AUDITION NOTICE: HAND TO GOD - Arizona Onstage Productions

 

From: Kevin Johnson <kjohnson.stage@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 3:45 PM
Subject: AUDITION NOTICE: HAND TO GOD - Arizona Onstage Productions

 

Arizona Onstage Productions is currently looking for extremely strong actors for the Broadway hit HAND TO GOD, a VERY dark comedy by Robert Askins and directed by Kevin Johnson. The production will run the last three weekends of August 2018.  Actors need to be able to be comfortable with extreme profanity, violence, puppet sex, and overall shock values.  The New York Times says that HAND TO GOD is "The Muppets meet the Exorcist".  All roles are available.  Rehearsals will start in late June.  All artists will receive an honorarium.  We are also looking for a light and sound designer who is creative with less than ideal equipment.  Please email resume and headshot (if available) as well as the character of interest to the Artistic Director at kjohnson.stage@gmail.com  He will send you a file with sides, and an audition appointment can be arranged at that time.

Roles

Jessica: Female

20+ to play 17; a complicated young woman trapped in a small town with small ideas; smart, though somewhat introverted; does not suffer fools gladly.

 

Timothy: Male

20+ to play 17; a troubled kid, caught in survival mode at having to negotiate his dysfunctional family; he protects his fragility by forgoing any impulse control; probably in "special classes" because of his behavior problems.

 

Pastor Greg: Male, 45-50

tries valiantly to fulfill his duties as the shepherd of his flock; seemingly supportive; underneath, however, it is clear that his altruism is fueled by needy loneliness; he has his meltdown point, and, out of nowhere, violence can flare up.

 

Jason: male

20+ to play 17; seemingly mild-mannered and polite; retiring, inarticulate, and shy; has an alter-ego hand puppet who is extremely aggressive, foul-mouthed, shameless, and highly articulate. Expert puppetry skills and character voices required.

 

Margery: Female, 40-49

role cast; Jason's mother; a jittery woman trying desperately to keep her family and life together after the death of her husband; has a warm and passionate nature, but seems like a powder keg about to explode, and when it does, an aggressive sexuality comes flooding out.

 

Bottom of Form

THE STORY: After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry, in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. Jason's complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and—most especially—his mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason's puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. HAND TO GOD explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.

 

REVIEWS:

 

"The fearsome critter [Tyrone], who takes possession of a troubled teenager's left arm in Robert Askins' darkly delightful play really inspires goose bumps as he unleashes a reign of terror…But he's also flat-out hilarious, spewing forth acid comedy that will turn those goose bumps into guffaws." —The New York Times.

"Furiously funny…Askins' most impressive talent is his ability to make us laugh while juggling those big themes that make life so terrifying: death, depression, alcoholism, sexual guilt, emotional repression, religious hypocrisy and the eternal battle between your good puppet and your bad puppet." —Variety.

"A scathingly funny scenario that steadily darkens into suspense and visions of hell, this fiery clash of the id, ego and superego is also an audacious commentary on the uses of faith, both to comfort and control us." —The Hollywood Reporter.

"I don't know which I want to do more: Sing Hallelujah—or wash its dirty little mouth out with soap. …Clearly a singular vision is at work here, with playwright Robert Askins venturing successfully into territory—satire—rich with potholes." —Deadline.

"HAND TO GOD is so ridiculously raunchy, irreverent and funny it's bound to leave you sore from laughing. Ah, hurts so good." —New York Daily News.

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