If you would like to be notified about all future auditions, please send your email address to dohill@oaklandcc.edu
AUDITION INFO for Fools by Neil Simon
Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge announces auditions for its spring play, Fools by Neil Simon. Directed by Diane Hill.
Fools will be performed at the Smith Theatre/Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge, 27055 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334.
Performance Dates and Times:
April 3, 4, 5, 2008
8pm in the Smith Theatre
AUDITIONS:
Dates and Times Tuesday, Jan 22nd from 7-10pm
OR Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 5-8pm
Callbacks Saturday, Jan 26th, 12pm-4pm
Location Smith Theatre, OCC Orchard Ridge
Beginning January 14th, sign up for a one-hour time slot on the bulletin board across from the Studio Café or email the director with your preferred hour and day at dohill@oaklandcc.edu or leave a phone message with your preferred hour and day at 248.522-3636. You will only receive a phone call back if we cannot accommodate your chosen hour and day.
Preparation for auditions: Be prepared to read a character and scene of your choice from the excerpts posted on this website. Excerpts for auditions can be found by clicking on the Audition Materials link below. If you have a partner and/or have a different scene prepared from the play other than those included, let me know.
Also, if you have a comic monologue that you would like me to see prior to reading from the script, announce that when you get up to audition.
Plan to stay for the hour.
There will be scripts on reserve at the OCC Orchard Ridge Library for reading in the library at the beginning of Winter term .
Please come 15 minutes early to your audition time. You will need to fill in an audition sheet listing all of your conflicts, so come prepared with your calendar.
Please Note: Only those conflicts that you have listed on your audition sheet will be honored once you are cast in the show. The fewer conflicts you have, the easier it will be to cast you. No conflicts with rehearsals (including classes) will be allowed beginning Saturday, March 29th. That is our TECH rehearsal and production week and we’ll be doing full runs of the show. We will have dress rehearsals Mon and Tues evenings, March 31st and April 1st, an invited dress rehearsal on Wednesday, April 2nd and we open to the public with performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 3rd-5th at 8pm.
REHEARSALS will begin Monday, February 4th. Once the cast is chosen, we will determine if rehearsals will be held in the afternoon or evening. Rehearsal possibilities are: Monday through Thursday afternoons or evenings, Friday afternoons, and Saturdays, 11am-3pm. You will receive a rehearsal at LEAST one week in advance. In general, if you have a large role, you will have 3-4 rehearsals per week (9-12 hours per week); a small role might have 1-2 rehearsals a week (2-4 hours a week) in the beginning, which will accelerate to more rehearsals a week as we begin doing run-throughs of acts and as we get closer to tech week. As stated above, no conflicts will be honored beginning Saturday, March 29th. You will have to make your own arrangements to make up any classes missed.
Auditions are for age 17 and older. Community members welcome. You do not have to be a student to participate.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
A cast of lovable characters and "Airplane"-style humor combine to tell this comic fable about a Russian town placed under a curse of stupidity. A new schoolmaster, hired to educate the village beauty, must do his work within a single day, or fall victim to the curse himself. Can he rescue his beloved pupil and save the village in time, or will he be doomed to live out the rest of his life senseless in a town of fools?
Master comic playwright Neil Simon gets just plain silly in a laugh-out-loud funny tale full of puns, slapschtick, and shameless nonsense.
Leon Tolchinsky: (Male, 20s-30s) An eager and idealistic young schoolteacher.
Dr. Zubritsky: (Male, 40s-60s) Kulyenchikov's leading citizen. Highly respected by the other villagers. Has trouble opening jars.
Lenya Zubritsky: (Female, 40s-60s) His wife, and a doting mother.
Sophia Zubritsky: (Female, teens-30s) Their daughter. Very attractive, in personality as well as looks. Has an endearing childlike innocence and innate wisdom.
Magistrate: (Male or Female, 40s+) Has an air of authority and the slightest glimmer of intelligence.
Snetsky: (Male or Female, any age) The local sheep loser. Can't remember his first name.
Mishkin: (Male or Female, any age) The postman.
Slovitch: (Male or Female, any age) The butcher. Curse or no curse, he's just not that bright.
Yenchna: (Female, 30s+) A local vendor. A shrewd businesswoman who tries to turn any situation to her advantage.
Count Yousekevitch: (Male, 30s+) A lovable bad guy. Deep down, just wants to be liked.
Note: An Eastern European (Ukrainian/Russian) accent may be required, so if you can do one, be sure to work on your scene with it and show it in your audition. If you have no experience with accents, don’t worry!
Click here to hear an example of a Ukrainian accent.
Leon: What would you like to begin with?
Sophia: Languages!
Leon: Good! Which language would you like to learn?
Sophia: (pause) Rabbit!
Doctor: A hard language, rabbit. Hardly anyone speaks it anymore!
Lenya: As long as she gets a few phrases, that's enough to begin with
Leon: What is your favorite color?
Sophia: My favorite color . . . is yellow.
Leon: Why, Sophia, why is your favorite color yellow?
Sophia: Because it doesn't stick to your fingers as much.
Doctor: Would you like a prescription?
Magistrate: What for?
Doctor: I don't know. Some people like prescriptions. Here, take this to the druggist, pick out something you like, and take it three times a day with a little water.
Doctor: The best. The best of health. You'll live to be eighty.
Magistrate: I'm seventy-nine now.
Doctor: Well, you have a wonderful year ahead of you!
Snetsky: Slovitch, any news?
Slovitch: About what?
Snetsky: About the curse, of course! Has it been lifted yet?
Slovitch: How would I know?
Magistrate: Do you, Leon, take Sophia, to have and to hold from this day on?
Leon: I have
Magistrate: No. I do.
Leon: You do?
Magistrate: No, you do.
Doctor: He will. He does. Say it
Leon: "He will, he does." I said it.
Doctor: Don't say what I say. Say what he says
Leon: What did he say?
Gregor: "I do." Just say "I do"!
Leon: My papa says I do!
Gregor: I'm beginning to hate this curse, I swear to God!
Leon: But the adoption papers...
Gregor: They're false. You trusted me so much you didn't even read them. Here are the documents as proof. I did not adopt him, I divorced him! According to these documents, we are not father and son, we are no longer husband and wife!
Lenya: Dear God, my daughter almost married a divorced woman!
Audition Materials Link Click Here