Medina County Show Biz Company Presents:

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc

Director: Zen Kotori

Audition Dates

July 15th, 12-6pm

July 16th, 2-6pm

July 17th, 8:30-10pm (Call-backs if necessary)

Place:

Haddad Theater -Choral Room

144 North Broadway

Medina, OH 44256

Rehearsal Dates

July 30th Full Cast Read-Through 7pm in the Choral (Green) Room @ the Haddad Theater

Aug. 6th, 2015 – Sep. 21st, 2017 Rehearsals are flexible and are generally held Sunday through Thursday evenings 7-10pm.

Nobody will be required to come every night or stay the entire time until tech week, starting with our traditional “double-tech” Sunday Dinner on Sep. 17th from 12pm-8pm, Monday18th- through Wednesday 20th 6-10, and a “Glib” or “line-through” on Thursday the 21st 7pm-finish.

What to Prepare

Please prepare a one-minute monologue. We will be taking pictures for headshots the day of Auditions however, if you would still like to bring in your headshot you are encouraged to do so. Those who audition will also be asked to read selections from the play. Please dress for some light movement exercises in addition to the readings.

Seeking Individuals for the Following Roles

Stage Manager – Male 50's-60's - All knowing narrator of the show, able to communicate with both the audience and the characters in the show
Emily Webb – Female Early 20's - Innocent and intelligent “girl next door” who falls in love with George, teenager
George Gibbs – Male Early 20's - Emily’s neighbor and friend, star of the local baseball team, sweet and caring, teenager
Mr. Gibbs – Male Early 40's - George’s father, the town doctor
Mrs. Gibbs – Female Late 30's - George’s mother, close friends with her neighbor; Mrs. Webb
Mr. Webb – Male Late 30's - Emily’s father, the editor of the local newspaper
Mrs. Webb – Female Mid-Late 30's - Emily’s mother, close friends with her neighbor; Mrs. Gibbs
Rebecca Gibbs – Female (10-14) - George’s precocious little sister
Wally Webb – Male (10-14) - Emily’s little brother
Mrs. Soames – Female 30-40's - A local gossip
Simon Stimson – Male 30-40's - The church choir director
Joe Crowell – Male (10-14) - The local paperboy
Si Crowell – Female (10-14) - Joe Crowell’s younger sibling becomes the paper carrier later in the play
Howie Newsome – Male late 30's - The town milkman
Professor Willard – Male 50-60's - A professor at the State University
Joe Stoddard – Male 40-50's - The town undertaker
Samantha Craig – Female Mid-30's - Emily’s cousin

**Plus additional ensemble roles** If you've never been part of a theatrical experience and would like to audition, background parts will be available for all ages.

About the Show

Thornton Wilder’s OUR TOWN embraced the nature of small town living in America in the early 20^th Century. Grover’s Corners is not meant to be a perfect town -- it faces economic and social issues, and is populated by a number of less-than-exemplary characters -- but it is meant to be a microcosm that reveals deeper truths about humanity itself. Using minimal sets and props, and utilizing the “Stage Manager” as narrator who directly addresses the audience, Wilder used the inherent artificiality of the theatrical form to connect the audience more directly with the story.

Our Town’s ultimate message -- to do our best to “realize life as [we] live it”-- was an important one as the world approached the terror of World War II. Our Town insisted that we focus on life’s little moments -- friendship, family, the blossoming of young love. It was a powerful message about stability in a world that was tipping wildly. Examining the small, everyday town of Grover’s Corners, and its quiet, ordinary residents, Wilder demonstrated a fervent belief in the joy of being alive.