The Valley Players

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The Valley Players will hold auditions for the world premiere of Wake Up, Gloucester by Jeanne Beckwith on Monday, Dec. 9 and Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6pm at the Valley Players Theater, 4254 Main Street (Rt. 100), Waitsfield. This fully-staged reading (actors will appear with scripts on stage) will be directed by Doug Bergstein.

The story takes place in late August 1939, and deals with the lives, hopes, loves, and fears of a group of people who come together at The Dancing Duck, a tavern in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The depression is ending, but dreams that have been on hold still seem beyond reach. Life is not simple. Rumors of a war abroad are coming closer to home every day. The owner of the tavern is starting up a new radio station attached to the tavern. His friends, who are also his employees and customers, are supportive, but life is complicated; the future seems cloudy, and there just might be a sea serpent off the coast.

Roles are available for 5 men stage ages 20 or older (1 in their early 20s and the others between 30 and 60) and 3 women stage ages 22 or older (2 in their 20s and 1 about 50-60ish). No preparation is necessary to audition. Each session will be 90 minutes and auditioners should expect to stay for the entire time. Two hour rehearsals will be on Sundays at 4pm and Thursdays at 6pm beginning Sunday, January 5. Performances will be February 7-16: Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Anyone with questions should email valleyplayers@madriver.com.

The Valley Players present Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap Fridays-Sundays, Oct. 4-20, at the Valley Players Theater, 4254 Main Street (Rt. 100), Waitsfield, VT. Part murder mystery and part psychological thriller, this play is brimming with intrigue, sophisticated humor and surprising twists.

After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. A police detective (Ray Merrill, Montpelier) arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house (Sarah McDougal, Warren, and Wes Olds, Graniteville); a spinster with a curious background (Karin Stevenson, Essex); an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef (Paul Cavaliere, Montpelier); a retired Army major (Brent Adams, Warren); a strange man who claims his car has overturned in a drift (Aric Brown, Middlesex); and a former judge who makes life miserable for everyone (Marci Robinson, Warren). It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate.

The play is directed by Ruth Ann Pattee (Fayston) with assistance from Stage Manager Joanne Puente (Worcester). Set design is also by Pattee, with Doug Bergstein (Waitsfield) as set build crew chief. The lighting and sound design is by Jasper Mayone (Waitsfield) with assistance from Irene Halibozek (Williston). Show times are Friday & Saturday at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance at theaterengine.com. Please note, this play contains mature themes and may not be suitable for children under 13. For more information, go to valleyplayers.com.