The Marion Art Center has announced open auditions for all roles in the upcoming production of “Cedar Beach,” written by local playwright Mark Howland and directed by John Heavey. Auditions will be held on Sunday, May 23, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm, by scheduled appointment at the MAC at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion or by Zoom audition. If auditioning in person, social distancing will be observed. Please wear a mask.
Cedar Beach is about family and a family-owned property. Spanning several generations over fifty years, the play attempts to chronicle the history of a vacation home and the vicissitudes of the people who inhabit it. The action follows the lines of entropy, from order to disorder, simplicity to complexity, and tradition to innovation. As such, the home represents both the luxury of privilege and the burden of responsibility. The play is comprised of eight scenes that span from the mid 1950’s to 2007.
Director John Heavey will be casting six to seven females and six to seven males: The characters are clustered in family groups for clarity. Character doubling will used extensively. Also, actors may need to play certain characters* as children who then mature into adults. Characters include: William Nickerson, late 30s, patriarch of the family with the untimely death of his father; Sarah Denham, sister of William, mid-30s; Betty Brown, sister of William, mid-30s; Rebecca, mother of William, Sarah, and Betty, mid-50s in first scene, 80s in second scene; Cornelia Nickerson, wife of William, mid-late 30s; *Charles Nickerson, oldest child of William and Cornelia, 12-13, ages to mid-50s; *Henry Nickerson, brother of Charles, 8-9, ages to late 40s; *George Nickerson, brother of Charles, 9-10, ages to 50ish; *Lucy Nickerson, sister of Charles 2-3, ages to early 40s; Matt Denham, husband of Sarah, late 30s; Eddie Denham, oldest child of Sarah and Matt, 10-11; Sally Denham, sister of Eddie, 8-9; Tommy Denham, brother of Eddie, 5-6; David Brown, husband of Betty, mid-30s; Billy Brown, son of David and Betty, early teen 13-15; June Brown, daughter of David and Betty, 10, ages to late teen 18-19; Richard Davis, husband of Lucy, mid-late 40s; Sam Davis, son of Lucy and Richard, 10-12; Mary Nickerson, wife of Charles, mid-late 40s; Peter Nickerson, son of Charles and Mary, 12-15; Sharon, wife of George Nickerson, mid 20s.
Please bring any memorized monologue. You will be asked to do a cold reading from the script as well. Performances are currently scheduled outdoors, August 20-22, 26-29. Performance times will be scheduled at a later date depending on state regulations and other considerations for operating outside.
Email jheavey@taboracademy.org to schedule an audition appointment. Callbacks TBD. Rehearsal schedule to be determined once the show is cast. For more information, please contact the Marion Art Center at info@marionartcenter.org or 508-748-1266.