Upcoming Auditions for Shows at Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre:

AUDITION DETAILS

Auditions for Pride and Prejudice & Arsenic and Old Lace
at Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre

Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 10:00am in 2nd Space Theatre
at 928 E Olive Ave, Fresno, CA

(For more information, call Good Company Players’ Business Office at 559-266-0211 or email us at info@gcplayers.com)

 

*PLEASE NOTE: Currently, Good Company Players requires that all casts and crews be fully vaccinated and wear masks in rehearsal and backstage. Please bring proof of vaccination and a mask with you to the audition.*

 

Pride and Prejudice

by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen

 Rehearsals Begin May 8, 2023              Performs June 23 – August 6, 2023

Director: J. Daniel Herring

Outspoken Lizzy Bennet vows never to marry, despite mounting societal pressure. But can she truly resist love when the very handsome, mildly amusing, and impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy pops up at every turn? And will either of them swallow their pride and see past their initial prejudices? And will Lizzy and Jane’s family doom their romances before they even start? Rated PG.

This production was originally written for 8 actors, with most of the actors doubling parts. The original casting plan is listed here. Other doubling schemes are possible, and it is also possible not to double roles at all. The actors playing Lizzy and Darcy will not double.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

ACTOR 1 (female):

JANE: Late 20s-early 30s. The eldest and most beautiful Bennet daughter. Kind, idealistic, reserved. Always tries to do the right thing.

MISS de BOURGH: Lady Catherine’s daughter; a gremlin. Probably allergic to the sun. Wears veils.

 

ACTOR 2 (female):

LIZZY: A year or two younger than Jane. Clever, spirited, highly intelligent with a wonderful sense of humor. Can be sharp-tongued. Gets flustered, which can make her klutzy. Not as beautiful as Jane. Prides herself on her good judgment. Afraid of marriage, after observing the dysfunction of her parents’ relationship. The actor playing Lizzy must not double roles.

 

ACTOR 3 (female):

LYDIA: The youngest of the Bennet daughters. Lively, flirtatious, thoughtless, self-centered. Prone to imitating others’ behavior and eavesdropping

LADY CATHERINE: Patrician Caesar meets drill sergeant.

 

ACTOR 4 (male):

MR. DARCY: Late 20s-40s. One of the richest men in England. Too proper for his own good. Awkward in most social contexts. Prides himself on self-control and good judgment. This actor does not play double roles.

 

ACTOR 5 (male):

MR. COLLINS: A pedantic, obtuse man. The original mansplainer. Rector to Lady Catherine.

WICKHAM: An unfairly handsome and charming gentleman. Probably a sociopath. Raised with Darcy.

MISS BINGLEY: A very rich, very beautiful young woman. Fancies herself witty. (May be played by a male or female actor)

 

ACTOR 6 (male or female):

MR BINGLEY: Late 20s-40s. Loves the world and the world loves him. Mr. Darcy’s particular friend. Almost literally a dog.

MARY: The third Bennet daughter. Violent and dark undertones. Prone to pedanticism and sulking. A dark goth Brontë character trapped in an Austen world. Coughs to get attention or to make a point. May fancy that she is dying.

 

ACTOR 7 (male or female):

CHARLOTTE LUCAS: A friend of Lizzy’s. Around the same age. A practical girl with a good sense of humor.

MR. BENNET: The patriarch of the Bennet family. Finds amusement in absurdity. Often looks for respectable escape from the chaos of family life. Can be somewhat apathetic; probably a bit depressed underneath it all. Enjoys antagonizing. Disappointed in marriage.

 

ACTOR 8 (male or female)

MRS. BENNET: The matriarch of the Bennet family. A silly woman of mean understanding and variable temper. A hypochondriac when she’s upset; she fancies she’s dying. Main goal in life is to get her daughters married. She traumatizes her family regularly.

SERVANTS

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Arsenic and Old Lace

 Rehearsals Begin July 3, 2023              Performs August 18 – October 8, 2023

Director: Denise Graziani

Two elderly sisters are famous in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity. Unfortunately, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home, looking for lodging. The two women are assisted in their crimes by their mentally-challenged nephew who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt and who frequently blasts a bugle and yells “charge” as he bounds up the stairs. Matters get complicated when a second nephew, a theater critic, discovers the murders and a third nephew appears after having just escaped from a mental institution. In this adroit mixture of comedy and mayhem, Joseph Kesselring satirizes the charitable impulse while poking fun at the conventions of the theater. Rated PG.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

ABBY BREWSTER:  A darling lady, and the very model of Victorian charm and grace, who poisons elderly gentlemen with her sister as an act of charity. She and her sister Martha seem to be the absolute embodiment of the values and polite society of a bygone age. Abby is more dominant, and a bit older than Martha. Both ladies are happy, healthy, lucid, and spry. The aunt to Teddy, Jonathan, and Mortimer.

MARTHA BREWSTER:  Very sweet, and more submissive than Abby, Martha still is a strong woman. She and her sister have lived together for many, many years. Their personalities and pecking order around each other have been firmly rooted for eons. Always wears a high collar. The aunt to Teddy, Jonathan, and Mortimer.

ELAINE HARPER:  Daughter of Rev. Dr. Harper, and Mortimer’s fiancée. She is surprisingly wise in the ways of the world for a minister’s daughter. She is a little bit wily, sassy, and absolutely sharp (Actor seeking this role will need to show genuine zest and spunk. She will also need to display a wonderful sense of versatility.) We witness Elaine progress from casual happiness, to utter bliss, to twisted confusion, to stark fear, to godsend relief, and back to casual happiness again.

MORTIMER BREWSTER:  Nephew of Abby and Martha, brother to both Teddy and Jonathan Brewster. Very likable. Mortimer is a drama critic who is in love with, and engaged to Elaine Harper. A good-hearted cynic who is about to have his world turned upside down.  Role requires physical comedy, perfection of timing, likability in presence.

TEDDY BREWSTER: Very likable, kindhearted brother to Mortimer and Jonathan, nephew of Abby and Martha Brewster, Teddy is a man who believes that he is the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

JONATHAN BREWSTER:  Nephew of Abby and Martha Brewster, brother to Teddy and Mortimer. Jonathan is a psychopath who has numerous murders to his credit and no scruples whatsoever. He is creepy. Jonathan is a killer who loves his business and he’s got an unbelievably short temper.

DR EINSTEIN:  A German plastic surgeon, with an accent to prove it. Right hand to Jonathan, Dr. Einstein is mousey and submissive. 

REVEREND DR HARPER:  Elaine Harper’s father. Polished, refined, with a mild-mannered sensitivity towards others. He is not in favor of Mortimer and Elaine’s relationship.

OFFICER BROPHY:  A thoroughly likable sort of fellow. He is making his rounds ,collecting Christmas toys for the needy.

OFFICER KLEIN:  A flatfoot Brooklyn officer who makes his rounds with Officer Brophy collecting Christmas toys.

OFFICER O’HARA:  Full of life, good natured and played big. He is on very good terms with the Aunts. O’Hara is a would-be playwright, and needs to plainly display the nagging, persistent drive that’s kindled within him once he discovers that Mortimer is a famous dramatic critic. Well intentioned, O’Hara really doesn’t mean to come across as annoying as he does.

MR GIBBS:  An elderly gentleman who wishes to rent a room from the Brewster sisters; and nearly falls victim to the sisters “charity”. He is a little gruff, but he warms up fairly quickly upon being offered a treat he hasn’t had since he was a child.

LIEUTENANT ROONEY:  The man in charge at the local police precinct. He is loud, decisive, and clearly in-charge of every situation in which he finds himself.

MR WITHERSPOON:  The superintendent of Happy Dale Sanitarium. Very mild mannered and kind.