Posted on June 28, 2024June 28, 2024
- Theater
- St. Louis City, MO
Website URLClayton Community Theatre
Clayton Community Theatre announces open auditions for Night of the Iguana, by Tennessee Williams, directed by Mark A. Neels.
Auditions: Thursday August 1 at 7:15pm and Saturday August 3 at 10:00am.
First rehearsal: Tuesday August 6.
Performances: October 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, and 27, 2024; Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00.
The auditions will consist of cold readings from the script (sides available at the auditions) and will be held at the theatre: Washington University South Campus Theatre (the old CBC High School building), 6501 Clayton Rd, Clayton MO 63117. (Park in the lot to the west of the building off Clayton Road; enter at the glass doors.) Auditioners are encouraged to download the audition form from http://placeseveryone.org/ and fill it out in advance.
Synopsis: Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon is a minister recently fallen from grace and expelled from his congregation for a “nervous breakdown,” who travels to 1940s Mexico to work as a travel guide. Among his group of tourists, however, is a 16-year-old girl, Charlotte Goodall, with whom Shannon has recently been accused of an inappropriate relationship. Meanwhile, his friend and motel owner Maxine Faulk sees in Shannon an escape for her loneliness following the death of her husband, Fred. The situation is only complicated further by the arrival of Hannah Jelks, a spinster from Nantucket, and her father, Nonno, a renownedpoet in failing health who is attempting to compose what will be his final work. As Shannon and Jelks develop a deep bond, Maxine’s jealousies get the best of her.
Characters:
T. Lawrence (Larry) Shannon. 35-40 years. A former Episcopal priest, now a tour guide. At the start of the show, he is suffering through the opening stages of a nervous breakdown, and we follow him down as the show progresses. He may or may not have a Virginia accent and is described in the show as “dark Irish.”
Maxine Faulk. 40-50 years. The owner of the Costa Verde Hotel, she has a voracious sexual appetite, which she satisfies with her hired young Mexican “boys.” Sensual, direct, and practical, Maxine is at once powerfully drawn to Larry, whom she has known for years, but views Hannah Jelks as a rival.
Hannah Jelks. 30-40 years. Asketch artist and a guest at the hotel, she is described as otherworldly, genteel, and deeply compassionate, which is clearly seen in her duties as caretaker of her aged grandfather, Nonno, and her sympathizing with Shannon.
Nonno. Actor should be 60s-80s, but able to play 98 years old. Once a brilliant poet, he is now a shell of his former self. In poor health, he has suffered a stroke before the opening of the show and spends much of the time in a wheelchair. His health—and his dementia—declines throughout the show as he struggles to finish his final poem.
Judith Fellows. 50-60s. The leader of the ladies’ group for which Shannon is the guide, Ms. Fellows spends much of the show angry at Shannon for his inappropriate relationship with one of her charges, Charlotte.
Charlotte Goodall. 17 years old. The charge of Ms. Fellows, she has had a tryst with Shannon before the show begins and believes she is desperately in love with him.
Pedro and Pancho. 20s-30s. Maxine’s Mexican “boys,” they provide her with an outlet for her sexual tension following the death of her husband. Actors who portray these characters must be comfortable in swimming wear and speaking solely in Spanish.
Herr Fahrenkopf and Frau Fahrenkopf. Late 40s-50s. A German middle-aged couple accompanying Wolfgang and Hilda on their honeymoon. They primarily speak German and only the most rudimentary English and spend most of the show listening to news reports of the Battle of Britain.
Wolfgang and Hilda. 20s. A newlywed couple on their honeymoon with Herr and Frau Fahrenkopf. They too speak mainly German and rudimentary English.
Hank. 30s-40s. The bus driver for Shannon’s tour, Hank tries to skirt the line between doing his job for the tour company and helping out his friend, Shannon.
Jake Latta. 30s-40s. A rival tour guide, Jake is brought in by Shannon’s bosses to finish the job when Shannon finally breaks down.
Visit Our Website to access the audition form: placeseveryone.org
Bonus – everyone who auditions will receive a complimentary ticket to any CCT production this season!
