited, I waited so I could get my hands on that safety deposit box, but I would have waited anyway. You want to show who s stronger, Bev? Nobody is stronger than me, goddamn it. When nothing is left, when everything is gone and disappeared, I ll be here. Who s stronger now, you son-of-a-bitch?! Please do not memorize sides

12 Theater Tallahassee 12 SIDE 3 Barbara The day of the prom, his father got drunk and stole his car. Stole his own son s car and went somewhere. Mexico. Deon showed up at the door, wearing this awful tuxedo. He d been crying, I could tell, And he confessed he didn t have a way to take me to the prom. I just felt awful for him, so I told him we d walk. About three miles, I busted a heel and we both got so sweaty and dirty. We gave up... got a six-pack and broke into the chapel, stayed up all night talking and kissing. And now he s here telling me.., oh, it s just surreal. Thank God we can t tell the future. We d never get out of bed. (She fixes Jean with a look.) Listen to me: die after me, all right? I don t care what else you do, where you go, how you screw up your life, just... survive. Outlive me, please. Please do not memorize sides

13 Theater Tallahassee 13 SIDE 4 Jean He s fucking one of his students which is pretty uncool, if you ask me. Some people would think that s cool, like those dicks who teach with him in the Humanities Department because they re all fucking their students or wish they were fucking their students. Lo-liii-ta. I mean, I don t care and all, he can fuck whoever he wants and he s a teacher and that s who teachers meet, students. He was just a turd the way he went about it and didn t give Mom a chance to respond or anything, What sucks now is that Mom s watching me like a hawk, like, she s afraid I ll have some post-divorce freak-out and become some heroin addict or shoot everybody at school. Or God forbid, lose my virginity, I don t know what it is about Dad splitting that put Mom on hymen patrol. Do you have a boyfriend? Please do not memorize sides

14 Theater Tallahassee 14 SIDE 5 Charlie (Mattie Fae) CHARLIE: You kids go outside. (Ivy and Little Charles exit the house. Barbara, who had started to enter during the previous exchange, stops short, unseen by Charlie or Mattie Fae.) I don t understand this meanness. I look at you and your sister and the way you talk to people and I don t understand it. I just can t understand why folks can t be respectful of one another. I don t think there s any excuse for it. My family didn t treat each other that way. MATTIE FAE: Well maybe that s because your family is a CHARLIE: You had better not say anything about my family right now. I mean it. We buried a man today I loved very much. And whatever faults he may have had, he was a good, kind, decent person. And to hear you tear into your own son on a day like today dishonors Beverly s memory. We ve been married for thirtyeight years. I wouldn t trade them for anything. But if you can t find a generous place in your heart for your own son, we re not going to make it to thirty-nine. Please do not memorize sides

15 Theater Tallahassee 15 SIDE 6 Karen You better find out from Jean just exactly what went on in there before you start pointing fingers, that s all I m saying. Cause I doubt Jean s exactly blameless in all this. And I m not blaming her. Just because I said she s not blameless, that doesn t mean I ve blamed her, I m saying she might share in the responsibility. You understand me? I know Steve should know better than Jean, that she s only fourteen. My point is, it s not cut and dried, black and white, good and bad. It lives where everything lives: somewhere in the middle. Where everything lives, where all the rest of us live, everyone but you. Please do not memorize sides

16 Theater Tallahassee 16 SIDE 7 Bill (Barbara) BILL: (Reads from the book): Dedicated to my Violet! That s nice. Christ... I can t imagine the kind of pressure he must ve felt after this came out. Probably every word he wrote after this, he had to be thinking, What are they going to say about this? Are they going to compare it to Meadowlark? BARBARA: Did Jean go to bed? BILL: She just turned out the light. You would think, though, at some point, you just say, To hell with this, and you write something anyway and who cares what they say about it. I mean I don t know, myself Please do not memorize sides

17 Theater Tallahassee 17 SIDE 8 Mattie Fae I wasn t drunk, no, Maybe it s hard for you to believe, looking at me, knowing me the way you do, all these years. I know to you, I m just your old fat Aunt Mattie Fae, But I m more than that, sweetheart... there s more to me than that. Charlie s right, of course. As usual. I don t know why Little Charles is such a disappointment to me: Maybe he... well, I don t know why. I guess I m disappointed for him, more than anything. I made a mistake, a long time ago. Well, okay. Fair enough. I ve paid for it. But the mistake ends here. Please do not memorize sides

18 CREDITS AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Written by TRACY LETTS Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Director: Jimmy Kontos Stage Manager: Kafui Ablordeppey THE THEATRE Theatre Tallahassee 1861 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, Florida Box Office: Admin: Theatre Tallahassee.org Facebook.com/TheatreTallahassee Twitter.com/TheatreTLH 18

19 AUDITION FORM Please fill out this form and bring it with you to auditions Name: Auditioning for the following roles: Will you accept another role, if offered: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Age: Height: Hair Color: I prefer to be contacted via: (check all that apply) o phone call o text message o Schedule Conflicts: (please list ALL schedule conflicts: vacations, weddings, school, work, etc.) Previous Experience: (you may attach a resume instead) Other Skills (Education, Accents, Juggling, etc) If not cast, would you be willing to assist backstage? o Yes o No How did you hear about these auditions? 19