Auditions will be held on July 21, 22, & 23 and make ups and possible call backs will be on July 25.
Time for Auditions will be 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Penelope “Penny” Sycamore
Preferred age: 40 and up
Penelope is the mother of Essie and Alice, wife of Paul, and daughter of Martin. She writes plays and paints as hobbies because it makes her happy but is terrible at both. Penny is a loving mother and wife and is constantly concerned with the welfare of her family. Her main goal is to make sure everyone is happy, particularly her daughter Alice.
Martin “Grandpa” Vanderhof
Preferred age: 60 and up
Referred to mostly as Grandpa in the play. Father-in-law to Paul, father of Penny, grandfather of Alice and Essie. He is an eccentric happy old man who has never paid his income tax because He doesn’t believe in it., as he feels that the government wouldn’t know what to do with the money, if he paid for it. His lives his life by the philosophy: “Don’t do anything that you’re not going to enjoy doing.
Tony Kirby
Preferred age: 20 and up
Fiancé of Alice, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Kirby. He sees how, even though the Sycamores appear odd, they are really the perfect family because they love and care about each other. His own family is very proper and has many issues none of them will admit. He is vice president of Kirby and Co. This actor will need to have an adorable properness to him.
Anthony W. Kirby
Preferred age: 45 and up
Husband of Mrs. Kirby, father of Tony. He is a very proper man who is president of Kirby and Co. and secretly despises his job. His hobby is raising expensive orchids. He is also a member of the Harvard Society, the Union Club, the National Geographic Society, and the Racquet Club. Being rich and borderline snobby. He needs the ability to not laugh when hilarity ensues.
Boris Kolenkhov
Preferred age: 40 and up
A Russian who escaped to America shortly before the Russian Revolution. He is very concerned with world politics, and the deterioration of Russia. He is the ballet instructor of Essie, aware that she is untalented at dancing, but knows that she enjoys dancing, so he keeps working with her. He likes Greeks and Romans, questions society and is interested in world affairs. He is opinionated and often loudly declares that something “stinks”! He will need to be able to support Essie physical and wrestle Mr. Kirby.
Alice Sycamore
Preferred age: 20 and up
Fiancé of Tony Kirby, daughter of Paul and Penny, Granddaughter of Martin, sister of Essie. She the only "normal" family member. She has an office job and is rather embarrassed by the eccentricities of her family when she has Tony and his parents at her house, yet she still loves them. She tends to be a pessimist. Alice shows characteristics of love, embarrassment, worry, and many more.
Paul Sycamore
Preferred age: 40 and up
Father of Essie and Alice, husband of Penny, Son-in-law of Martin. He is a tinkerer who manufactures fireworks in the basement with the help of his assistant Mr. De Pinna. His hobby is playing with erector sets. A common, fatherly character.
Essie Carmichael
Preferred age: 25 and up
Wife of Ed, daughter of Penny and Paul Sycamore, Granddaughter of Martin, sister of Alice. She is childish. As a hobby she makes candy that Ed sells. Essie dreams of being a ballerina. She has spent 8 years studying with Boris Kolenkhov, but is a terrible dancer. Actresses who perform these embarrassing, bad dances need to keep a very straight face, and is willing to dance intermingled with Kolenkhov. Hilarity will ensue.
Ed Carmichael
Preferred age: 25 and up
Husband of Essie, son-in-law of Paul and Penny. He is a xylophone player and distributes
Essi’;s candies. Ed is an amateur printer who prints anything that sounds good to him. He prints
up dinner menus for his family and little quotes that he places in the boxes of Essie;s candy. He
also likes to make masks. The actor will need to be confident in all his crafts but show
meekness when he is later confronted with a visit from the feds.
Mr. De Pinna
Preferred age: 35 and up
The iceman who came inside to speak to Paul five years before, and never left. He helps Mr.
Sycamore build fireworks, and moonlights as a model in Mrs. Sycamore’s paintings. He is a
nutty guy. He is kind of a sidekick to Paul. Demonstrates wit and has unsuspected random jokes.
Donald
Preferred age: 25 and up
The boyfriend of Rheba, who seems to serve as volunteer handyman for the Sycamores. In the
words of Mrs. Sycamore, ”The two of them are really cute together, something like Porgy and
Bess”; The characters of Donald and Rheba, according to the script, are African-American.
These roles, and their dialogues, can be altered freely.
Rheba
Preferred age: 25 and up
The maid and cook for the Sycamore family. She is dating Donald. She is onstage a lot with
expressions but does not necessarily say anything. The characters of Donald and Rheba, accordingto the script, are African-American. These roles, and their dialogues, can be altered freely.
Wilbur C. Henderson
Preferred age 35 and up.
An employee of the IRS. He comes to collect the tax money owed by Grandpa, and can’t
understand why the latter won’t pay income tax. Sets the stage for what is to follow in the play.
Miriam Kirby
Preferred age 45 and up
Wife of Mr. Kirby, mother of Tony. She is an extremely prim and proper woman and is horrified by the goings-on in the Sycamore household. Her hobby is spiritualism. She shows a great deal
of emotion.
The Grand Duchess Olga Katrina
Preferred age 40 and up
She was once one of the Grand Duchesses of Russia before the Revolution, another being her
sister the Grand Duchess Natasha. Since then she has been forced to flee to America where she has found work as a waitress She loves to cook as a hobby. She needs to be over the top, a Russian accent is desired.
Gay Wellington
Preferred age 35 and up
An actress whom Mrs. Sycamore meets on bus and invites her home to read one of her plays.
She is an alcoholic, gets very drunk and passes out shortly after arriving at the Sycamore’s
home. The actress mustn’t be afraid to be moved and can act “passed out” in hilarious
positions without breaking character.
G-Man 1 (The Man), G-Man 2 (Jim), G-Man 3 (Mac) (it is possible for the IRS Man to also have one of the G-Man parts)
Three agents come to investigate Ed because of the communist things he prints up, such as
"God is the State – the State is God" and "Dynamite the White House".
Westfield Community Players are committed to diverse, inclusive casting.
Read through is tentatively scheduled for July 30th - 7-9:30 scripts and schedule will be provided.
Rehearsal schedule will be three days a week