Auditions for “Arsenic and Old Lace”
Auditions for Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring will be held at the Village Players of Hatboro on
- Sunday, October 8th at 7:30pm
- Monday, October 9th at 7:30pm
Cold readings from the scripts will be provided.
Show dates are January (2018) 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27. All actors who are cast must be available for all show dates, as well as tech week (Sunday, January 7th through Wednesday, January 10th) and benefit shows on weeknights throughout the run.
AUDITION APPLICATION OPTIONS:
You may bring a completed audition application by printing one out below, fill out the online audition form, or fill one out when you arrive at the theater (please arrive a little early).
SYNOPSIS
The play is a farcical black comedy revolving around the Brewster family, descended from the Mayflower, but now composed of insane homicidal maniacs. The hero, Mortimer Brewster, is a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn, NY, as he debates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves.
His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine, and “just a pinch” of cyanide, a brother who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar of the Brewster home (which then serves as graves for the aunts’ victims; he thinks that they died of Yellow Fever), and a murderous brother who has received plastic surgery performed by an alcoholic accomplice, Dr. Einstein, to conceal his identity, and now looks like horror film actor Boris Karloff.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
- Abby Brewster – (F) (60’s) – A darling lady who poisons elderly men. Abby is the sister of Martha and an aunt to Teddy, Jonathan and Mortimer.
- The Rev. Dr. Harper – (M) (50’s-60’s) – Minister and father of Elaine
- Teddy Brewster – (M) (30’s-50’s) – Nephew of Abby and Martha, brother to Jonathan and Mortimer, Teddy thinks that he is Theodore Roosevelt.
- Officer Brophy – (M) (30’s-50’s) – A police officer
- Officer Klein – (M) (30’s-50’s) – A police officer
- Martha Brewster – (F) (60’s) – A sweet elderly woman with Victorian charm who poisons elderly men. Martha is the sister of Abby and an aunt to Teddy, Jonathan, and Mortimer.
- Elaine Harper – (F) (20’s-30’s) – An attractive girl and Mortimer’s fiancé. Elaine is the daughter of Rev. Dr. Harper. She is surprisingly wise in the ways of the world for a minister’s daughter.
- Mortimer Brewster – (M) (30’s-40’s) – Nephew of Abby and Martha, brother of Teddy and Jonathan, Mortimer is a drama critic who is engaged to Elaine. He is a nice man who cares for his aunts.
- Mr. Gibbs – (M) (60’s) – A man who wishes to rent a room from the Brewster sisters
- Jonathan Brewster – (M) (30’s-50’s) – Nephew of Abby and Martha, brother of Teddy and Mortimer, Jonathan is a psychopath who has had plastic surgery and now looks like Boris Karloff
- Dr. Einstein – (M) (40’s-50’s) – A plastic surgeon and an alcoholic, Dr. Einstein has changed Jonathan’s face three times
- Officer O’Hara – (M) (20’s-40’s) – A police officer, O’Hara is a would-be playwright who pesters Mortimer to read his play
- Lieutenant Rooney – (M) (40’s-50’s) – A tough and dominating police officer
- Mr. Witherspoon – (M) (50’s-60’s) – The superintendent of Happy Dale Sanitarium
CREW MEMBERS & NEWBIES
Audition nights are a perfect time to come out, meet the director, and express your interest in helping out backstage, be it in the role of a stage manager, lights & sound operator, concessions, or whatever else you might like to do.
They’re also GREAT for first-timers to come out and observe how things are done, maybe express interest in being a helper, or read for a part! We almost always cast at least one person who’s never been on stage before. You never know what can happen!
Questions? Please contact Director Allison Schrader at allison@thevillageplayers.com.