Player News

Auditions for our Fall Show Fast Approaching!

Hello –

Just a reminder that auditions for The Wellesley Players upcoming production of August: Osage County is coming up a week from Sunday.

Auditions for our November 2013 production, August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts. www.wellesleyplayers.club
Auditions will be held on Sunday, July 28 and Monday, July 29 starting at 7:00 PM.

Performances are from November 1-10, 2013 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts Black Box Theater, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown MA.  Callbacks, if necessary, will be held on Tuesday, July 30, also starting at 7:00 PM. Auditions will be held at CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1132 HIGHLAND AVE. NEEDHAM. Parking is across the street on the right, just before the Needham Public Library and a traffic light.

If you are interested in auditioning but cannot make these scheduled dates, please contact Director Chip Sheeran at chip_sheeran@yahoo.com prior to the first audition and we will attempt to accommodate you.

If possible, print out and fill in the audition form or bring a resume of your acting experience and a headshot. If you don’t have a headshot we will take your photo for our audition records. We will have an audition form for you to fill in. (visit Wellesley Players Audition form PDF August Osage County. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.  Rehearsals will generally follow a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday cycle with occasional exceptions.

For further information or any questions, please contact Chip Sheeran at chip_sheeran@yahoo.com.

PLAY SUMMARY

When the Weston family is unexpectedly forced to reunite after years apart, addiction, dark secrets, and an acidic matriarch mix to create a cocktail that unflinchingly exposes the dark side of the Midwestern American family. The story takes place in Oklahoma.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Beverly Weston (65-75) – Patriarch of the Weston family. He is an alcoholic and former poet and college professor. He is somewhat detached from what is happening (and has happened) in his family, but not unaware. Married to Violet Weston.

Violet Weston (65-75) – Matriarch of the Weston family. She is addicted to several prescription drugs, mostly depressants and narcotics, and has oral cancer. Despite her often drug induced state, she is shrewd and sharp, and knows about all the family secrets. Her generally acidic personality is a catalyst throughout the play.

Barbara Fordham (40-50) – Oldest daughter of the Weston Family. She is a college professor like her father, but has moved a long distance away to escape the tensions of the family. She prefers to be in control of things, or at least present an image of control. Mother of Jean and wife of Bill, though they are separated…a marriage she is trying to save.

Ivy Weston (38-48) – Middle daughter of the Weston family. She is the only daughter to stay in Oklahoma. She seems calm and patient, but is much more complex than her family realizes. She teaches at the local college. She is secretly having an affair with “Little” Charles.

Karen Weston (35-45) – Youngest daughter in the Weston family. She seems very self-centered, often talking about herself, even in the face of a family tragedy. She is also heavily in denial. She is newly engaged to Steve.

Bill Fordham (40-50) – Barbara’s estranged husband and Jean’s father. He is also a college professor. He has left his wife for a younger woman, but struggles as he still wants to be there for his family.

Jean Fordham (13-17) – Bill and Barbara’s smart-mouthed 14-year-old daughter. Bitter about her parents’ relationship and pending divorce, she has turned to smoking pot and cigarettes to rebel. Seemingly mature beyond her years, she is more naive than she would like to believe.

Steve Heidebrecht (45-55) – He is a businessman in Florida and not the “perfect man” that Karen considers him. Somewhat loud and in your face, his business practices and his intentions are less than legitimate. He is Karen’s fiancé.

Mattie Fae Aiken (55-65) – Violet’s sister, Charlie’s wife and “Little” Charles’ mother. She is a jaded woman and is similar to her sister in more ways than she’d like to admit. She constantly belittles her son and antagonizes her husband.

Charlie Aiken (55-65) – Husband of Mattie Fae, father of “Little” Charles. A pleasant man, he seems to have found a way to cope with his wife’s overbearing personality. That said, he continues to struggle to get Mattie Fae to respect “Little” Charles.

“Little” Charles Aiken (32-42) – Son of Mattie Fae and Beverly. He is unemployed, disorganized, and shows little motivation. That others see him as the screw-up of the family may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He is secretly having an affair with Ivy.

Johnna Monevata (20-30) – A Cheyenne Indian woman, age 26, whom Beverly hires as a live-in housekeeper. She is empathetic to the family, although Violet is prejudiced against her.

Sheriff Deon Gilbeau (40-50) – A high-school classmate and former boyfriend of Barbara’s.

Rehearsal Schedule:  Rehearsal Schedule AOC – Audition