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AUDITIONS

AUDITION LOCATION

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

AUDITION DATES

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17th, 2024 from 7:00-9:00 PM

CALLBACK DATE (BY INVITATION ONLY) 
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19th, 2024 from 7:00-9:00 PM
Knox Presbyterian Church (Preston) 
132 Argyle St. North. Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

SHOW SYNOPSIS

Familia est omnia.” Family is everything. That’s the mantra carved above the grand fireplace at Eventide— the Louisiana plantation home of the old-money Calhoun family; a passel of siblings as perfect as they are mysterious. 
As the patriarch lay dying, his children gather at the neglected ruins of their childhood home to discuss the cryptic and unusual will their father has left behind. All is well until estranged cousins Pearl and Fern Kelly arrive, claiming to be rightful heirs to the Calhoun fortune.
A freak hurricane forces the group to take cover, and tensions rise as the perfect facade the family has tried desperately to maintain is slowly peeled away. Southern hospitality is replaced by simmering animosity. Dark secrets are revealed and revelations are made that threaten the lives of all involved. It doesn’t help that Pearl feels as though they are being stalked by an otherworldly creature that has been haunting their charmed bloodline for generations. 
Inspired by classic Gothic ghost stories like ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and ‘The Turn of the Screw,’ The Return is an eerie and witty look at family dynamics. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO AUDITION? 

THE RETURN is open to performers ages 14-30 years of age. 

Penny & Pound Theatre Productions is a safe an inclusive youth and young adult production company with a mission to offer the best in community arts and youth theatre education in the Waterloo Region and beyond. We encourage full participation from performers identifying as members of the IBPOC community and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as performers with disAbilities, and those of all gender identities, social and economic backgrounds and beliefs. We are looking for enthusiastic performers with a keen knack for singing, acting, dancing or all three! No previous experience is necessary. All we ask is that all performers enjoy creative challenges, are hardworking and have a love of the theatrical arts! 

WHAT TO PREPARE

Nothing! Auditions for THE RETURN will consist of a cold reading from the script. 

IMPORTANT DATES

PERFORMANCE DATES: February 27- March 2, 2025 at KW Little Theatre 
TECH WEEK: February 24th-26th, 2025 
REHEARSALS: Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00-10:00 PM
FIRST REHEARSAL: NOVEMBER 2024 (TBD) 

WHAT TO EXPECT

At Penny & Pound, it is our goal to make all performers feel as comfortable and confident as possible during the audition process. Below is a detailed account of what your audition will look like. 
  • Please arrive at the audition venue 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled audition slot. You will be greeted by a volunteer who will ask that you fill out an audition form and/or a photo release form. They will be welcome to answer any questions you might have about the company or show process. If you are under 18 years of age, please ensure that a parent or guardian arrives with you to fill out the registration form.
  • When your audition time comes, you will be asked to enter the audition room where you will be greeted by THE CREATIVE TEAM. This team will consist of THE DIRECTOR, THE STAGE MANAGER, and THE PRODUCER. 
  • You will be asked to read from the script alongside other auditionees. Every auditionee will be given a chance to read for a number of roles.
  • After the audition, you will be welcome to ask THE CREATIVE TEAM any questions you might have about the company, show vision or process. 
  • In total, all auditions should take less than 30 MINUTES to complete.



     

SHOW FEE 

Those cast in THE RETURN are asked to pay a show fee of $100.
As a not-for-profit, education-based company, Penny & Pound Theatre Productions relies heavily on the support of grants and donors in order to operate. Show fees are used to cover the costs associated with producing a full-scale production, including (but not limited to): licensing rights, venue rental, sound and lighting rentals, costuming, marketing and set construction. Show fees DO NOT pay THE CREATIVE TEAM or STAFF.

THE CHARACTERS

* We are currently casting for the following roles in THE RETURN.

PEARL KELLY | Feminine; Black
The elder Kelly. A headstrong and intelligent young woman. Not easily put upon. A survivor. 

FERDINAND “FERN’ KELLY | Masculine; Black
Pearl’s younger brother. A dreamer who yearns for a life of luxury. Impressionable and somewhat naive. 

TEMPERANCE CALHOUN | Feminine
The eldest Calhoun sibling and only girl. Cold and aloof. Uptight and guarded. A ‘spinster.’ 

CASSIUS CALHOUN | Masculine 
The second eldest of the Calhoun siblings. Vain and self-absorbed; sensitive with men but smitten with women. 

ROLAND CALHOUN | Masculine 
The third eldest Calhoun sibling. The smartest and most calculating. The assertive, unemotional type. A bachelor. 

BEAUREGARD ‘BEAU’ CALHOUN | Masculine 
The youngest Calhoun sibling. Fun-loving and fast-living. 

DAPHNE CALHOUN | Feminine 
The wife of Cassius Calhoun. A proper Southern belle; beautiful and cunning. A gold digger. 

MARGARITE CALHOUN | Feminine 
The new wife of Beau Calhoun. A wild-child. Good-natured and righteous. An abolitionist.

HESTER-SUE | Feminine 
The Eventide housekeeper who knows everything there is to know about the Calhoun family. A confidant and keeper of secrets.  

EMENGARDE | Feminine 
The Calhoun family’s young scullery maid. Innocent and easily frightened. 

PHILLIPS | Masculine 
Roland’s valet. A man of few words. Dubious. 

SADIE 
Daphne’s dressing maid. A lovely albeit loose young woman with her eye on Fern. 

HORACE CALHOUN | Masculine 
The patriarch of the Calhoun family. A wealthy plantation manager who has lost his mind. Never seen, often heard. 


 
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