Tribune staff reports
Auditions for Jackson County Community Theatre’s next two productions, “A Christmas Story” and “Boeing-Boeing,” are scheduled for early October.
All auditions will be at Royal-Off-the-Square Theatre, 121 W. Walnut St., Brownstown.
Those trying out should come prepared with lists of any personal conflicts during the rehearsal period and need to be certain they will be available for the show dates and the final dress rehearsal week, during which no absences will be permitted.
Anyone interested in working backstage also should come to auditions.
‘A Christmas Story’
Auditions for “A Christmas Story” will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 and 12.
The play is an adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s. The humorous story follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas.
Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself.
The elements from the classic motion picture include the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys’ experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; Ralphie’s father winning a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg; and more.
Roles to be cast are Ralph Parker, the adult Ralphie who narrates the play from his childhood memories; the young Ralphie, who should be around the age of 9; Ralphie’s mother and father, approximately age 40; Randy, Ralphie’s little brother, close to Ralphie’s age; Miss Shields, the schoolteacher, who could be between 20 and 80; Ralphie’s friends and classmates Flick, Schwartz, Esther and Helen, who should be about the same age as Ralphie; the bully, Farkas, who is several grades ahead of Ralphie; and the Goldblatt’s Department Store Santa Claus.
Additional extras may be cast in various roles.
Rehearsals will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Oct. 15, and occasional
Saturday mornings as needed. Show dates are Dec. 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12.
Director Darin Richart requests that those auditioning be prepared to give a one-minute comedic monologue of their choosing. There also will be cold readings from the script.
Children who wish to audition will be given a short monologue to read and will read cold from the script. The children’s monologue can be found on the JCCT website, jcct.org. Questions may be addressed to Richart at [email protected].
‘Boeing-Boeing’
Auditions for “Boeing-Boeing,” which will be presented as the annual dinner theater at The Pines Evergreen Room, will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 and 6.
“Boeing-Boeing” is a classic farce written by the French playwright Marc Camoletti, adapted for the American stage by Beverly Cross. An American movie version premiered in 1965, starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis.
Swinging bachelor Bernard is living his fantasy life in a flat in 1960s Paris. He is engaged simultaneously to three gorgeous stewardesses, whose flight schedules assure that none knows about the others. Life, however, becomes complicated when Bernard’s friend, Robert, comes to stay, and a new and speedier Boeing jet throws off all of his careful planning.
Soon, all three stewardesses are in town at the same time, timid Robert is forgetting which lies to tell to whom, and catastrophe looms. The riotous farce recently has enjoyed hit revivals in London and New York.
Parts to be cast include Bernard, a handsome, energetic, charming American living in Paris; Robert, Bernard’s naïve and somewhat dweeby school chum from Wisconsin, men of similar ages, 30 to 50; Berthe, Bernard’s no-nonsense French housekeeper, about 50; and the three stewardesses, Gloria (the cheerleader-type, health-obsessed American), Gretchen (the militant but passionate German) and Gabriella (the sentimental, lusty Italian), ages mid-20s to 30s. Ages are approximate.
All of the women except Gloria will need to speak with accents. Assistance will be provided to cast members in learning the accents, but those trying out for the German and Italian stewardesses and the French housekeeper will benefit by making an effort at the accents during the auditions.
Show dates for “Boeing-Boeing” are Feb. 12, 13, 14, 18, 19 and 20.
Director John Hiester requests that those auditioning come prepared to tell three jokes, one of which is a story. Auditions will be cold readings from the script. Callbacks, if needed, will be Oct. 7.
Information may be found at jcct.org. Questions also may be addressed to John Hiester at [email protected].