WAM Theatre is holding open auditions by appointment  for Equity and non-Equity performers on Monday, September 13, 2010 for its November production of Sarah Ruh's  ‘Melancholy Play’.

Auditions:

Monday, September 13, 2010

4-10pm (Break from 6:00-6:30)

NEW STAGE Performing Arts Center*

55 North Street, Pittsfield, MA

(Above the new Beacon Cinema)

FYI: Callbacks will be Monday, September 20 from 6-10pm at NEW STAGE.

*The production will take place at NEW STAGE, Nov. 12-21, 2010. Rehearsals will take place in or near Pittsfield, MA.  No housing or transportation can be provided.

Equity performers will be on a Special Appearance, Level 1 contact, pending funding.

Non-Equity performers will be paid a stipend.

Please email your resume and the character you would like to audition for to Kristen at info@wamtheatre.com.

WAM will contact you with sides and an audition time.

A copy of the script is available to read at The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, 1475 Western Avenue,

Albany, NY and at Chapters Book Store, 78 North Street Pittsfield, MA. Please read the script prior to the audition.

The Play:

2 men, Frank (tailor) and Lorenzo (therapist), and 3 women, Frances (hairdresser), Joan (nurse) and Tilly (bank teller), together with Julian (cellist) come together in this whimsical celebration of sadness. Tilly, an irresistibly melancholy young stranger, makes her sorrow so sexy that everyone in her life falls maddeningly in love with her. Tilly's sudden joyful transformation results in a mystical and hilarious quest exploring the happiness of melancholy and the melancholy of happiness. A contemporary farce.

Production Dates:

First full rehearsal: October 25, 2010. Rehearsals will take place on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun (4-8hour time blocks, likely during the day). Opening: Friday, November 12, Closing: Sunday, November 21. (4 shows per weekend, including two shows on Saturdays).

Casting Breakdown: 

Seeking performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds.  All must be able to sing proficiently.

Frank (30’s/early 40’s)-a Tailor. An old-fashioned gentleman, used to be an accountant. Separated from his twin sister Frances at birth.

Tilly (late 20’s/early 30’s)-a bank teller. When she is happy she is happy, when she is sad she is sad. She resides openly and sincerely inside the emotional state, moment to moment.

Frances (30’s/early 40’s)-a hairdresser. Practical yet sensual. Used to be a physicist. Lives with Joan. Separated from her twin brother Frank at birth.

Joan (late 40’s/early 50’s) -a British Nurse. Lives with Frances. Direct. Strong carriage. Sure of everything, until she's not. CAST

Lorenzo (30’s/early 40’s) -a psychiatrist. Has an unidentifiable Italian accent. Handsome. Enjoys being a well for the sorrows of others.  Falls in love with Tilly.

Julian (any age/either gender)-a cello player. Someone from another world. Must be a strong cellist.

Notes on the play:

Melancholy in this play is Bold, Outward, Sassy, Sexy and Unashamed. It is not introverted. It uses, instead the language of Jacobean direct address. However, be sensitive to the moments of delicacy, fragility, and sadness inside of the farce. There is no judgment in the play about happiness being inferior to sadness or sadness being inferior to happiness. The pace is faster then real time. Sense of the iconic. The actors create the transformations that occur in the play.

Thank you. WAM looks forward to hearing from you.