Kentwood Players announces auditions for Oscar Wilde's immortal classic "The Importance of Being Earnest" on Saturday, March 13 from 11am to 4pm, and Sunday, March 14 from 6-9pm at the Westchester Playhouse located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester. The production is directed by Drew Fitzsimmons and produced by Jim Crawford and Alison Mattiza. Performance dates are May 7 to June 12, 2010 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM.
The play's humor derives in part from the characters maintaining fictitious identities to escape unwelcome social obligations. Jack Worthing has invented a brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave his humdrum country life behind to visit the ravishing Gwendolen, cousin of his best friend Algernon Montcrieff. But Algernon, who also knows Jack as Ernest, catches on all too quickly that Jack earnestly isn't Ernest. So Algernon decides to take the name Ernest when he visits the Worthing country manor where he meets Jack's ward, the sweet and lovely Cecily who has spent so much time worrying about her poor caregiver's wretched brother Ernest that she's grown rather fond of the man she hasn't met - until now.
Of course one must remember that an unexpected visit should never be a solo event, so along comes Lady Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolen just as things are starting to boil. And the result couldn't be more catastrophically delicious! What will poor Jack do? What hasn't Algernon done? What will Gwendolen and Cecily think? Will Cecily's strict but kind governess Miss Prism ever be able to make sense of her feelings for the tortured man-of-the-cloth Canon Chasuble? And can the Grand Dame of them all, Lady Bracknell, stand one more minute of such foolishness? We'll see, shall we?
The Kentwood Players production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" will be set in the 1950's with standard British accents required. The director requests that you be familiar with the characters and prepare a monologue from the play, or be prepared to read a monologue from sides. Please bring a headshot, resume, and your appointment calendar with you to the auditions. Advance appointments are not necessary. Please note that since this is a fast-paced farce, actors will be required to be off-book after the third week of rehearsals.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
Jack Worthing - (Male, 25-32) - Fun-loving young bachelor, bogged down by moral responsibility.
Algernon Montcrieff - (Male, 22-30) - A young rake who works very hard at doing absolutely nothing.
Rev. Canon Chasuble - (Male, 40-50) - A moral man struggling with his immoral feelings for Miss Prism.
Merriman - (Male, 45-60) - A butler at the Worthing manor, deadpan, knows all, sees all, says nothing.
Moulton - (Male, 50-70) -A gardener at Worthing manor, Yorkshire or Cockney accent, hearing impaired.
Lane - (Male, 45-60) - Algernon's manservant, deadpan, knows all, sees all, says nothing.
Gribsby - (Male, 40-50) - A solicitor sent to find Earnest, a sharp-witted man of tact who has an answer for everything.
Lady Bracknell - (Female, 45-60) - Strong, traditional woman, ruler of all she sees. Role is open to either a female or male actor. Director is not looking for a female impersonator, but a man who can play a real woman - class not camp.
Gwendolen Fairfax - (Female, 20-25) - A beautiful young woman who is consciously trying not to become her mother, but subconsciously failing. Desperately in love with Jack/Earnest.
Cecily Cardew - (Female, 18-20) - Jack's young ward, a hopeless romantic but oddly intuitive. Desperately in love with Algernon/Earnest.
Miss Prism - (Female, 30-45) - Cecily's governess, strict but kind in matters of the heart, especially when it comes to Rev. Chasuble.
For more information on current and future Kentwood Players productions, auditions, and our Kentwood Kids Children's Theatre Classes, please visit the Kentwood Players website at www.kentwoodplayers.org. And you can also sign up and be a Kentwood Players friend on Facebook and My Space.
To meet "The Importance of Being Earnest" production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend our general membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:00 PM at the Westchester Playhouse located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north of Manchester at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
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