AUDITION INFORMATION ALMOST, MAINE Written by John Cariani Directed by Matthew Watson Audition Dates: Aug 5 & 6, 2018 Performance Dates: Sept 27-Oct 14, 2018
CONTENTS AUDITION PACKET 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 CREDITS 10 AUDITION FORM 11 2
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
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! STUDIO SEASON SHOWS This production is part of Theatre Tallahassee s Studio season. If you ve never performed in our Studio Theatre before, here s a quick list of what you should know. Studio productions are performed in our smaller, black-box theatre, which seats anywhere from 80-100 people (depending on stage layout). 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
Theater Tallahassee 5 THE PLAY Almost, Maine is for romantics, not sentimentalists - John Cariani Almost, Maine is a show that s a little hard to describe. It s an incredibly sweet romance that s also melancholy and a little heartbreaking. It s a snapshot of life in the fictional town of Almost, Maine on one weird, slightly surreal, moonless Friday night at 9:00. It s told in 9 separate, loosely related vignettes of different people all across the town in different stages of love, heartbreak, and everything in between. It s a unique story and we re hopefully going to be doing some things in The Studio space that have never been done before. The cast can range from three people to nineteen and in some instances will effect which scenes in the script we do and which get cut. It s an all together different sort of show than we ve done recently and I m so very excited to see what we grow it into. ABOUT THE DIRECTOR MATT WATSON Matthew Watson is thrilled to be returning to The Studio at Theatre Tallahassee for the first time since making his directorial debut with Red in 2015. Matt is a Tallahassee native who s previous directing credits include The Crucible, A Streetcar Named Desire, and It s Only a Play. He is incredibly excited for the new challenges and opportunities Almost, Maine is going to provide and can t wait to see this beautiful show up on it s feet. DANIEL GRAY (Assistant Director) Daniel Gray is honored to be making his debut as an Assistant Director with Theatre Tallahassee. He has performed in many stage productions over the last several years, last appearing as Alfred P. Doolittle in QMT s My Fair Lady. Other notable roles include Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, Mark Rothko in Red and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. He is looking forward to the new challenges ahead of him with this beautiful show.
Theater Tallahassee 6 DATES actors must be able to commit to all performance dates & tech/dress rehearsals. OTHER AUDITIONS Sun, Aug 5 & Mon, Aug 6, at 7pm Call Backs Tues, Aug 7 at 7pm By director invitation only. REHEARSAL PERIOD Aug 8 - Sept 26 7-10pm, Mon-Fri NOTE: See calendar for potential rehearsal dates. Subject to change after casting. Tech Week Sept 19-21 Crew integration, cue-to-cue, tech rehearsals. Please try to avoid schedule conflicts during this week Dress Rehearsals Sept 24-26 required attendance PERFORMANCES Sep 27-30 Oct 5-7 Oct 12-14 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 Oct 4 & Oct 11 Held at director & stage manager s discretion. Keep dates open for potential rehearsals or benefit shows. Closing & Strike Oct 14 Cast & Crew are required to participate in show strike. Please keep this evening free of conflicts. AUGUST S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 SEPTEMBER S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 OCTOBER S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Theater Tallahassee 7 CHARACTERS Prologue/Interlogue/Epilogue PETE - Male, Mid 20s - Early 30s. Young man with his eyes on the stars. Genuinely loves Ginette but can t keep his head in the here and now. GINETTE - Female, Mid 20s-Early 30s. Pete s girlfriend. Ready to take the next big step in their relationship, but isn t sure if Pete can focus on her long enough to take it with her. Her Heart EAST - Male, Late 20s-Mid 50s. Local repairman who is woken up in the middle of the night to find a strange and enchanting woman in his yard. GLORY -Female, Late 20s- Mid 50s. A hiker who traveled to Almost to see the Northern lights as a way of saying goodbye to a past love and mending her (possibly quite literal) broken heart. Sad and Glad JIMMY - Male, Late 20s - Late 30s. A successful owner of a heating and air business who runs into his ex, whom he is far from over, at a bar. SANDRINE - Female, Late 20s-late 30s. Has long since moved on from Jimmy and is desperate to move on from this conversation. WAITRESS - Female, Any Age. Just wants to get done with her shift This Hurts MARVALYN - Female, Mid 20s -Late 40s. A woman who knows how to take care of herself. Doing laundry as a temporary escape from her boyfriend. STEVE - Male, Mid 20s - Late 30s. A man who s had his brother looking out for him his whole life. Has to keep a notebook reminding him of things to be scared of and things that can hurt you. Getting it Back GAYLE - Female, Late 20s-Late 40s. Longtime girlfriend of Lendall who has had enough waiting and wants back what she s put into this relationship.
Theater Tallahassee 8 CHARACTERS LENDALL - Male, Late 20s-Late 40s. Longtime boyfriend of Gayle. Clueless that she was growing unhappy and has just the worst sense of timing in the world. They Fell (Male Version) * CHAD - Male- Mid 20s-Mid 30s. Country boy lamenting his run of bad dates with his best friend Randy. Realizes what he s been looking for all this time has been closer than he thought. RANDY - Male - Mid 20s-Mid 30s. Country boy lamenting his run of bad dates with his best friend Chad. Very surprised and uncomfortable with Chad s revelations, though maybe not for the reasons he thinks. They Fell (Female Version)* SHELLY - Female- Mid 20s-Mid 30s. Country girl lamenting her run of bad dates with her best friend Deena. Realizes what she s been looking for all this time has been closer than she thought. DEENA - Female - Mid 20s-Mid 30s. Country girl lamenting her run of bad dates with her best friend Shelly. Very surprised and uncomfortable with Shelly s revelations, though maybe not for the reasons she thinks. *Only one version of this scene will be performed. That decision will be made based on casting. Where it Went PHIL -Male - Early 30s-Mid 50s. Hard working father and husband. Unwaivering focus on providing for his family but this has caused his attention to other parts of his life to slip. MARCI - Female - Early 30s-Mid 50s. Hard working wife and mother. Tries to be understanding and supportive of her husband but her patience is running thin on the things he s neglecting at home.
Theater Tallahassee 9 CHARACTERS A Story of Hope HOPE - Female - Mid 30s - Early 50s. A woman returning to her home town to answer a question she left hanging a long time ago, only to find things aren t as she left them. DANIEL - Male - Mid 30s- Early 50s. A man who asked a question a long time ago that was never answered. When it appears he may finally get an answer, both parties come to understand that the time has long since passed. Seeing the Thing RHONDA - Female - Late 20s to Mid 40s. Tough woman. Was a tom boy growing up. Has never felt welcome in any romantic situation so is very uncomfortable when she finds herself in one. DAVE - Male, Late 20s to Mid 40s. A not so tough man. Loves Rhonda and thinks he s finally found the perfect way to show her tonight. AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS For these auditions, actors should prepare two contrasting monologues that should total out to no more than three minutes between the two. The monologues do not necessarily have to be comedic and dramatic or classical and contemporary, but because of the potential of actors playing multiple roles it is recommended that you find two pieces that best show your full range as an actor. If you need help finding pieces a good online resource is https://www.backstage.com/monologues/ It is strongly recommended that if you are performing a monologue you have read the script the piece comes from to fully grasp the context of your performance.
CREDITS ALMOST, MAINE Written by John Cariani Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Director: Matthew Watson Assistant Director: Daniel Gray Stage Manager: Connor Mock THE THEATRE Theatre Tallahassee 1861 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, Florida 32303 Box Office: 850-224-8474 Admin: 850-224-4597 Theatre Tallahassee.org Facebook.com/TheatreTallahassee Twitter.com/TheatreTLH 10
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: Email: 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 email 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? 11