Heritage Players, Inc. announces auditions for its fall presentation of Ira Levin’s classic comedy-suspense thriller, Deathtrap, directed by Stuart Kazanow.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
October 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27. Friday and Saturday performances will start at 8:00 pm;Sunday performances will start at 6:00 pm. There will also be a single private performance onWednesday, October 16th.
AUDITION DATES:
Sunday, June 16 – 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Monday, June 17 – 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Wednesday, June 19 – 7:00 – 9:30 pm (Callbacks only, if needed)
AUDITION/PERFORMANCE LOCATION:
Rice Auditorium (on the Spring Grove campus)
55 Wade Avenue
Catonsville, MD 21228
ABOUT THE PLAY:
Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl, a once successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a dry spell which has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college—a thriller which Sidney recognizes immediately as a potential Broadway hit. Sidney invites the student to his home to discuss the play and possibly convince him to turn the project into a collaborative effort. However, Sidney’s intentions may not be as innocent as they seem and suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness and an abundance of thrills and laughter.
CAST OF CHARACTERS (3 men, 2 women):
SIDNEY BRUHL (male, 40s-50s) Wrote one hit play and has been driving himself mad chasing that success ever since. Educated, well-spoken, reserved and charming. A quick-thinker able to remain calm while moving pieces all over the chess board. At the same time, he is not unemotional, and those emotions come out in intense flashes. Demanding role - actor is on stage for nearly entire play.
MYRA BRUHL (female, 40s) Sidney’s devoted and supportive wife. A woman of some wealth that has now been all but depleted because Sidney’s failed plays have drained away the savings. Has been battling illness for some time now. She is earnest, naïve and more than a little skittish.
CLIFFORD ANDERSON (male, 20s) A fit, handsome man on the younger side. He presents himself with a sort of “aw shucks” innocence and good manners. At core, however, he is deeply ambitious and not afraid to exercise power through manipulation or physical force. While he may not seem to be the intellectual that Sidney is, he’s certainly clever enough to be a worthy opponent.
HELGA TEN DORP (female, 40s-60s) A Dutch psychic. The actress who plays the role will need to muster the accent (it sounds pretty close to German, if that helps). What is most important here is that Helga is a broad character who is both mysterious and funny.
PORTER MILGRIM (male, 50s-60s) The Bruhls’ “sharp, but dull” lawyer, Porter is also a frustrated wannabe playwright himself. On the surface, Porter is honest, friendly, and would seem to lack any of the manipulative powers of Sidney and Clifford. But even he has a darker side he keeps hidden from others.
ABOUT THE AUDITIONS:
We will do cold readings from the script; no monologue required. All listed ages are approximate, not hard cutoffs. All roles are open. Please bring a theatrical resume, headshot (if you have one) and a list of conflicts with you to auditions. No conflicts will be accepted for tech week (Oct 6th – 10th).
REHEARSALS:
There will be an initial cast reading of the play on Sunday, June 30th at 6:00 pm at Rice Auditorium and a meet-and-eat to discuss the play on Sunday, July 21st at 6:00 pm at a location TBD. Regular rehearsals will begin on August 14th at 7:00 pm and continue Sundays at 6:00 pm and Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:00 pm thereafter.
For more information, please visit
www.heritageplayers.com or e-mail the director at
dtathp@gmail.com.
