Starlight Community Theater, the AriZoni Award-winning troupe based in the North Valley, is holding auditions for its upcoming dramatic comedy Brighton Beach Memoirs. Based on Neil Simon’s autobiographical bittersweet memoir, this production evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household in the 1930’s. Casting for the three male and four female roles is for ages 13 - adult.
“Starlight has been asked before to do a non-musical play for those that don’t sing or dance,” said Artistic Director Barbara L. Surloff. “Neil Simon is a comic genius and many are familiar with some of his works like the Odd Couple. Brighton Beach has roles for many ages, so it will appeal to a wide variety of actors.”
Auditions will be held from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 and 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, with callbacks at 6:30 p.m. All auditions take place at the Outlets at Anthem, Suite 315 at the Northwest corner of I-17 and Anthem Way.
Audition Needs:
- You’ll be asked to do a cold reading from the script
- Bring a resume and non-returnable picture if you have one.
- You may be asked to do some improvisation
- Roles for 3 males and 4 females ages 13 – Adult
- All roles are non-singing and non-dancing.
Play rehearsals will begin in December with time off for the holidays. All performances take place at Starlight’s venue at the Outlets at Anthem February 6-15, 2009.
“Brighton Beach Memoirs” is part one of Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a Brooklyn teenager in 1937 living with his family in crowded, lower middle-class circumstances. Eugene, the young Neil Simon, is the narrator and central character. His mind is full of fiercely fantasized dreams of baseball and girls. The play captures a few days in the life of a struggling Jewish household that includes Eugene's hard working father, his sharp tongued mother, his older and vastly more experienced brother Stanley, his widowed aunt and her two young daughters. As Eugene's father says, "If you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't live in this house." Two have heart disease, one has asthma, and two at least temporarily lose jobs needed to keep the straitened family afloat. Family miseries are used to raise such enduring issues as sibling resentments, guilt ridden parent-child relationships and the hunger for dignity in a poverty stricken world.
