Murrieta Valley Unified School District / Overview



AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR OUR TOWNREAD THE PLAY!!!!! This cannot be stressed enough. You can purchase the play directly from Samuel French, Inc., Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or another bookseller. The play is everywhere! It is a classic piece of the American theatrical experience and a Pulitzer Prize winner.Specific requirements for the audition are listed below the available roles.Students auditioning must consider the demands of a role with their school schedule. Available RolesThe Stage Manager( The role was originally cast with a man, but can be played by a woman.) The character sets up the stage, introduces the play, describes the setting, provides background information for the play, and sometimes steps into scenes to talk with the characters. In some way, the role resembles the function of a Greek Chorus or the omniscient narrator of a novel.Charles Webb He is the editor of the Grover's Corners Sentinel and father of two children, Emily and Wally.Myrtle Webb She is the devoted wife of Charles and mother of Emily and Wally. She is about thirty years old.Emily Webb An intelligent, pretty, engaging daughter of Charles and Myrtle Webb. She marries the next door neighbor, George Gibbs. She dies nine years into her marriage giving birth to her second child.Wally Webb Emily's younger brother. He dies after his appendix ruptures.Frank Gibbs The hard working town physician, who goes out to tend to his patients at all hours. He is married to Julia and father to George and Rebecca.Julia Gibbs Devoted wife of Doctor Gibbs and mother to George and Rebecca. She dreams of visiting Paris with her husband.George Gibbs He is the son of Frank and Julia Gibbs. George is a very likable young man, a star baseball player, wants to be a farmer, and in love with Emily Webb.Rebecca Gibbs The younger sister of George Gibbs. She is a very spirited.Howie Newsome Milkman who makes deliveries from a cart drawn by his old horse Bessie.Joe Crowell Newspaper boy who became an outstanding student in high school and went to MIT.Si Crowell Joe's younger brother who takes over his brother Joe's paper route.Sam Craig Emily Webb's cousin . He went west to pursue his career, but returns for Emily's funeral.Joe Stoddard Undertaker in charge of Emily Webb's funeral.Bill Warren The Constable of the town who works very hard to keep law and order in Grover's Corners.Simon Stimson He is the choirmaster of the Congregationalist Church and the town alcoholic. He commits suicide.Lowella Soames Choirmember and good friend of Julia Gibbs and Myrtle Webb. Louella enjoys some gossip at times.The following roles can be doubled. What does doubling mean? If you are cast in one of these roles, you will play one or two other roles. For example, if you are cast as Professor Willard, you will also be a choir member and play one of the dead men. It is also possible that you could be cast as an understudy.Professor WillardBaseball Players 1 and 2Dead Man 1 and 2Dead Woman 1 and 2Woman in the BalconyBelligerent ManLady in the BoxMr. CarterChoir SingersTown folk at wedding and funeralCommitment:Emily Webb appears in four out of six units in Act I, two out of four units in Act II, and two out of three units in Act III.Stage Manager appears in all units for Act I, three out of four units in Act II, and all units for Act III. The role of the stage manager is vital to the success of the play. George Gibbs appears in four out of six units in Act I, three out of four units in Act II, and two out of three units in Act IIIMrs. Webb appears in three out of six units in Act I, three out of four units in Act II, and one out of three units in Act III.Doctor Gibbs appears in three out of six units in Act I, three out of four units in Act II, and two out of three units in Act III.Mrs. Gibbs appears in three out of six units in Act I, two out of four units in Act II, and all units in Act III.Mr. Webb appears in two units of Act I, two units of Act II, two units of Act IIISpecific OUR TOWN audition requirements.The initial audition will consist of a monologue and a one minute pantomime activity. OUR TOWN uses a great deal of pantomime or acting without words. It is essential to the production that the pantomime is done well. Pantomime RequirementsYour pantomime must be at least one minute in length and have a beginning, middle, and end. You must carefully plan your pantomime. Please do not attempt to do this on the spur of the moment. If your pantomime is lacking, it could cost you a role in the production. You must pantomime a daily activity. The director must be able to have a clear sense of what you are doing. Your use of the body with gestures and facial expression is important when to performing a believable pantomime. Here are some examples:. washing dishes. setting the table. chopping wood. planting a garden. getting dressed. changing a tire. putting on make – up. knitting. shaving. cooking or baking a certain dishScript AuditionsInitial script auditions will be monologues. All of the monologues are directly from the script.. It is not necessary to memorize the monologue, but you must be VERY familiar with your chosen monologue. Your eyes need to come up from the page when you are auditioning. Remember that when you do a monologue, you MUST know who you are talking to during the monologue. You will be asked that question in the audition. You may be asked other questions about the given circumstances of the play as well. READ THE PLAY!!! The Harper Perennial version, which can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, is the one being used. Scroll down to see the edited monologues.Here are the monologue choices:Stage Manager: Auditioning for the stage manager involves two monologues. All auditionees MUST do part of the monologue from Act III, pages 87-88, beginning with the line, “ Yes, an awful lot of sorrow...” until the end of the monologue on page 68. Your other two choices are as follows:Act I Pages 32-33Act II Pages 47-48Emily Webb: Anyone auditioning for Emily must do two monologues. You will find one of the monologues below and the other is in Act III on page 83. Doctor GibbsPage 37-38 Mr. Webb Page 60 Mrs. WebbPage 76Simon Stimson Page 34Other characters can be auditioned for by selecting a scene in which they are in. Also, remember to select a pantomime that the character performs in the play.Edited MonologuesDuring this monologue, Emily goes through many emotions. We need to experience Emily's nervousness, her reprimands, and finally her tears. Emily: I don't like the whole change that's come over you in the last year. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings; but I've just gotta—tell the truth and shame the devil. Well, up to a year ago, I used to like you a lot. And I used to watch you while you did everything—-because we'd been friends for so long. And then you began spending all your time at baseball. And you never stopped to speak to anybody any more---not really speak---not even to your own family, you didn't. And George, it's a fact---ever since you've been elected Captain, you've got awful stuck up and conceited, and all the girls say so. And it hurts me to hear them say it; but I got to agree with 'em a little, because it's true. I always expect a man to be perfect and I think he should be. My father is and as far as I can see, your father is. There's no reason on earth why you shouldn't be, too. And don't tell me it's the other way around, that men aren't naturally good and girls are. You might as well know right now that I'm not perfect.---It's not as easy for a girl to be perfect as a man, because, well, we girls are more---nervous---Now, I'm sorry I said all that about you. I don't know what made me say it. George's monologue needs to have a sense of awkwardness and also the discovery of his true feelings for Emily. As an audience, we must feel that discovery right along with him.George: Emily, I'm glad you spoke to me about that---that fault in my character. What you said was right; but there was one thing wrong with it. That's where you said that I wasn't noticing--- people---and you for instance---why, you say, you were watchin' me when I did everything---Why I was doin' the same about you all the time. Why sure---I always thought about you as one of the chief people I thought about. I always made sure where you were sitting on the bleachers, and who you were with, and for three days now I've tried to walk home with you; but something always got in the way. Yesterday, I was standing over by the wall waiting for you and you walked home with Miss Corocan. Listen, Emily, I'm going to tell you why I'm not going to Agricultural School. I think once you've found a person you're very fond of---I mean a person who's fond of you, too, and likes you well enough to be interested in your character---Well, I think that is just as important as college is, even more so. That's what I think.Please take notice of all the hyphens in this monologue. This is a hint to the characterization of Professor Willard and obviously alter his speech rhythms. He is a wealth of information.Professor Willard: Grover's Corners---mmm---let me see---Grover's Corners lies on the old Pleisocene granite of the Appalachian range. I may say that it is some of the oldest land in the world---we're very proud of that here. Of course, there are some more recent outcroppings,---sandstone, showing through a shelf of Devonian basalt, and some vestiges of Mezonic shale, but these are comparatively new---perhaps two or three hundred million years. Some highly interesting fossils have been found---I may say, unique fossils---two miles north of the Peckham Farm---in Silas Peckham's cow-pasture. These may be seen in the museum at the University at any time---that is any reasonable time. You say you would like some words on the history of man....some anthropological data---Early American stock, Cotahatchee tribes---no evidence before the 10th century of this era---now entirely disappeared---Oh,possible traces in three families---migration in early part of the 17th century of English brachiocephalic blue-eyed stock---Since then, some Slav and Mediterranean---ah---our population here within the town limits is 2,640---pardon me, population at the moment is 2,642. The postal district brings in 507 more---making a total of 3,149. Mortality, birth rates---constant. By McPherson's gauge:6,032....ah----thank you...thank you.Mrs. Gibbs married Doctor Gibbs without really knowing him. She was very young when she married. She learned to love Doctor Gibbs and is a good wife and mother. However, there are these urges to break free. Let us get a sense of her strong desire to make a very bold choice and not settle for the repetition of her everyday life.Mrs. Gibbs: Now, Myrtle, I've got to tell you something, because if I don't tell somebody I'll burst. One of those second-hand furniture men from Boston came to see me last Friday. First, I thought he was a patient wantin'to see Doctor Gibbs. Well, he wormed his way into my parlor, and, Myrtle Webb, he offered me three hundred and fifty dollars for Grandmother Wentworth's highboy, as I'm sittin' here! That old thing! Why it's so big I didn't know where to put it and I almost give it to Cousin Hester Wilcox. I don't know. I just don't know if I'm going to take it. If I could get Doctor Gibbs to take the money and go away some place on a trip, I'd sell it like that. You know, Myrtle, it's been the dream of my life to see Paris, France. Oh, I don't know. It sounds crazy I suppose, but for years I been promising myself that if we ever had the chance---I beat around the bush a little and told Doctor Gibbs that if I ever got a legacy---that's the way I put it---I'd make him take me. He said no, it might make him discontented with Grover's Corners to go traipsin' around Europe; better let well enough alone, he says. Every two years he makes a trip to the battlefields of the Civil War and that's enough treat for anybody, he says. It's a fact, Doctor Gibbs is never so happy as when he's at Antietam or Gettysburg. The times I've walked over those hills, Myrtle, stopping at every bush and pacing it all out, like we was going to buy it. Oh, I'm sorry I mentioned anything. Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die, you ought to see a country where they don't talk in English and don't even want to. ................
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