Auditions at the Belfry for The Foreigner by Larry Shue
Sunday, January 29th and Monday, January 30th at 7:00 p.m., with possible callbacks on Tuesday, January 31st at 7:00 p.m.
All auditioners will be doing cold readings from the script. In addition, the director will allow a one-minute monologue, but this is not required (WITH ONE EXCEPTION*).
*Actors who would like to audition for the role of Charlie are asked to prepare their interpretation of a made-up “exotic” language, complete with interesting accent. THEY WILL NEED TO PREPARE A ONE-MINUTE TELLING of the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” using their language. They should go big and have fun with the storytelling!
At the audition, accents are requested but not expected of anyone other than Charlie. The various accents are listed in the character descriptions to be sure that everyone knows what will be expected going forward.
Audition and production location:
The Belfry Theatre, 10690 Greenfield Ave., Noblesville, IN, 46060
Production dates:
March 24th and 25th
March 31st, April 1st, and April 2nd
April 7th, 8th, and 9th
Rehearsals:
Rehearsals begin February 13th and will usually be on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:00 to 9:45 at the Belfry. Tech Saturday is March 11th, and Tech Week rehearsals will probably go later than 9:45.
Roles:
5 men and 2 women
NOTE: Ages listed are STAGE AGES (that is, the actor need not be that age, just be able to pass in that range while onstage).
Charlie Baker (M, 40-50): A painfully shy, kind, and educated English gentleman. Pretending to be the “exotic foreigner” draws him out of his shell and helps him make personal connections. Being everyone’s favorite foreigner gives him a confidence that he’s never had before. He needs both an English accent and a fake accent, which should be played more for humor than for any attempt at a real accent.
“Froggy” LeSueur (M, late 40s+): A member of the British Army’s bomb squad, who annually comes to Georgia to help train American soldiers. He is
good-natured, generous, and a caring friend. He has a British accent with a bit of cockney.
Betty Meeks (F, 60+): A motherly widow who owns the lakeside bed-and-breakfast lodge that is the setting for the play. Since her husband’s death, she has fallen on hard times and may have to sell the lodge. A simple, lovable soul who has never left Georgia and is excited to learn about anything foreign. She has a thick, southern Georgia hills accent.
Catherine Simms (F, mid 20s-early 40s): A pretty, former debutante from a wealthy southern family, heiress to her family’s estate. She is strong-willed, speaks her mind, and has quite a temper, but she also has a kind side and a sense of humor. She has a southern accent, but it is more refined than Betty’s and her brother’s.
Rev. David Marshall Lee (M, mid 20s-early 40s): An intelligent, polite, dedicated, and seemingly perfect minister who is Catherine’s fiancé. He pretends to care for everyone as if they were part of his “flock,” but he’s hiding a dark, controlling side and has a deceitful plan. He has a southern accent that is more in par with Catherine’s.
Owen Musser (M, 30+): An uneducated, bigoted bully who uses his size to physically intimidate others. In his position as Tilghman County property inspector, he officially condemns Betty’s lodge, trying to force her to sell it on the cheap. He has a thick, southern Georgia hills accent.
Ellard Simms (M, 20s-30s): Catherine’s younger brother who has been treated all his life as a simpleton. He is described as an “overgrown, backward youth who spends much of his time kneading something tiny and invisible in front of his chest.” He is awkward, shy, and easily confused. As he “teaches” English to Charlie, he learns that he is more capable than everyone has always thought. He has a thick, southern Georgia hills accent.
Show Synopsis:
A wildly funny comedy that will keep the audience laughing – and rooting for the shy gentleman who has had the role of the “exotic foreigner” thrust upon him.
This high-energy comedy centers around Charlie, a hopelessly shy Englishman, who is on a reluctant holiday in a lodge in rural Georgia. He is desperately afraid of personal interaction, so his friend concocts a story, telling the locals that Charlie is from a faraway foreign country and doesn’t speak a word of English. Charlie feels obliged to playact the part of the “exotic foreigner,” which leads to many complications as he overhears more than he should – and fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play as he becomes more and more involved in the bizarre goings-on.
If you have any questions about auditions or the show, please contact the director, Dana Lesh, at belfrydir@hotmail.com.
You can visit the Belfry on the web at http://www.thebelfrytheatre.com/
