Auditions

The Classic Comedy - YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU by Moss Hart and George Kaufman
Directed by Dick Reichman
Saturday, January 30, 2010
11am
413 D Street
Rehearsals begin in February
Show Dates: March 12-April 3
The basic plot of You Can't Take it With You is a romantic comedy with frequent interruptions from looney family members. It also gently ridicules the American tax system, welfare and market capitalism, and grandpa's anti-materialistic views. It also pokes fun at the typical perception of the American dream that encourages individuals to exert themselves in the pursuit of money and status without any regard for happiness and leisure activities.

Roles Available:

Alice Sycamore (20's) - The charming ingenue daughter. When she falls in love with Tony she becomes very aware of the cultural clash between her eccentric family and the conservative Kirbys.

Penelope Sycamore (50's) - Penny was a painter but gave up this hobby for writing when a typewriter was delivered to the house by mistake eight years earlier. She has an enjoyment of life and is very direct.

Paul Sycamore (50's) - Penny's husband, a quiet, charming, mild-mannered and never looses his composure. A complete contrast to the disgruntled character Mr. Kirby.

Essie Carmichael (late 20's) - Mrs. Sycamore's eldest daughter is a 29 year old aspiring ballerina. She also has a candy business but never takes off her ballet slippers even when she dawns her candy making apron. Essie is happily absorbed in tasks that amuse her and is wholly undisturbed by the eccentricities of her family.

Ed Carmichael (30's) - Essie's husband. A musician.

Martin Vanderhof (70's) - Grandpa gave up his business 35 years ago because he wasn't having any fun and has been a happy man ever since. Now he has time enough for everything and no longer has "six hours of things I have to do before the one hour to do the things I like to do." He has many hobbies and encourages the family to follow his example and do only what makes them happy.

Gay Wellington (any) - Drunken family member who sings.

Mr. De Pinna (middle age) - A bald headed little man with a serious manner. He helps Paul make firecrackers, poses as a roman discus thrower for Penny's painting. He arrived eight years earlier to deliver ice and ended up moving in.

Rheba (Black, 30's) - Mrs. Sycamore's efficient, practical and adaptable maid. Rheba emerges as a distinct individual speaking her mind and holding her own within the eccentric household.

Donald (Black 30's) - Reba's boyfriend. Cheerful and at ease in the household.

Tony Kirby (20's) - VP of his father's business who recently attended Yale and Cambridge and has fallen in love with Alice and wants to marry her. In the end he rejects his father's business and embraces the Venderhof's philosophy of seeking happiness over wealth.

Mr. Kirby (50's) - The traditional conservative successful wall street business man. He is initially shocked by the Vanderhofs and thinks grandpa's idea of doing only what makes you happy is very dangerous un-American. He is repressed with perpetual indigestion .

Mrs. Kirby (50's) - Tony's mother is the conservative female equivalent of her businessman husband. She too is shocked by the unconventional Vanderhof-Sycamores. She is affronted when Penny says spiritualism is "a fake".

Boris Kolenkhov (middle age) - Essie's dance instructor. A very loud Russian who has a convenient habit of arriving just in time for meals and contributes to the chaotic household. He encourages Essie to dance and wrestles with the unsuspecting Mr. Kirby.

Wilber Henderson (any) - He is the IRS agent who comes to collect 22 years back income tax from grandpa Vanderhof.

FBI Agents (any) -

Olga (50's) - Grand duchess, Olga, is a Russian friend of Boris who has fallen on hard times following the communist revolution in Russia. She is now a waitress and has a talent for making blintzes.

For more information please call Scarlet Boudreaux at 230-4185