Sauk Announces Scripts, Auditions For Annual PLAYS-IN-DEVELOPMENT

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, has announced plans for their annual "Plays-in-Development."

Started in 2015, "Plays-in-Development" is a unique project to help writers develop their scripts. Actors and directors work one on one with playwrights to learn what works and what does not work about their plays. During rehearsals, the playwrights make changes to their scripts. The project ends with free staged readings for the public. After the readings, the audience gets an opportunity to respond to what they have heard. Therefore, the playwrights end the process with ideas from directors, actors and audience.

"As the program has grown, we are starting to get submission from all over the world," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird, who coordinates the program. "Although we continue to make local playwrights a priority, we have received scripts from almost all 50 states and eight foreign countries. Our play selection committee reviewed all of these submissions and ultimately selected the three scripts we will be working on this year."

The 2021 Plays-in-Development will include staged readings of "Their Great Magic" by Terence Patrick Hughes of Lake Hill, NY at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 25. On Saturday, June 26, staged readings of "Desert Song" by Mark Cornell of Chapel Hill, NC, and "Pre-Existing Condition" by Tiffany Thatcher of Homer, Mich. will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The staged readings will be held at the Sauk Theatre, 240 E. Chicago St., Jonesville. Visit www.thesauk.org for more information including COVID safety protocols.

Auditions for the readings will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 4 and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 5 at the theatre. The production is looking to cast six men and four women. Anyone age 16 and up can audition. No experience is necessary. No memorization is required. Actors will be reading from scripts during the performances. This is a very short rehearsal period (four to six rehearsals total). Rehearsals will begin immediately.
"Plays-in-Development" is sponsored by Gossage Eye Institute and Optical, Playford Real Estate, Country Carpets and Don Toffollo of Edward Jones. The 2021 season is sponsored by Expressions Sports Photography. The 2021 Media Sponsor is WCSR Radio Hillsdale and The Dale 99.5.

"Their Great Magic"

A year ago, acclaimed American novelist, John Irwin, and his wife suffered a terrible car crash near their mountain-top home in Woodstock, NY. He survived, she did not. After months of mourning, insurance litigation, and tabloid harassment, Helen's ghost has returned to constantly haunt John and keep him from writing, sleeping, and staying sober. His daughter, Violet, and her new boyfriend arrive to try and rescue John from his downward spiral, only to be caught up in a wild war of words and wit that reaches far beyond our material world. A comic romp of a ghost story wrapped around a drama about love, death, and family. Tim Ambrose will direct.

"Desert Song"

Desert Song is about a young, struggling musician who seeks out the reclusive muse for one of the most famous love songs ever written, an early seventies tune called "The Ballad of Eliza." It's a song that he has loved all his life. This muse, a woman now in her sixties, has long retreated from public view, and lives as a simple maid. Set in the sparse lodgings at Ghost Ranch, a remote retreat in Northern New Mexico, the play explores the elusive and magical nature of inspiration. Trinity Bird will direct.

"Pre-Existing Condition"

Kate is doing her best to get over her fiancé Jonah, but he is not making it easy. He keeps popping in whenever her guard is down. As the couple tries to make sense of their separation, they quickly realize that their relationship is not at all what it seems.

To post a comment, you must register and login.