From: BlackBox Productions, LLC [mailto:BlackBox_Productions_LLC@mail.vresp.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 4:03 PM
Subject: News From BlackBox Theatre!
AUDITIONS FOR "THE FOREIGNER"
THE FOREIGNER
Audition Notice UPATED
Casting for Charlie, David, and Ellard. See info below.
The Blackbox Theatre of Casa Grande is looking for actors and actresses
between the ages of 18-80 to audition for their upcoming production
of "The Foreigner" written by Larry Shue, and directed by Stacey Seaman.
The Foreigner is a comedic farce about the owners of and visitors at a
fishing lodge in rural Georgia.
For the audition, actors should prepare a 1 minute comedic monologue, and be prepared to read cold from the script. Headshots and resumes' will be accepted, but are not required. All male and female auditioners should be prepared to demonstrate a deep southern accent. Men auditioning for the lead role should be prepared to demonstrate a light British accent as well as improvise a scene in a 'gibberish' language.
Men auditioning for the character of "Froggy" must demonstrate a Cockney
accent. Auditions will be held at the Blackbox Theatre on Saturday, July
23rd starting at 10:00 AM.
Please see below for a complete cast list, tentative rehearsal schedule, and summary of the play. For any other questions, please phone Stacey at 520-560-0160.
The Foreigner Summary
The scene is a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by "Froggy" LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time Froggy has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So Froggy, before departing, tells all assembled that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Once alone the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister's pretty fiancée is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn't understand a word being said. The fact that he DOES understand fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax in which things go uproariously awry.
Character Descriptions
Charlie Baker
• Age range: 30's to mid-50's
• Should be able to speak with an British accent as well as other foreign accents (possibly Slovak or other)
• Should be willing to be fairly physical
Charlie Baker is the "foreigner" of the play's title, an Englishman. Initially, Charlie is extremely shy, dull, and morose as he worries about the apparently imminent death of his philandering wife. A proofreader for an English science fiction magazine, Charlie considers himself "boring" and wonders what it would be like to have a vibrant personality. At the beginning of the play, Charlie is so sad and shy that he doesn't want to speak to anyone. When Froggy introduces him as a "foreigner" who can't speak or understand English however, Charlie reluctantly takes on the role. He gradually discovers his hidden potential: leadership skills, love, and the vibrant personality he has always craved.
Reverend David Marshall Lee
• Age range: late 20's to early 30's
• Should be able to speak with a Southern accent
The Reverend David Marshall Lee is a good-looking man, the fiancé of Catherine, and one of the main villains in the play, along with Owen Musser. Pretending to be concerned about Betty and her struggling business, David secretly attempts to gain control of her lodge so he can turn it into the Tilghman County headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan. David appears to be friendly, sincere, genuinely decent, kind, and patient, and he is quite canny in carrying out his devious plot.
Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur
• Age range: mid 30's to 50's
• Should be able to speak with a heavy British accent
• Confident and sure of himself
Froggy is a demolitions expert from the British Army who brings his friend, Charlie Baker, to Georgia for a three-day weekend. In his annual visits to the United States, Froggy has become good friends with Betty Meeks and is genuinely concerned about her welfare. When Charlie pleads for solitude during his brief stay, Froggy is caught between his loyalties to both Betty and Charlie, so he hatches the plan to pass Charlie off as a "foreigner." Froggy's plan is for Betty to be charmed by the exotic visitor, while Charlie gets his needed peace and quiet. Froggy speaks with a Cockney accent, is dressed in his army fatigues, and is extremely cheerful and very sure of himself. He is loud and leads a very exciting life, almost the exact opposite of Charlie.
Betty Meeks
• Age range: 50' s to 80' s
• Should be able to speak with a thick Southern accent.
• Not afraid of a good days labor
Betty Meeks is an older woman, a widow, and the owner and operator of the fishing lodge and resort in which the play takes place. Betty has always dreamed of traveling outside of Georgia and is quite thrilled with the prospect of having a "real, live foreigner" as her guest. Since the death of her husband, Betty has been struggling to keep her resort business alive, unaware of David and Owen's underhanded plot to gain control of it. Betty speaks with a strong Georgia accent, and talks to Charlie, "the foreigner," as if he were deaf, as if speaking louder and slower will facilitate Charlie's understanding.
Owen Musser
• Age range: mid 20's to 50's
• Should be able to speak with a thick Southern accent.
• Neanderthal in nature and a very angry person.
Owen Musser is a local Georgia man who serves as the henchman for the main villain, the Reverend David Lee. After being named the property inspector for Tilghman County, Georgia, Owen takes full advantage of his new authority to help himself as well as cause harm to others. To call Owen "crude" is to indulge in understatement: he is mean-spirited, ignorant, volatile, and extremely prejudiced against anyone who doesn't fit his ideal of "Christian, white America." A character you love to hate and a very fun role.
Catherine Simms
• Age range: mid 20's to 30's
• Should be able to speak with a Southern accent
• Attractive younger woman
Catherine is staying with Betty at the lodge. She is engaged to the Reverend David Lee, unaware of his true, villainous character. A former debutante and the heiress of a huge fortune, Catherine is bored with life, restless, and unsure of what she wants. In the beginning, she is a bit of a whiner and somewhat sarcastic. When she discovers in Charlie a man who is genuinely kind and really enjoys listening, she believes she has found her ideal romantic mate.
Ellard Simms
• Age range: Teens through early 20' s
• Should be able to speak with a Southern accent
• Overgrown, backward youth
Ellard is the youngest of the cast, and Catherine's younger brother, an extremely insecure young man who is considered by others to be mentally defective. An overgrown, backward youth, who spends much of his time kneading something tiny and invisible in front of his chest. Catherine has promised to give Ellard half of their very large inheritance if he shows any signs of mental and social competence. During the course of the play Ellard proves to have both moderate intelligence and considerable courage.
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