The Theatre Gym Announces Auditions for Two Roles in Hal Parrott's DUTY 5/17

Announcing Auditions for the roles of "ROGER MELNICK" and "JANE" in The Theatre Gym's Presentation of a World Première Duty by Hal Parrott

Produced and Directed by Art Suskin

Performances: September 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 2010 at 7:30 pm; September 5, 12, and 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm.

Duty will be presented at Fringe Central, 1730 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64108

This is an event in an ongoing series called THE FAITH IN THE 21ST CENTURY INITIATIVE

Auditions will be BY APPOINMENT ONLY.

Auditions will take place starting at 7:00pm on Monday evening, May 17, 2010.

LOCATION: Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 West 47th Street, Kansas City, MO, MO 64112.

Ample covered parking is available to the west and to the south of the building.

CALL 816-763-0233 for an appointment.

This is a professional production: actors will receive a small stipend.

Audition Preparation:

1. Auditions are by appointment only: call 816-763-0233 to set one up.
2. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, which will be available at the audition.
3. If auditioners wish to present a prepared monologue of 1-2 minutes, the director would like to hear it.
4. All auditioners should come prepared to list all conflicts between June 5 and September 19, 2010.
5. Please be available to stay to read several times.

Information on Rehearsals and Scheduling:

* The first read-through will be from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 5th.
* A second read-through will be from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM on Saturday, June 26th.
* Between June 26th and July 31st we will have a few rehearsals to "workshop" specific scenes.
* A third read-through will be from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 31st.
* The regular rehearsals begin on Sunday, August 1st from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
* After that, the rehearsal week runs from Monday through Sunday with Monday and Saturday off. There are exceptions to this, particularly when we get to production week.
* For those cast, the director and stage manager will do everything possible to maximize the use of your time and avoid calling actors when they are not needed.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE TWO ROLES FOR THE AUDITION:

ROGER MELNICK: 50 to 65 years old, energetic, quick witted, outspoken and not overly attractive. Friend of David and Ellie.

JANE: 22 to 25 years old, attractive, fiancé to Adam.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS OF ROLES THAT ARE ALREADY CAST and who is playing them:

DAVID CRENSHAW...50 to 65 years old, attractive, intelligent, kind and financially successful. Father of Adam, husband of Ellie: This role has been cast and will be played by Allan L. Boardman.

Allan L. Boardman will appear by special arrangement with Actor's Equity Association.

ELLIE CRENSHAW: 50 to 60 years old, attractive, intelligent and opinionated. Mother of Adam, wife of David: This role has been cast and will be played by Kathy Kane

ADAM CRENSHAW: 22 to 25 years old, attractive, fit and polite. Son of David and Ellie: This role has been cast and will be played by Matt Griggs

ALI: 35 to 50 years old. Polite, middle-eastern male. Former terrorist suspect: This role has been cast and will be played by Bradley J. Thomas

RoBert Williams: 40 to 55 year old radio talk show host. Unattractive, loud, insincere: This role has been cast and will be played by Scott Shaw

A SYNOPSIS of DUTY:

DUTY is a two-act play dealing with the role of moral obligation to country, family and self. The play deals with the challenges and consequences of living with commitment to perceived and real duty.

David Crenshaw is a middle-age professional who served as a Marine during the Vietnam War, where he received wounds and medals. He and his wife Ellie are both opposed to their son Adam entering the armed forces. They enlist the aid of Roger Melnick, a friend of David's from his service days, to help dissuade Adam from enlisting.

During these discussions Ellie and David briefly revisit his forgiveness of her infidelity. Points and counterpoints are made about duty to country and duty to politicians.

While Adam is away training, David starts a grass roots peace organization that is dedicated to making friends in the Muslim world. Adam, accompanied by his fiancé Jane, learns of his father's organization while on leave before being deployed to Afghanistan. David's efforts prove newsworthy and he, Roger, and Roger's new Muslim friend Ali are interviewed on a syndicated radio talk show by host RoBert Williams.

The radio session is punctuated by differing opinions about David's peace organization. The program ends with Ali defending the efforts of David and Roger.

After the loss of Adam to combat in Afghanistan and while mourning his death in battle, Ellie accuses David Of culpability in their son's death. The couple disagrees over the concept of obligation. Their argument is colored by Ellie's infidelity and David's sense of loyalty to her.

Unable to deal with her bitterness and grief, Ellie leaves David.

A month later, Ali informs David and Roger that a scholarship in Adam's name has been established at a leading Muslim university. He also asks Roger to speak to a group of Muslims.

After that, David makes his daily pilgrimage to his son's grave. His father, a wounded World War II Marine veteran, is buried next to Adam. The play ends with David, a decorated veteran of Vietnam, alone, speaking from the heart to his dead father, a decorated veteran of World War II and to his dead son, a decorated Marine who fell in Afghanistan. Three generations of Crenshaws have performed their duty to their country and to their families in their own ways. David acknowledges Adam's sacrifice to duty and the necessity of that sacrifice.

 

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