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13th Annual Festival of Shorts
Audition Dates
Saturday, May 11, 2024: 10:30am-3:00pm
Monday, May 13, 2024: 6:30pm-9:30pm
Callbacks (by invitation only)
Each short will have a 45-minute time slot designated during one of the following times/days. You may be called for multiple callbacks.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024: 7:00pm-10:00pm (Shorts #1, 5, 7, & 8)
Thursday, May 16, 2024: 7:00pm-10:00pm (Shorts #2, 3, 4 & 6)
Audition & Callback Location
Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds
Rehearsal Dates
May 21, 2024: Kick Off Event - 7:00pm
May 22-June 18, 2024: A total of 12 hours of regular rehearsal will be scheduled for each play during this time frame, with tech time starting June 19. Rehearsals will be 1.5 hours, twice per week. Please see the detailed schedule linked
HERE and take your conflicts into account, as we will not be able to change days/times due to space use.
All the following days are REQUIRED for the Act you are cast in:
Rehearsal Location
Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds OR Wade James Theatre located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds
Performance Dates
June 27-30, 2024, for a total of 5 performances (Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm; Saturday, Sunday at 2pm). Call times will be no more than 1.5 hours prior to curtain.
Performance Location
This production plays at The Wade James Theatre, home of Edmonds Driftwood Players, located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds (Free lot & street parking)
Volunteer Stipend
This festival is a completely volunteer-based production and there are no stipends offered to actors at this time. The cast and crew will each receive two comp tickets as well as a Friends & Family discount to share and use on additional ticket purchases. Edmonds Driftwood Players is not associated with Actors’ Equity Association and does not participate in union contracts.
Show Synopsis
Join us for our 13th Annual Festival of Shorts! The theme for 2024 is “Silver Linings: a consoling or hopeful prospect”. Each performance includes eight short plays that include multiple directors and casts. Come be a part of our annual festival where the audience gets to vote for their favorite short from among the eight finalists.
The final scripts were chosen by volunteer reader groups who were given blind copies for rating. We typically receive submissions from around the globe! The shorts must not have been produced for an audience previously and follow the guidelines provided for the competition. Past winners have later been developed into full-length award-winning plays!
After the closing performance, we will announce the following playwright awards:
Audition Requirement
Casting
We are casting a maximum of 22 actors (actors are limited to participating in two shorts each): 11 male-presenting roles, 10 female-presenting roles, and 1 role any presentation. Actors of all ethnicities, gender, identity, and ability are encouraged to audition. Any gender identities listed are referring to the characters in the play and the pronouns used in the script.
Copies of the scripts will be available for you to review on-site at auditions and callbacks. Please plan accordingly if you’d like to read any before/after your scheduled time. We will not be distributing them digitally.
Act I/Show #1: Finding Mother Courage, directed by Bailey Dobbins
Veteran actress Katherine is looking forward to auditioning for the title role in an upcoming production of Mother Courage and her Children. It is the one role that has eluded her long career in the Theatre. Katherine's enthusiasm dampens, however, when she must deal with the Assistant Director from hell who is running the auditions. The question then becomes... how far will Katherine go to get the part? With an eye towards humor and an ending you won't expect, the play takes a poke at sexism, ageism, and identity.
Act I/Show #2: The Real Thing, directed by Bethany Arneson
Ellen doesn’t have a lot to show for her thirty-five years on this earth: she is neither a prima ballerina nor a famous detective; she doesn’t have a black stallion, a husband, or much in the way of prospects. What she does have is a very resourceful (albeit imaginary) friend who’s putting in one final appearance to shake things up for two very ordinary, very nice, very real people.
Act I/Show #3: The World Needs More Trees, directed by Jenny Boyle Penney
When Rachel's brother Brandon dies from a drug overdose, will a spectral visit provide an opportunity to say what's been left unsaid?
Act I/Show #4: First Impressions, directed by Thomas A Glass
Amanda attempts to rely on her two roommates to help her prepare for a job interview that same day. They do try to help, technically.
Act II/Show #5: The Bench, directed by Henry S Brown Jr.
Two social isolates unexpectedly discover that a specific bench in the park has great importance to each of them. The problem? Both require full occupation of that bench on a specific day and time. This specific day and time. And no one is budging. The resolution? Unexpected and extraordinary.
Act II/Show #6: A Much Better Deal, directed by Vicki Wicks
In a rural diner with a snowstorm approaching, A Much Better Deal is a story of how one teenager struggles to make peace with the loss of his war hero father and trying to accept a new man in his mother's life, while another young man thinks crime may be the way to support his young family. The intersection of these two different paths leads to an unexpected outcome for both young men.
Act II/Show #7: Horseshoe, directed by Paul Fleming
Dad wants Joe to take over the ranch. Joe has another dream.
Act II/Show #8: Lemonade, directed by Diane Jamieson
Old age may bring with it certain indignities, but Vera has discovered one bonus feature. She’d like to share the benefits of this discovery with her old friend Charlotte, but she’s meeting with some resistance.
To reserve your audition time: Click on the “Audition Survey” button and you will be taken to a Google Survey so that we can collect your contact information, conflicts, and the roles you are interested in. Be sure to double check that your email is entered correctly so we can reach you for callbacks. At the end of the survey there will be a link to select your audition time.
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