Audition Notice — Alabama Story
Old Academy Players [3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129; 215-843-1109; https://oldacademyplayers.org/] is pleased to announce the audition date for its 2024 production of Alabama Story written by Kenneth Jones. The Old Academy Players production will be directed by Carla Childs.
Auditions: Old Academy Players welcomes new talent! Please note: Old Academy Players is a non-profit community theater. All roles are performed on a volunteer basis. If you are auditioning for a show, please complete our Audition Form [https://oldacademyplayers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/OAP-Forms-for-web_Audition-Form.pdf] in advance of the audition.
Audition Date & Time: Saturday, May 11th, 2024, 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm.
All roles are non-union, non-paying.
Location of Auditions: Old Academy Players located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129. There is free parking onsite, located behind the theater.
Audition Requirements:
Performance Dates:
Play and Roles: Alabama Story takes place in 1959, in Montgomery, Alabama, The Deep South, and Beyond
All roles are non-union, non-paying.
Two white women, age 50-ish and age 32
One Black man, age 32
Three or six white men, age 50-ish, age 50-ish, age 28, age 70s ‑80s, age 30s-50s, age 30s-50s
GARTH WILLIAMS (and OTHERS) — 50-ish or older, white writer and illustrator from the East Coast. Frisky, sardonic, dry, funny, deadly serious and omnipresent, when practical. Requires a charismatic chameleon actor with range and gravitas.
***In our production, the actor portraying Garth Williams may or may not also assume the roles of: aged, sickly Alabama State Representative BOBBY CRONE; sincere Montgomery newspaper reporter HERSCHELL WEBB; fiery segregationist columnist HENRY BRANCH; a folky RADIO ANNOUNCER; two silent WHITE PASSERSBY, and a COFFEE-CART SERVER (see below ***)
LILY WHITFIELD — 32, a white woman from small-town Alabama privilege. Genteel Alabama accent. Politically unversed, she is the product of (and enjoys the benefits of) a racist system and has not questioned it. Sheltered, ashamed, loyal, religious, garrulous, charming, unhappily married, sentimental, all facade, ready to blossom.
JOSHUA MOORE — 32, upwardly mobile, middle-class African American man who left Alabama years ago,settling in the north after serving in the Army. Purposely subtle and suppressed Alabama accent, which becomes pronounced when agitated. He is politically active, aspirational, loyal, kind, worldly, happily married, slow to boil, susceptible to nostalgia without getting lost in it, a disciple of Dr. King.
SENATOR E. W. HIGGINS — 50-ish or more, a white Alabama State Senator. Pronounced Alabama accent. He is an active racist, a charmer, a bully, a bull, a poisoner, a politician. Most of what he says is rhetorical or performative. Not as smart as he thinks he is, but influential. He is never sorry. An extrovert.
EMILY WHEELOCK REED — 50-ish or more, a white female librarian, the State Librarian of Alabama, born in North Carolina and raised in Indiana. No Southern accent. She has no sense of humor. She does not suffer fools, she is all-business. When cornered, fallible. When her vulnerability is accessed and her heart unlocked, a person of good character is revealed. An introvert.
THOMAS FRANKLIN — 28, a white male reference librarian, Emily’s assistant. Pronounced Alabama accent. Buttoned-up, genteel, educated, officious, efficient, slightly uncomfortable in his own skin. Neutral and objective when conveying information. The kind of man you want as your colleague, or your son.
***BOBBY CRONE — 60s-80s white male Alabama State Representative. Pronounced Southern accent. Aged, sickly, irritable, avuncular, wise
***HERSCHEL WEBB — 30’s‑50’s, white male Montgomery newspaper reporter. Sincere, fair, liberal-leaning. Pronounced Southern accent.
***HENRY BRANCH — 30’s‑50’s, fiery segregationist columnist from the Deep South. Pronounced Southern accent.
Contact [https://oldacademyplayers.org/contact/] or call [215-843-1109] us with your questions.
The Old Academy Players has provided continuous community theater entertainment since 1923 and is a non-profit community theater in East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Constructed in 1819, the Old Academy building has been the OAP home since 1932. Old Academy Players is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Most notable alumni include Tony Award-nominated actor Robert Prosky and Hollywood icon, Grace Kelly. Support is provided by the "Philadelphia Cultural Fund".
Audition Requirements:
Performance Dates:
· Wednesday, September 11th at 7:30pm
· Fridays and Saturdays, September 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th, 28th, 2024 at 8:00 pm
· Sundays, September 15th, 22nd, 29th, 2024 at 2:00 pm
· *Additional performances may be added.
