This notice was posted on auditionsfree.com
location: San Diego, CA
Category: Theater
Directed by Kristen Fogle & George Bailey
Produced by Jim Clevenger
Audition Dates & Times: July 30 & 31, 2012 from 7:00 – 10:00pm
Audition Location: Patio Playhouse, 201 East Grand Ave, Escondido
Performance Dates: September 7-30, 2012, 8pm on Fri & Sat, 2pm on Sun
COLD READINGS FROM SIDES PROVIDED AT AUDITIONS.
To Sign Up For Auditions: http://www.patioplayhouse.com/wp/3473/auditions-the-effect-of-gamma-rays-yada-yada/#more-3473
Inquiries can be sent to: kristenfogle@hotmail.com
Winner of the PulitzerPrize for Drama
Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award
Winner of the OBie Award for Best American Play
Single mother Beatrice and her two daughters, Ruth and Tillie cope with their abysmal status in life.
As shy Tillie prepares her science fair project she is constantly thwarted by her self-centered and abusive mother Beatrice and her extroverted, unstable and obsequious sister Ruth.
As the play progresses, the paths of the three characters diverge: Tillie wins the science fair through perseverance; Ruth attempts to stand up to her mother but has a nervous collapse and Beatrice ends up wallowing in her own perceived insignificance. Despite this, Tillie secretly continues to believe that everyone is valuable.
CHARACTERS
Matilda “Tillie” Hunsdorfer – The main protagonist of the play. A quiet and introverted character who is teased at school. She copes with her life by immersing herself in science, hoping to reach a philosophical epiphany. Her untiring quest for her individuality stands in open defiance of her mother’s wish for total control over the family. Because of this, she receives the brunt of the abuse. Tillie also owns a rabbit named Peter, given to her by her science teacher, Mr. Goodman. Age Range: 12 – 18 (or looks like a teenager)
Ruth Hunsdorfer – Tillie’s older sister. A brash but confused adolescent, she looks to others for advice, but often gains this insight from Beatrice. Although abused as well, she often bends to her mother’s will, putting her in her favor and sheltering her from the full extent of her abuse. On many occasions, she attempts to make Tillie look like the crazy one, even though she herself underwent psychiatric treatment. She also takes a liking to Tillie’s pet rabbit, to the point where she blackmails Tillie for possession of Peter and threatens to kill her mother is she harms him. There is evidence in the story suggesting that Ruth may have epilepsy. Age Range: 15 – 20 (or looks like a teenager)
Beatrice Hunsdorfer – Tillie’s and Ruth’s mother. A single mother whose life has gone awry. She copes with it through self-loathing, cynicism and drug abuse, and by verbally (and at times physically) abusing her two daughters. As the play’s main antagonist, Beatrice is narcissistic, domineering and lethally short-tempered. However, her plight is sympathetic, as her past reveals a life spiraling steadily downward from serendipitous circumstances, leading her to self-destruction. Age Range: 35 – 50
Nanny – An elderly boarder in the Hunsdorfer household. Silent throughout, she doesn’t contribute much beyond being yet another burden to the already stressed-out Beatrice who verbally abuses her as she does her daughters. Age Range: 60 – 80 (or any age to look elderly)
Janice Vickery – Tillie’s rival at the science fair. Her experiment involved boiling the skin off a dead cat to use its skeleton. She plans to use a dog in her next science fair project. Age Range: 12 – 18 (or looks like a teenager)
Job type: Non Paid
Casting Location: San Diego, CA
Contact email: cageomdgeo@yahoo.com
