Take the Stage With Us
What to Expect
- Please dress comfortably
- Be prepared to provide all potential scheduling & rehearsal conflicts
Current Auditions
You Can’t Take it With You
Directed by Matt Spence
Comedy play written By Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
Audition Form Link:https://forms.gle/7oE2NKVcD3cA9rKs7
Target Audience: Appropriate for All Ages
Approximate running time: full length. about 2 hours
AUDITION DATES: Friday Nov. 6th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm & Saturday Nov. 7th at 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Averitt Center for the Arts 3rd floor classroom
33 East Main St. Statesboro, GA 30458
ABOUT:
One of America’s most beloved and popular comedies, this valentine to an eccentric family has delighted audiences from schools and universities to Broadway for decades.
Grandpa Vanderhof lives “just around the corner from Columbia University – but don’t go looking for it.” Grandpa is the paterfamilias of an extended, loving and eccentric family which includes a daughter who fancies herself a romance novelist; her husband, an amateur fireworks expert; a xylophone player/leftist leaflet printer; an untalented ballerina; a couple on relief; and a ballet master exiled from Soviet Russia. When Grandpa’s granddaughter Alice, an attractive and loving girl who is still embarrassed by her family’s eccentricities, falls for her boss, Tony, a handsome scion of Wall Street, she fears that their two families – so unlike in manner, politics, and finances – will never come together. And that’s when the fireworks begin…
During a disastrous dinner party, Alice’s worst fears are confirmed. Her prospective in-laws are humiliated in a party game and the house is raided by the FBI. Frustrated and upset, Alice intends to run away to the country, until Grandpa and Co. – playing the role of Cupid – manage not only to bring the happy couple together, but to set Tony’s father straight about the true priorities in life. After all, why be obsessed by money? You can’t take it with you…
Setting: The Vanderhof home. New York City. 1936.
Cast Size: Medium: 17+ roles
The Sycamore-Vanderhof Family
GRANDPA MARTIN VANDERHOF – The lovable, wise patriarch who quit Wall Street 35 years ago to collect stamps and attend commencement speeches. He believes life is too short to be unhappy.
How to play: Relaxed, warm, witty, and confident. Never tries to be funny. His wisdom comes naturally.
PENELOPE /PENNY SYCAMORE – A cheerful, scatterbrained mother to Alice– playwright, painter, writes plays without having any idea what she’s doing because a typewriter was delivered by mistake
How to play: Bubbly, distracted, and enthusiastic. Every new idea is the greatest idea she’s ever had.
PAUL SYCAMORE – A kindhearted family man who would rather build fireworks in the basement with Mr. De Pinna than worry about responsibilities/ Alice’s Father
How to play: Easygoing, friendly, and genuinely fascinated by his hobbies. Completely unaware that his lifestyle is unusual.
ESSIE CARMICHAEL/SYCAMORE – Alice’s sister – An aspiring ballerina with endless enthusiasm and no talent, candy maker, married to Ed
How to play: Energetic, innocent, and completely committed. Dance terribly but with absolute confidence. Never intentionally act silly.
ED CARMICHAEL – Essie’s quirky , devoted husband who loves music, printing, and his unusual family– xylophone player, amateur printer
How to play: Cheerful, slightly goofy, and laid-back. Happily follows whatever catches his interest.
ALICE SYCAMORE – The only “normal” family member desperately trying to balance love and her embarrassing family, stenographer at Kirby & Co.
How to play: Intelligent, sincere, and increasingly anxious. Her embarrassment should be genuine, never mean-spirited.
MR. DE PINNA – A former ice delivery man who visited 8 years ago and never left
How to play: Quiet, dry, and deadpan. Treat the family’s ridiculous behavior as perfectly normal.
RHEBA – The Sycamore family’s cheerful warm hearted housekeeper, maid, and cook who knows exactly how this crazy household operates
How to play: Confident, quick-witted, and affectionate. She’s part of the family, not intimidated by them.
DONALD – Rheba’s boyfriend, and Sycamore family’s frequent visitor
How to play: Friendly, practical, and easygoing. Comfortable with the family but occasionally amused by their nonsense.
The Kirby Family & Others
TONY KIRBY – A wealthy young man who falls in love with Alice and her family’s freedom. VP at his father’s company
How to play: Charming, genuine, and optimistic. More interested in happiness than money or status.
MR. ANTHONY P. KIRBY – Tony’s wealthy, stern father who believes success comes from money, work, and discipline.
How to play: Authoritative, stiff, and serious. His gradual softening should feel earned, not sudden.
MRS. MIRIAM KIRBY – Tony’s upper-class mother who is horrified by the Sycamores.
How to play: Elegant, judgmental, and tightly controlled. Express outrage through facial expressions and restrained reactions.
WILKINSON – The Kirby famiy’s proper & reserved butler
How to play: Formal, controlled, and professional. The comedy comes from maintaining composure despite the absurdity.
GRAND DUCHESS OLGA KATRINA- Former Russian aristocrat, now a waitress, still carries herself like a duchess
How to play: Regal, proud, and delightfully enthusiastic. Royalty is an attitude, not a bank account.
BORIS KOLENKHOV – Essie’s loud, flamboyant Russian ballet teacher with strong opinions about everything
How to play: Big personality, booming voice, dramatic gestures. Completely serious about everything he says.
MR. WILBUR C. HENDERSON – An government tax investigator trying to get Grandpa to pay his income taxes
How to play: Businesslike, impatient, and increasingly frustrated. He expects simple answers and gets complete nonsense.
GAY WELLINGTON – A theatrical actress who enjoys drinking and making a spectacle of herself.
How to play: Exaggerated, dramatic, and increasingly uninhibited. Play the drunkenness naturally rather than forcing laughs.
THE G MEN – Federal agents sent to the sycamores to investigate who arrive expecting a dangerous situation and encounter a completely bizarre family.
How to play: Serious, suspicious, and intimidating. Their humor comes from treating harmless chaos like a national emergency.
POLICE MEN – Officers attempting to maintain order as the household descends into chaos.
How to play: Professional, confused, and increasingly overwhelmed. React realistically to the madness.
*All roles lean towards an adult cast, minimum age 16+, ages for each role determined by the director’s discretion.