AUDITION NOTICE
MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION ST.
A COMEDY BY
Tom Dudzick
Miracle on South Division Street
Audition Notice
When: Sunday, November 9, 2014. Registration: 1pm. Auditions begin at 1:30pm.
Where: Farmington Players Barn Theater 32332 W 12 Mile, Farmington Hills
Show Dates: February 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28
Mandatory Rehearsals: Feb 1, 8, 11
Rehearsal Schedule: Begins in earnest after January 1, 2015 although there may be 4 rehearsals scheduled Nov/Dec 2014 to read-through and to block the show. Actors will be expected to have their lines memorized by the start of rehearsals in January.
Director: Sue Rogers Assistant Director: Julia Spina-Kilar
Producer: Phil Hadley Stage Manager: Jill Jones
Questions: Email Sue Rogers : srogers1@hfhs.org
Author’s Notes: Meet the Nowaks of Buffalo, NY. Clara and her three grown kids have always known they were special, ever since the miraculous night in 1942 when the Blessed Mother appeared to Grandpa in his barbershop! Since then, the neighborhood has looked upon the Nowaks' 20-foot commemorative shrine as a beacon of hope and faith amidst the urban rubble. And now daughter Ruth unveils her plan to write and star in a one-woman show about the family miracle so the whole world will know! However, as her plans for theatrical immortality unfold, the entire family's faith is shaken to the very core when a deathbed confession causes the family legend to unravel. The results are heartfelt and hilarious.
Director’s Notes: This play is about divisions: divisions in families (even loving families) divisions between young and old, Catholics and Jews, conservatives and liberals, tolerant and intolerant, etc.
Character Descriptions:
Clara: Late 60’s; very little schooling, she seems to have one foot stuck in the old country; charming old world peasant air about her. She has a somewhat child-like and naïve faith, but make no mistake about it, she is a force to be reckoned with—the family matriarch that despite her genuine sweetness, her grown kids are a little afraid of her. She’s kind-hearted and runs a neighborhood soup kitchen (she may not understand theology or doctrine, but she lives her faith) and as she says, she doesn’t “play fast and loose with the rules.”
Ruth: Aged 30-33-ish. The middle kid, gangly awkward and not the type men throw themselves at; has an appealing positive energy. Ruth is the “theater” type in the family; a budding playwright. She is deeply principled, an independent thinker, and a free spirit. She wants to make her mark on the world and isn’t satisfied with the old church, the old neighborhood, and the old way of doing things. She is a seeker of Truth.
Beverly: Aged 33-35-ish.The oldest sister, pretty much the opposite of Ruth. She is a traditionalist and sees everything in black and white—no shades of grey. She wants an ordered world and is probably a bit out of step with the rest of her generation. Bev wants the husband, kids, picket fence and all that goes with it. She works in a factory so marriage and family hold much greater appeal. Her biological clock is ticking and if she’s not careful her future bubble will burst. She is a somewhat self-centered, judgmental closed minded, conservative Catholic.
Jimmy: Aged 28-31-ish. The baby of the family. Surrounded by women, he still manages to be his own man. To a point. He’s a gear head and enjoys bowling and helping his mom with household fix-it projects. Reliable, affable, kindhearted and more than a bit of a romantic. He’s a garbage man by profession. His biggest struggle is keeping the peace among all the women in his life. He is much more like Ruth than Bev in temperament, but more timid about expressing himself if it might upset someone else in the family.
Audition Sides include (but are not limited to):
PP 12-13 (Ruth and Jimmy); pp 18-9 (Jimmy, Clara, and Ruth); pp 29-30 (all); pp 40-41 (all); pp 54-56 (all)
ABOUT THE FARMINGTON PLAYERS:
You can find the Farmington Players at www.farmingtonplayers.org and also on Facebook (The Farmington Players Barn Theater). The Barn began as an off-shoot of the American Association of University Women. Their first production, The Torchbearers, was performed at a local church. After performing in various city and educational locations, the Farmington Players moved into an old dairy barn located on the site of their present facility on West Twelve Mile Road.
Initially, productions were staged downstairs on a dirt floor. Over the years, improvements to the original Barn transformed it into a more finished space, with the theater itself eventually moving upstairs into a traditional and finished setting.
Since 1953, the Farmington Players have staged more than 199 different musicals, dramas, mysteries and comedies, all as a community theater with 100% volunteer membership.
People from Farmington, Farmington Hills and beyond have come to recognize the group as a true community resource. Since the completion of its state-of-the-art facility in 2003, the Farmington Players Barn Theater has expanded its mission, serving as the site for city-sponsored events such as youth theater camps in the summer, concerts with groups as varied as Blackthorn and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and as a meeting place for various groups.
The Farmington Players have been reinvesting in The Barn over the years to enhance the patrons’ experience. In 2013, partly funded by 50/50 raffle proceeds, the theater installed a new stage floor complete with hydraulics and a trap door.
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