Miller Season Audition Notice

7/31/2019 Miller Season Audition Notice

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AUDITION NOTICE

Arthur Miller Season

Cottiers Theatre, November 2012

All My Sons Death of a Salesman

Directed by Deborah Mair Directed by Bruce Downie

13th

-17th

November 20th

-24th

November

Audition Dates: Monday 20th

-Friday 24th

August, 2012 (6-10pm) location tbc

Bruce and Debbie will be auditioning jointly for both plays. If you cannot make these dates but still

want to audition, please get in touch but bear in mind that we dont have easy access to audition

space and may not be able to accommodate you.

REHEARSALS WILL BEGIN IN EARLY SEPTEMBER

All My Sons and Death of a Salesman are not simply two plays by one of Americas most respected

playwrights. Central to both is a similar theme an exploration of the darkness and emptiness at the

heart of the American Dream, first tackled in All My Sons and later developed in Death of a

Salesman. However, Millers skill lies in his ability to explore larger social and economic themes

subtly, through well drawn characters and emotionally rich dramas.

All My Sons

Actions have consequences.

The American mid-west, 1946. Joe Keller is a successful self-made businessman whose company

supplied airplane parts for the US military during the war. With one son (Larry) missing in action and

presumed dead by all except his wife Kate, Joe forges on in his pursuit of wealth and security for his

family, alongside his idealist second son Chris. But the arrival of Larrys former sweetheart Ann,

followed by her brother George, begins a day in which past actions, and their consequences, are re-

examined with devastating consequences.


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All My Sons was Millers first successful play and is still regarded as a masterpiece. Its inherent

themes first brought Miller to the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee and

introduced a critique of the American Dream that he would later build on in Death of a Salesman.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

JOE KELLER male, mid-late 50s. Successful businessman and head of the Keller

household. Good natured and easy going, his entire world view revolves

around his responsibility to provide for his family. An uneducated, self-made

man whose average Joe origins still inform his character and personality

despite his now more wealthy position in life.

KATE KELLER (MOTHER) female, late 40s - early 50s. Joes wife. Kate is plagued by nervous headaches

and nightmares. She is fierce in her belief that her son Larry is not dead andis defensive and sharp with those who suggest otherwise. She gives the

impression of a woman clinging so tightly to self denial, that her whole

persona may shatter at the slightest touch.

CHRIS KELLER male, early 30s. A war hero who has been deeply affected by his

experiences, developing an idealism about mans responsibility to his fellow

man, which others can find oppressive. Chris is devoted to his family,

delaying his hopes of marriage to Ann (Larrys former girlfriend) for fear for

his mother. Although the profit made by the family business during the war

makes him uncomfortable, Chris looks up to his father, an idolisation that isdevastated as the truth about the past emerges.

ANN DEEVER female, mid-late 20s. Beautiful, honest, down-to-earth. The daughter of

Kellers former neighbour and business partner - she is quiet and gentle, but

nevertheless capable of standing her ground when it matters.

GEORGE DEEVER male, early 30s. Anns brother. George grew up with, and looked up to,

Chris. Georges arrival at the Keller home is the catalyst for underlying

tensions to come to a head.

DR. JIM BAYLISS male, late 30s. The Kellers neighbour. Wry and self-controlled, Jim Bayliss

has an easy-going manner. Underlying this, however, is a sadness that he

has not achieved what he wanted from his life.

SUE BAYLISS female, late30s. Dr Baylisss wife. Slightly uncomfortable with herself.

Occasionally sharp with her husband whose role, as she sees it, is to provide

the wealth that was implied when she supported him through medical

school.

FRANK LUBEY male, early 30s. The Kellers other neighbour. Around the same age as Chris

but he looks older. Pleasant, neighbourly but slightly unsure of himself.


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LYDIA LUBEY female, mid-late 20s. Franks wife. Lydia grew up in the neighbourhood and

was a former sweetheart of Georges before the war.

BERT male, 8-10 years old. Kid from the neighbourhood.

'Death of a Salesman'

Written in 1949 and set in New York. Willy Loman has been a traveling salesman all his life. Despite

his hard work the Lomans have always lived on the edge of poverty and Willy has always been an

underling in his company. Yet he constantly tells himself and his family that the big break he

deserves is just around the corner. He has raised his two sons, Biff and Happy, to also believe that

somehow life has cheated them and insists that one day they will get their due.

Death of a Salesman is revered for its bold realism and riveting theatricality, a play that deals in

weighty emotional issues without descending to melodrama.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

WILLY LOMAN An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly

in the American Dream of easy success and wealth. When Willys illusions

begin to fail under the pressing realities of his life, his mental health begins

to unravel.

BIFF LOMAN Willys thirty-four-year-old elder son. Biff led a charmed life in high school.

Since then, his kleptomania has gotten him fired from every job that he hasheld. Biff represents Willys vulnerable, poetic, tragic side. He cannot ignore

his instincts, which tell him to abandon Willys paralyzing dreams and move

out West to work with his hands.

LINDA LOMAN Willys loyal, loving wife. Linda suffers through Willys grandiose dreams and

self-delusions. Occasionally, she seems to be taken in by Willys self-deluded

hopes for future glory and success, but at other times, she seems far more

realistic and less fragile than her husband. She has nurtured the family

through all of Willys misguided attempts at success, and her emotional

strength and perseverance support Willy until his collapse.

HAPPY LOMAN Willys thirty-two-year-old younger son. Happy has lived in Biffs shadow all

of his life, but he compensates by nurturing his relentless sex drive and

professional ambition. Happy represents Willys sense of self-importance,

ambition, and blind servitude to societal expectations.

CHARLEY Willys next-door neighbor. Charley owns a successful business and his son,

Bernard, is a wealthy, important lawyer. Willy is jealous of Charleys success.

Charley gives Willy money to pay his bills, and Willy reveals at one point,

choking back tears, that Charley is his only friend.


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BERNARD Bernard is Charleys son and an important, successful lawyer. Although Willy

used to mock Bernard for studying hard, Bernard always loved Willys sons

dearly and regarded Biff as a hero. Bernards success is difficult for Willy to

accept because his own sons lives do not measure up.

BEN Willys wealthy older brother. Ben has recently died and appears only in

Willys daydreams. Willy regards Ben as a symbol of the success that he so

desperately craves for himself and his sons.

THE WOMAN Willys mistress when Happy and Biff were in high school. The Womans

attention and admiration boost Willys fragile ego. When Biff catches Willy

in his hotel room with The Woman, he loses faith in his father, and his

dream of passing math and going to college dies.

HOWARD WAGNER Willys boss. Howard inherited the company from his father, whom Willy

regarded as a masterful man and a prince. Though much younger thanWilly, Howard treats Willy with condescension and eventually fires him,

despite Willys wounded assertions that he named Howard at his birth.

STANLEY A waiter at Franks Chop House. Stanley and Happy seem to be friends, or at

least acquaintances, and they banter about and ogle Miss Forsythe together

before Biff and Willy arrive at the restaurant.

MISS FORSYTHE and LETTA Two young women whom Happy and Biff meet at Franks Chop

House. It seems likely that Miss Forsythe and Letta are prostitutes, judging

from Happys repeated comments about their moral character and the fact

that they are on call.

JENNY Charleys secretary.

WAITER non-speaking role

**Please note: if your age lies outside the range indicated for a role (in either play), please still

audition as there may be some flexibility, depending on the ensemble.

For the audition:

Please prepare a short monologue of no more than 2 minutes from a modern play - i.e. 20th

or 21st

century - in a standard American accent. You will also be asked to read from the script.

To arrange an audition, please [email protected] let us know dates and

times when you are available we will then reply as soon as we can with an audition time.

Call out for production crew:
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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These two plays are being presented as a single season and will need support and assistance from as

many of our members as possible. We are seeking a full backstage crew to staff and build sets for

both plays as a single project. In particular, we are looking for a single Production Manager to

oversee the technical set build and backstage needs for this ambitious project. This will involve

liaising with both directors, set designers and builders, prop makers etc. Its a very rewarding and

crucial role for someone who is both keen and organised, preferably with an interest in set design.

In addition, we are looking for Stage Manager(s) and Assistant Stage Managers, Wardrobe and

costume assistants, Props makers/designers, sound designer, sound and lighting operators. Finally,

we are also keen to have two Assistant Directors (one for each play) under the STG Director

Mentoring Scheme. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone with an interest in directing future

productions, or who simply wants to extend their knowledge of what goes into staging a play. No

experience is necessary for any of these roles as support will be provided more important is

enthusiasm and commitment to the project.

To apply to become part of the production crew, please email [email protected]

Miller Season Audition Notice

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