Open Auditions for The Hallelujah Girls

graphicTHE HALLELUJAH GIRLS

Written by Jessie Jones * Nicholas Hope * Jamie Wooten

Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 2 p.m.

Monday, December 5, 2016 at 6 p.m.

Wabeno Town Hall, 4473 N. Branch St., Wabeno.

General Audition Guidelines:

Auditions are open to everyone.

No appointments are necessary; auditions are conducted on a first-come, first served basis.

You need only attend one audition date. You will be notified if your presence is required at a call-back audition.

Auditioners will be asked to read from the play.

This is a Southern comedy and although accents will be used, we invite you to tread lightly in audition. In particular, we do not want to offer up a parody of these Southern characters and instead portray them as real women and men telling their story. The writing lends itself naturally to a “Southern accent,” so don’t worry, there’s no need to overdo it. As the writers of the play say it: “The characters that populate Eden Falls, GA should be portrayed as real people, not Southern caricatures.”

Please review CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS below and the REHEARSAL SCHEDULE. Bring any conflicts to note on your audition form.  Any Questions? Please contact us at (715) 889-1606 or email: wabenoareaplayers@gmail.com.

Rehearsal Schedule:

Please arrive with a calendar containing all possible conflicts for dates between January 2, 2017 and February 20, 2017. Rehearsals begin in earnest on January 2nd.

Current rehearsal schedule*:

January 2, 6:00pm Read-Thru

January 3-5, 6:00pm

January 8, 2:00pm

January 9-12, 6:00pm

January 16-19, 6:00pm

January 23-26, 6:00pm

January 29, 2:00pm

January 30 & 31, 6:00pm

February 1 & 2, 6:00pm

February 5, 12:00pm

February 6 & 7, 6:00pm

February 8, 6:00pm Dress Rehearsal

February 9-11, 7:00pm Performance

February 12, 2:00pm Performance

February 15, 6:00pm Rehearsal (TENTATIVE)

February 17, Afternoon Rehearsal (TENTATIVE)

February 18, Performance (TENTATIVE)

*subject to change – after casting, final rehearsal schedule will be made.

Synopsis:  Hilarity abounds when the feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia, decide to shake up their lives. The action in this rollicking Southern comedy takes place in SPA-DEE-DAH!, the abandoned church-turned day spa where this group of friends gathers every Friday afternoon. After the loss of a dear friend, the women realize time is precious and if they’re going to change their lives and achieve their dreams they have to get on it now. But Sugar Lee, their high-spirited, determined leader, has her hands full keeping the women motivated. Carlene’s given up on romance, having buried three husbands. Nita’s a nervous wreck from running interference between her problematic son and his probation officer. Mavis’ marriage is so stagnant she’s wondering how she can fake her own death to get out of it. And sweet, simple Crystal entertains them all, singing Christmas carols with her own, hilarious lyrics. The comic tension mounts when a sexy, ex-boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, a marriage proposal comes from an unlikely suitor and Sugar Lee’s arch rival, Bunny, vows she’ll stop at nothing to steal the spa away from her. By the time the women rally together to overcome these obstacles and launch their new, improved lives, you’ve got a side-splitting, joyful comedy that will make you laugh out loud and shout “Hallelujah!”

Auditions will consist of readings from the script.

Character Descriptions:

CARLENE TRAVIS: (30’s to 60’s) A no-nonsense gal with dry wit. Married three times, Carlene says she’s been branded the “Black Widow of Eden Falls, GA” and that her “romantic life is history.” She’s convinced by Sugar Lee to take a chance on Porter. Carlene is Crystal’s sister.

NITA MOONEY: (30’s to 60’s) A very sweet, simple country woman. Nita works for the county, but really lives vicariously through romance novels and their storylines (which she has memorized.) She has a freeloading, lawbreaking son. Nita is a glass MORE than half full kind of person.

MAVIS FLOWERS: (30’s to 60’s) Has been married over forty years to a husband who is oblivious to her and anything else he is not personally interested in. A kind-hearted woman that longs for more romance and attention in her marriage.

CRYSTAL HART: (30’s to 60’s) Daffy and loveable. Very creative, extroverted, and undaunted. Crystal regularly dresses in costume and sings her own lyrics to popular Christmas songs. Crystal is Carlene’s sister. Actress playing this role must be able to sing confidently, but not necessarily perfectly. (simple piano playing a plus but not a prerequisite)

SUGAR LEE THOMPKINS: (30’s to 60’s) The ideal of a Southern woman. Dramatically attired in an explosion of color, Sugar Lee is vivacious, strong, and smart. It is her idea to turn the old church into a day spa – as she says, “a place where women can come and shed their worries, refocus their lives, and walk out feeling like they’re on top of the world.” Sugar Lee doesn’t comprehend that her past may be the one obstacle that she cannot overcome to save her small business, but when she realizes it, she leans on her long-time friends and allows her past to heal her future.

BUNNY SUTHERLAND: (30’s to 60’s) Upbeat and seemingly pleasant, Bunny wears an ever ready sunny smile all the while being deliciously judgmental and passive aggressive. The self-proclaimed social arbiter of Eden Falls, Bunny feels status is all important. She wants to take the church from Sugar Lee to open a museum in her name, even though the town already has a Bunny Sutherland Tennis Court, Dog Park and Azala Maze.

BOBBY DWAYNE DILLAHUNT: (30’s to 60’s) Unaware of his rugged good looks, Bobby Dwayne has a self-depreciating sense of humor and a charming manner. He dated Sugar Lee in high school and wanted to marry her. Since then, he describes his life as a “couple of failed marriages, couple of failed businesses, and a couple of knee operations.” Bobby Dwayne is now in construction and Sugar Lee reluctantly hires him.

PORTER PADGETT: (30’s to 60’s) A good hearted, gregarious blowhard. Porter doesn’t know when to shut up and tends to talk louder than most people. He really enjoys his own humor and has a big “horsey laugh.” Porter works for the post office and lives with his mother.

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