Eleemosynary

by Lee Blessing
Directed by Aynn Titchenal
Produced by Kathy Hyland
Stage Manager Kathy Hyland

Production Kickoff: July 31, 2022

Audition: August 07, 2022

Performance Dates

Oct. 21, 22, 28, 29, Nov. 4, & 5, 2022 at 8:00PM
Oct. 30 & Nov. 6, 2022 at 2:00PM

Unless specifically noted, all roles are open to all regardless of race or ethnicity.

  • We will be casting for 3 female actors.
  • All actors must be 18+ years of age and vaccinated against COVID-19.

  • Dorothea – (F 60+) A woman who has chosen to be eccentric.
  • Artemis (Artie) – (F 30 - 40) Dorothea's daughter. Holds an important job as a biochemist. Has an incredible memory.
  • Echo – (F 15 - 17) Artie's daughter. Lives with Dorothea. Is an excellent speller, in addition to having extraordinary intellectual abilities.

TIPS FROM THE DIRECTOR

  • This show is fundamentally a series of conversations and monologues among three women who are related by blood but disconnected in every other aspect of their lives.
  • All three will be on stage most of the time, as there are 7 scenes with blackouts between, but no long periods during which one of the characters is off set. Be prepared for this.
  • This is an emotional story, and, for the most part, it is not aided by props. You will need to be able to adequately suggest the props you are talking about, to be imagined by the audience.
  • Although you will always be the same character, you will be required to portray that character at different ages in her life, from infancy to the present day.
  • You will be called by the director when the casting has been completed, whether or not you have been cast.

The play examines the delicate relationship of three women: a grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to exert her independence through strong willed eccentric behavior, Artie, her daughter, who has run from her overpowering mother, and Echo, Artie's daughter, who is incredibly smart and equally sensitive. After Dorothea (who has raised Echo into her teens) suffers a stroke, Echo is forced to reestablish contact with her mother through extended phone conversations, during which real issues are skirted and the talk is mostly about the precocious Echo's unparalleled success in a national spelling bee. In the end, Artie and Echo come to accept their mutual need and summon the courage to build a life together, despite the terror this holds after so many years of estrangement.

Aynn Kilburger Titchenal is pleased to be directing her first show with Curtain Players. Coming to theatre as a vocation a mere 15 years ago, she cut her directing teeth (after five years of acting) at Bread & Circus Theatre, with Noel Coward's Hay Fever, followed by Same Time Next Year and Agatha Christie's Black Coffee. She has directed The Present Moment and Skin Deep (Theatre Roundtable's Best Play 2014), for Evolution Theatre; and Almost Maine, Good Help Is So Hard to Murder, It's Only a Play, and Dearly Departed for Little Theatre Off Broadway. She is a founding member of AdHoc Productions, for which she has acted in Fourteen and Lemonade, and directed Appearances.

When

  • Production Kickoff: Sunday, July 31, 2022, 6:30 pm
  • Audition: Sunday, August 07, 2022

Where

Script review, auditions, and performances take place at:
Curtain Players Theatre
5691 Harlem Road, Galena, OH 43021

Curtain Players offers an information session for each of its productions as a help for actors seeking roles, but attendance is not required to audition. The event is an opportunity for actors to become acquainted with the community theatre organization, to discuss the play with the director, and to ask questions about the audition process, rehearsal period, and production plans. Those interested in working behind the scenes are also invited to attend.

Curtain Players conducts open auditions for its productions. Roles are not cast in advance, and, unless specified otherwise in the role's description, are open to all without regard to race or ethnicity. Casting decisions are made by the director and a casting committee comprised of a member of the theatre board, a general member of the organization, and individuals of the director's choosing.

Actors are encouraged to come to auditions familiar with the script and ready to read cuttings from the script. Every effort will be made to give actors equal chances to read. Resumes and head shots are helpful but not necessary.

Requests for an early audition for Eleemosynary must be made no later than July 24, 2022.

Questions related to the audition process may be directed to production@curtainplayers.org.

  • All rehearsals will include all cast members. Therefore, it is imperative that you know what conflicts you will have during the entire rehearsal period when you come to auditions. (Yes, life can throw a wrench into plans, but your list of conflicts should be as complete as possible.)
  • There will be a total of 20-24 rehearsals, not including tech week. We will never rehearse on Friday or Saturday; and, unless it is absolutely necessary, we will not rehearse on Wednesdays.
  • Rehearsals will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 pm, call at 6:30; and Sundays from 1-4 pm, call at 12:30, beginning Tuesday, August 23.
  • Plan to come to rehearsals and performances with the intent of having fun. That’s why they call it a "play".

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