Auditions for Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen Adapted by Jon Jory Directed by Jason and Lauren Morgan Auditions are Monday February 22 and Tuesday February 23 / Call Backs TBA if needed. The auditions will be held at First Christian Church, Irving South 114 West Grauwyler Rd. Irving, TX. 75061. You may e-mail the artistic director at shakespeareguild@aol.com to arrange an audition time. We will start at 7:30 pm. All Roles are available. Please bring a head shot and resume. BRITISH ACCENTS REQUIRED Performances: The productions will play April 8th – 24th 2016 at the Sanders Theatre in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. Non-Equity Actors: 1) Will provide a small stipend, stipend is based on profit sharing and participation in strike is required to receive any stipends. 2) Comps for 2 guest for first weekend of performances. 3) You receive an actor’s pass which you may use only for yourself to see our future shows on opening weekends for one year. Equity Actors: Equity Actors are always welcome to audition. 1) Contract level: special appearance level I. 2) We can contract up to two actors. Preparation: Auditions will be cold readings from the script. Rehearsals: The rehearsals will be in Irving. The Rehearsals will move to the Sanders theatre in Fort Worth the week of the production. Rehearsal schedule TBA but will start the first week of March Plot: The Elliot family verges on financial ruin, and image-conscious patriarch Sir Walter must rent their estate to avoid bankruptcy. His daughter Anne is surprised to learn who has taken the estate: the sister of Captain Wentworth, a man whose proposal she was persuaded to refuse years before. Then, Wentworth was a poor sailor with no social standing, but he has returned a rich and eligible officer. As they are thrown into one another's company once again, Anne's affection remains despite her lack of hope for any reconciliation. But when Wentworth begins to show signs of jealousy towards one of her suitors, she must summon the courage to seek out his true feelings. This movingly romantic adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel brings a classic story of enduring love to the stage. Roles Available: Elizabeth Elliot - The eldest daughter of Sir Walter and the older sister of Anne, Elizabeth Elliot is her father's favorite. Like her father, she is vain and primarily concerned with keeping up appearances and associating with important people. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth is the only one of the Elliot daughters to remain single, there being no one of adequate birth to suit her taste. Lady Russell Mary Elliot - The youngest Elliot sister, Mary is married to Charles Musgrove and has two small boys. She is high strung, often hysterical, and always aware of the imagined slights others have done to her. A rather inattentive mother, Mary focuses on social climbing. Anne Elliot - The novel's protagonist, Anne Elliot is the middle daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a landed baronet from a socially important family. Quiet and reserved, yet clever and practical, Anne sees the foolishness in her father's lavish spending. Because she is neither the most beautiful nor the most image-conscious of his daughters, Sir Walter often overlooks Anne, slights her, and dismisses her opinions. Though Anne seeks love, she is conscious of her duty to her position and the prudence of making a suitable match. Seeking to please those around her, in her youth, she was persuaded from following her true desires. In contrast to both of her two sisters and to the other young female characters in the novel, Anne is level-headed, considerate of others, and humble. She balances duty and passion in a composed and respectful way. Sir Walter Elliot - The father of Anne Elliot, baronet, and owner of Kellynch Hall, Sir Walter is a caricature of the impractical titled upper classes. Extraordinarily vain, Sir Walter lines his dressing room with mirrors, and agrees to be seen in public only with attractive or well-born people. Conscious of keeping up grand appearances, Sir Walter spends lavishly, and brings his family into debt. A poor judge of character, he is easily fooled by those who would take advantage of him. Mr. Shepherd Captain Wentworth - The object of Anne's affections, Captain Wentworth is a gallant Naval officer who, well-educated and well-mannered, has made his own fortunes by climbing the Naval ranks. He values constancy, practicality, and firmness of mind in women, characteristics that will make a good Navy wife. Though Captain Wentworth is almost universally liked and respected for his gentle nature and kind attentions to others, Sir Walter disdains him for his 'lower' birth. Admiral Croft - The amiable couple that rents Kellynch Hall when Sir Walter can no longer afford to stay there. The Admiral is a decorated Naval officer and his devoted wife travels with him when he is at sea. The Crofts are one of the few examples of an older happily married couple in any of Austen's novels. Mrs. Musgrove - The parents of Charles, Henrietta, and Louisa, the Musgroves have provided a balanced, happy home for their children at Uppercross. They are a landed family, second in rank in the parish only to the Elliots. They are practical, and want only happiness for their children. Henrietta Musgrove - Younger sister of Charles and older sister of Louisa, Henrietta is also young and fun-loving. Though she is not as decisive as Louisa, Henrietta sees the charms both of her cousin Charles Hayter and of the dashing Captain Wentworth. Charles Musgrove - Mary's husband, and heir to the great house at Uppercross, Charles is a relatively good-natured man who patiently endures his wife's trials. He would have preferred to marry Anne Elliot. Charles Hayter - Cousin to the Musgroves (his mother is the sister of Mrs. Musgrove), the Hayter family is nevertheless enmeshed in a much lower social circle because of their 'inferior, retired, and unpolished way of living.' Charles Hayter, the eldest son, however, chose to be a scholar and a gentleman, and consequently has much more refined manners. He will one day inherit his family's land, and he hopes to court his cousin Henrietta and make her his wife. Captain Harville Surgeon Mrs. Clay - The daughter of Mr. Shepard (family advisor to Sir Walter), Mrs. Clay soon becomes the friend of Elizabeth Elliot. Though she is of much lower birth, freckled, and not so very attractive, Mrs. Clay is a well-mannered widow. Anne, however, sees danger in the way she endears herself to Sir Walter, and suspects she may seek to marry in a class far above her own. Mrs. Smith - The girlhood friend of Anne Elliot who is currently living in Bath, Mrs. Smith has fallen on hard times. After her husband went into debt and left her a widow, Mrs. Smith was left with nothing. Now crippled by an illness, Mrs. Smith rekindles her former friendship with Anne and provides her with information that helps Anne learn more of Mr. Elliot. Mrs. Smith functions in the story to highlight Anne's high value on friendship and disregard for maintaining appearances at all cost.