The Valley Players announce auditions for their fall production of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams' semi-autobiographical look at a family struggling for survival during the Great Depression. Auditions will be held at the Valley Players Theater (4254 Main Street, Waitsfield) on Sunday, May 21st at 6:00pm and Monday, May 22nd at 6:00pm. If necessary, callbacks will be held on Wednesday, May 24. Production dates are weekends September 29 to October 15. For a synopsis of the play and descriptions of the characters, go to www.valleyplayers.com.

All interested actors are encouraged to audition. While the characters will be played as indicated in the script (2 female presenting, 2 male presenting), this does not preclude the casting of actors against "type." Prepared monologues are welcome (two minutes maximum) but not a requirement; prepared speeches should be one that the auditioner has performed before and is comfortable with. All actors will be asked to read at least one monologue of their choosing from the selections provided on the Valley Players website; there will be hard copies of these monologues to use at the auditions. The chosen monologue need not be memorized, but a familiarity with the selection beforehand will be helpful.

Actors will audition in groups of two. Each actor will read their monologue to their partner who acts as the silent other character in the scene. Both partners should be fully committed to the scene whether they are the speaker or the listener. The character of Amanda will be played with a Southern (Mississippi) accent; the characters of Laura and Tom need not have accents. The character of Jim speaks with a standard midwestern accent. Accents are not required at auditions.

The actor who plays Amanda should appear old enough to be Laura's mother. Because their characters were in the same class in high school, Laura and Jim should appear to be the same age, anywhere from early 20s to early 30s. Although Tom is mentioned as being two years younger than Laura, because the play's events are his memories, the actor playing Tom can range anywhere from 30s to 60s (the original Tom, Eddie Dowling, was 55 when he played the part.)

At this time, the Valley Players are not requiring proof of vaccination against COVID, or the wearing of masks; however, everyone is strongly encouraged to be up to date on vaccines and boosters for Covid and the flu. Anyone who wishes to rehearse masked will be supported.

Questions can be emailed to director Michael Halloran at mkhalloran@gmail.com. The Glass Menagerie is presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. on behalf of The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.

Apr 20, 2024, 7:30 to 11 PM

Apr 22, 2024, 5 to 6:20 PM

Apr 23, 2024, 5:30 to 7:30 PM