BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS *The Member of the Wedding* by Carson McCullers *Sunday, July 28th and Monday July 29th beginning at 5PM* *By Appointment Only! Call 216-521-2540 ext 10* DIRECTOR: Eric Schmiedl FIRST REHEARSAL: Late August, 2019 OPENING: October 4, 2019 CLOSING: November 3, 2019 THEATRE: Studio Theatre SETTING: A small town in rural Georgia. TIME: August, 1945. Sides will be available at the auditions. No monologues needed for these open call days. 2 AEA contracts are available for this production. All non AEA performers 18 years of age and older will be stipended for their participation. *Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award: At the suggestion of her friend Tennessee Williams, Southern writer Carson McCullers adapted her novella The Member of the Wedding into a touching and poignant play that was an enormous success when it opened on Broadway in 1950, and has long since become a classic of the American theater.* With compassion, veracity and wit, in *The Member of the Wedding* Carson McCullers depicts the intrinsically enmeshed lives of whites and blacks in the American South. Julie Harris became a star playing the awkward, twelve-year-old tomboy Frankie Adams, who falls deeply in love with her older brother and his fiance. Exhilarated by her naive conviction that being a member of their wedding means she will become what she calls the "we of me," Frankie is devastated when she learns she is not invited on the honeymoon. Bernice Sadie Brown, who has experienced a lifetime of love and loss, is a surrogate mother for Frankie. Portrayed on stage and in the film versions by the great Ethel Waters, Bernice is an epic character, fiercely loyal, down-to-earth, and centered by deep faith. *CAST:* BERENICE SADIE BROWN: Female. 40’s – 50’s. African American. Smart. Resourceful. Intuitive. Bright. She has survived the complex and often cruel forces of American society in the early part of the 20 th Century with her optimism intact. Employed by Mr. Addams to address the multitude of day-to-day family needs, she serves as Frankie’s surrogate mother. FRANCIS (FRANKIE) ADDAMS: Female. 12. Caucasian. Passionate. Sensitive. Articulate. Awkward. With one foot in childhood and the other foot in the world of adults Frankie is desperate to discover her place in the world. She is equal mixtures of reckless confidence and crumbling insecurity. JOHN HENRY WEST: Boy. 7. Caucasian. Sensitive. Playful. Impressionable. Frankie’s little cousin, he possesses the heart of an artist as he interprets the world through his wire-rim glasses. HONEY CAMDEN BROWN: Male. 30’s. African American. Passionate. Artistic. Stubborn. A gifted musician he is ready to bust loose or die. He is Berenice’s foster brother. T.T. WILLIAMS: Male. 50’s. African American. Stately. Polite. Cautious. He is a church deacon and community leader. JARVICE: Male. 20’s. Caucasian. Stiff. Guarded. Well-meaning. Frankie’s older brother and Janice’s fiancé, he has been in the army for several years, stationed in Alaska. JANICE: Female. 20’s. Caucasian. Kind. Naïve. Eager. Jarvice’s finace, she is eager to make a good impression. ROYAL ADDAMS: Male. 50’s. Caucasian. Quiet. Lonely. Lost. Frankie’s father, he has been a widower for many years and has retreated into this position. He often keeps long hours at his jewelry shop, leaving Frankie on her own a lot of the time. PET WEST: Female. 40’s. Caucasian. Overworked. Thoughtful. Kind. John Henry’s mother and Mr. Addam’s sister, she is a sensitive soul with a sweet smile. BARNEY MacKEAN: Male. 13. Caucasian. Barney is a young athlete. HELEN FLETCHER: Female. 13. Caucasian. DORIS: Female. 13. Caucasian.