Children Theatre Casting Call for Upcoming Play
Auditions for "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in The Moon Marigolds". Please see the details below. ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE ACCEPTED. About the project: Show Summary: "Frowzy, acid-tongued Beatrice Hunsdorfer, supporting herself and her two daughters by taking in a decrepit old boarder, wreaks a petty vengeance on everybody around her. One daughter, Ruth, is a pretty, but highly strung girl subject to convulsions, while the younger daughter, Matilda ("Tillie"), plain and almost pathologically shy, has an intuitive gift for science. Encouraged by her teacher, Tillie undertakes a gamma ray experiment with marigolds that wins a prize at her school- and also brings on the play's shattering climax. Proud and yet jealous- too filled with her own hurts to accept her daughter's success, Beatrice can only maim when she needs to love and deride when she wants to praise. She is as much a victim of her nature as of the cruel lot that has been hers. And yet, as Tillie's experiment proves, something beautiful and full of promise can emerge from even the most barren, afflicted soil. This is the timeless lesson of the play and the root of its moving power and truth." From Dramatists Play Service Additional info: Auditions will be readings from the script. Audition sides will be emailed to those signed up a few days before the audition date. No materials/monologues need to be prepared prior to auditions. Please plan to stay for the entire audition time. Callbacks, if needed (by invitation only): Tuesday, April 23rd, 6:30pm Show Dates: June 13-15, 20-22, & 27-29 7:30 pm June 23, 2 pm (an additional matinee may be added on June 30th). Please note: The show is rated R for language and depictions of animal violence that happens offstage and is discussed on stage. All minors auditioning need to have a parent acknowledge they understand this. If interested, please apply.
4 roles
Is a bright, sensitive, resilient young girl who loves science. She works with marigold seeds exposed to varying amounts of radiation. This character is in the 7th grade.
Tillie’s prettier, less intelligent, but much cooler older sister. Her extreme fear of death leads to seizures and her temper causes her to lash out at people, but when Tillie’s marigold experiment brings accolades, Ruth is genuinely excited for her sister. This character is in the 10th grade.
An ancient, hearing-impaired woman who is the current “fifty dollar a week corpse” that Beatrice is boarding. She is utterly wrinkled and dried, perhaps a century old. Nanny is a non-speaking role but has a lot of opportunities to provide comedic relief through movement.
Aanother student finalist in the science fair. She appears only in Act II, Scene 2 to deliver an obnoxious monologue about how she skinned a cat and reassembled its bones into a skeleton that she will donate to the science department. This character is in the 7th grade.
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