New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Your Theatre, Inc. is holding open auditions July 25 and 27 at 7pm, for all roles in the upcoming 2016-2017 Season production of The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare. The production will run Mar 16-26, 2017.
Auditions are held in the playhouse located in St. Martin’s Church/Hall complex, 136 Rivet Street at County Street, in New Bedford. The auditions are open to all actors over the age of 16.
Auditions will consist of a cold reading from the script. Experience is not necessary; just the desire to participate and share the experience of live theatre and the enjoyment of collaborating with other talented individuals.
Characters: Women (6 Roles) Men (5 Roles)
Bunny Flingus (40s/50s) Artie’s girlfriend and downstairs neighbor. Amazing cook and supportive of Artie’s musical ambitions. Once Bananas (Artie’s wife) is out of the way, she plans on marrying Artie. She is controlling of Artie and jealous of Bananas. At the first chance she gets (an offer to move to Australia) she dumps Artie for a new life.
Bananas Shaughnessy (40s/50s) Artie’s wife. Suffering from mental illness for a long time. Has not left apartment in months. Fears going to mental hospital, Although ill, she can be lucid and insightful at certain moments.
Corrinna Stroller (20s to mid 30s) Girlfriend of Billy. Famous actress who was injured in an accident on a movie set and was rendered partially deaf. She has not worked since the accident. She is a kind person.
Head Nun (Older)
Second Nun (mid 30s to mid 40s)
Little Nun (20s) The Little Nun is one of three nuns who get trapped on the roof of Artie’s apartment after the Pope drives by. She has not taken her final vows and is not enthusiastic about becoming a nun. After the two other nuns die in the explosion, she decides not to return to the convent. She is eventually hired by Billy to live in Bunny’s apartment and take care of Bananas.
Artie Shaughnessy (40s/50s) (playing a piano a plus) The story’s protagonist. His life is at a turning point and he is frustrated on a number of levels. His marriage to Bananas is empty. Because of her illness he feels little more than a caretaker. He has a girlfriend (Bunny) who is selfish and controlling. He works as a zookeeper but is really a frustrated songwriter. Artie is also worried about his son Ronnie who is in the Army but, like Bananas, suffers from severe mental illness and has violent and paranoid fantasies.
Ronnie Shaughnessy (18 to early 20s) Teenage son of Bananas and Artie. In the Army but is AWOL and is at home. His parents are unaware of his presence in the apartment for most of the play. He is severely mentally ill and plots to build a bomb to blow up the Pope on his visit to New York. Instead of blowing up the Pope he blows up two nuns and Corrinna Stroller. He is arrested but Billy gets him released.
Billy Einhorn (40s/50s) Artie’s childhood best friend and has known Bananas for many years and gave her the nickname. He is a famous Hollywood director and is involved romantically with Corrinna. At Bunny’s urging, Artie gets Billy to help him revive his career as a movie songwriter but fails. When Corrinna dies, Billy convinces Bunny to go to Australia leaving Artie alone with Bananas.
A Military Policeman
Mental Hospital Attendant
The play centers around Artie Shaughnessy, a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zookeeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying his wares at piano bars in Queens, New York where he lives with his wife, Bananas. Artie’s downstairs mistress, Bunny Flingus, will sleep with him anytime but refuses to cook until they are married. Also arriving is Artie’s old school chum, Billy Einhorn, now a successful Hollywood producer, and he holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out of Queens and away from the life he so despises.
