*PLAYERS GUILD THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR ASSASSINS.* CANTON, OH – The Players Guild Theatre will open their 84th consecutive season with the Stephen Sondheim multiple Tony Award-winning musical, ASSASSINS. Auditions for this theatrical tour-de-force will be held on July 17 and 18, 2016. Under the Artistic Direction of Joshua Erichsen, ASSASSINS will be directed by Jon Tisevich, with choreography by Michael Lawrence Akers and music direction by Steve Parsons. Auditions will be held at the Players Guild Theatre, located at 1001 Market Ave., N., in the Cultural Center for the Arts, on Sunday, July 17th with available audition time slots at 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30 PM, and again on Monday, July 18th at 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30 PM. Principal Callbacks will be held on Tuesday, July 19th. Actors are asked to please prepare 32 bars of a musical theatre song that best showcases their vocal ability, and bring the corresponding sheet music in the appropriate key. An accompanist will be provided. In addition, they are asked to bring a current photo or provide a headshot/resume if available. *Non-traditional casting will be considered for all roles.* Those wishing to audition are asked to make an appointment for an audition time slot by filling out the online audition form at *www.playersguildtheatre.com/audition <http://www.playersguildtheatre.com/audition>*. ASSASSINS will be presented in the William G. Fry Theater, and is scheduled to open on Friday September 2 and run through Sunday, September 18, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. *Assassins Character Breakdown: * *John Wilkes Booth*: Male; 26yrs old. Assassinated President Abraham Lincoln during a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. on April 14, 1865. Passionate, with a flair for the dramatic. Leader and inspirational celebrity to the other assassins. Tenor. *Charles Guiteau*: Male; 40yrs old. Assassinated President James Garfield in the waiting room of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station, Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1881. Dashing, bold, & insane. Tenor. *Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme*: Female; 26yrs old. Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the Capitol Park in Sacramento, CA on September 5, 1975. A pixie hippie in love with Charles Manson. Mezzo. *Sara Jane Moore*: Female; 45yrs old. Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, CA, on September 22, 1975. A frazzled housewife with little common sense. Alto. Comedic Actor. *Lee Harvey Oswald*(doubles as Balladeer): Male, 24yrs old. Assassinated President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, TX on November 22, 1963. A suicidal, dejected shipping clerk. Tenor. *Balladeer*(doubles as Oswald): Male; mid-20s. A folk singer and narrator of the show. The positive, hopeful voice of America. Tenor *The Proprietor*: Male; late 20s-late 30s. A mysterious, intimidating man who runs the shooting gallery at a carnival. Acts as the ever present anxious, desperate, and rage filled voice of America. Baritone. *Leon Czologosz*: 28yrs old. Assassinated President William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y. on September 6, 1901. Polish immigrant; tormented, poverty-worn radical. Baritone. *Giuseppe Zangara*: Male; 32yrs old. Attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt as he greeted well-wishers in Bayfront Park, Miami, FL on February 15, 1933. Killed Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago in the process. An angry, heavily-accented, Italian immigrant. Tenor. *Samuel Byck*: Male; 44yrs old. Attempted to assassinate President Richard Nixon by hijacking a commercial jetliner. Hysterically irate schlep in a Santa Claus suit. Baritone. Comedic Actor. *John Hinckley*: Male; 25yrs old. Attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981. Depressed, introvert, obsessed and “in love” with teenage movie star, Jodi Foster. *Emma Goldman*: Female; Mid 30s-early 40s. Turn-of-the-century Anarchist agitator and feminist. Terse and stubborn. An inspiration to Czolgosz. *Ensemble*: Male & Female; 18-50yrs old. Each play multiple roles including “Something Just Broke” soloists, Gerald Ford, David Herold, Secret Service, Bystanders, Tourists, Reporters, Photographers, & others. ASSASSINS is presented through a collaborative sponsorship of select members of the Players Guild Theatre’s Past Presidents: Tony Snyder, Ryan Jones, Vi Leggitt, Denny Carroll, Richard Milligan, Susie Steiner. The Players Guild Theatre receives support from these generous partners: Arts In Stark, The Ohio Arts Council, The Canton Repository and 89.7 WKSU. ####