Catskill Community Players announce auditions for the play “DUETS” by Peter Quilter.
A romantic comedy dealing with friendships, love and marriage.
Flexible casting 4 m, 4 w
Directed by Nancy Bondurant-Couch
AUDITIONS
Held at First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut St., Oneonta
Choose one night to attend:
Thursday, August 4 at 7:00 pm
Tuesday, August 30 at 7:00 pm
- Please bring a print out of your schedule/conflicts/commitments
- Appointments are not required.
- You will be asked to read pages from the script in front of the director and other auditionees.
- Call Back auditions by invitation only for August 31
If you are unable to attend either audition date please contact the director before August 30:
nancybcouch@yahoo.com
or call 607-433-0575
ANTICIPATED PERFORMANCE DATES/LOCATION:
October 21-23, pending final approval, at the Wieting Theatre in Worcester, NY, combined with optional Pre-Show Dinner at the Worcester Inn (post-show dinner on Sunday matinee)
SYNOPSIS:
A gloriously funny examination of the chaotic world of love, relationships and why “the grass is never greener.”
DUETS is a hilarious tribute to the strength and madness of the human heart. Though written to be produced in its entirety with a cast of up to M4 F4, DUETS may also be performed as four separate one-act plays, each with a cast of M1 F1.
The cast size is flexible.
A very funny comedy by the author of Broadway smash End of the Rainbow and the West End hit Glorious! Four sets of characters, four crucial moments. Jonathan and Wendy are on a blind date and hoping to get it right this time even though they’ve never got it right before; Barrie is not really interested in women but Janet sees that as no reason to stop trying; Shelley and Bobby have decided to holiday in Spain to finalize their divorce whilst drowning in cocktails; Angela is marrying for the third time to the dismay of her brother Toby and amidst a barrage of bad omens and a dress resembling a parachute.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Duet I: Blind date
• Jonathan
Dresses quite expensively in what he considers to be ‘cool’, but fails! A not entirely accurate self-description in his dating profile but happy to talk about himself when faced with someone he likes. Believes he has an interesting past e.g. a volunteer fireman until he burnt his finger and passable ballroom dancer. Little success with the ladies and his one-time fiancée dumped him for the concierge of their holiday hotel in Tenerife. He gets nervous and jumpy around women and finds them difficult to read. His discomfort leads him to jabber. He has made his umpteenth and possibly final attempt at the dating game. Probably living on inherited money.
• Wendy
Engaged twice, married once. The first engagement “drifted away”. She experienced her husband as a Hoover who sucked away her personality. She has taken a long time to more-or-less recover some of her previous assertiveness, but has some way to go. Amusing, sometimes inadvertently, prone to swearing on occasion and is somewhat bruised by the failed attempts at finding an acceptable new partner. She, also, could do with some support in dressing well.
Playing ages for both characters 50+. Both actors cast will probably be of a similar age.
Duet II: Secretarial Skills
• Barrie
It’s his birthday. Wealthy and dresses well, albeit a little eccentrically at time. He is happily gay, ‘out’ and comfortable in his own skin. Has lots of energy. To strangers he appears straight but, very occasionally, puts on a camp act (complete with stereotypical gestures) when it amuses him to do so. He has a well-developed sense of humor. Barrie can be impulsive – he’s decided he wanted the birthday party three hours before the party is due to start. He has strong, and amusing, views about marriage, the protocol of marriage ceremonies and how marriages should end. Despite his intelligence he naively fails to spot Janet’s ploys.
• Janet
Very capable, bright, cheeky, funny and although Barrie is her boss acts as his equal. She also loves him. Has no trouble in pushing Barrie around. Says/pretends she can’t be bothered to find a man to settle down with. Appears to make light of the major stumbling block between Barrie and her – the fact he appears to be entirely relaxed about his sexual orientation. She is very good at keeping up the banter as she cleverly and subtly appears to reel Barrie in. On the surface Janet seems to cope well with the potential pain of a non-consummated marriage to him. Preferably (but not essentially) at least one actor to be able to perform with a believable American accent.
Playing ages – for Janet late 20s to late-30s and Barrie 40+
Duet III: The Holiday
• Shelley
Shelley is a romantic at heart and is distressed by the prospect of divorce and uses alcohol and a caustic wit to mask/cope with her distress. She is very hurt by Bobby’s infidelity but also explains away her dalliance as being acceptable because it was with a childhood sweetheart. Despite the tensions she is inclined to mother Bobby. Towards the end of the Duet she takes a risk but is she being reckless or courageous?
• Bobby
Is just a little tipsy but irritated by Shelley being drunk, which she is often. He is cuttingly critical of her; a pattern that has existed for some time. Bobby wants her to be happy after the divorce. He shows signs of caring for Shelley from time to time and tries to look after her but doesn’t seem to be able to sustain this tender side of his character for very long. Although seeming to ‘man up’ over the divorce he too may be finding the forthcoming divorce challenging and painful.
Playing ages – Shelley 25+ and Bobby 25+. Both within around 5 years of each other.
Duet IV The Bride-to-be
• Angela
Angela needs help to believe that her imminent, third, marriage is the right thing to do. She slips into her habitual mode of dealing with brother Toby. She wants to be sure that getting married hasn’t become a habit as well as the reassurance that the flowers and other practicalities are under control. Angela gets tense and panicky as several bad omens pop up in her memory, especially when she breaks a mirror. She wonders why she has chosen Toby as a counselor and confidante.
• Toby
Like his sister Angela, Toby comes across as quite posh. He has little emotional intelligence and a compulsion to be honest and ‘rational’. He has a history of inadvertently upsetting Angela and manages to do so at this difficult time too. Since their parents passed away he has done his best to be Angela’s prop but often fails. Despite some of his jibes about her track record in marriage Toby admires Angela and her tenacity; something he lacks. He delivers many funny lines but often has no idea how funny/amusingly crass he is being.
Playing ages – Angela 30 to late-40s but could be older Toby 30-60s. A preference for Toby to be older than Angela but not essential.