SOME WOMEN WHO LOVED POE
By IZO MILANO aka ISSAC BEDONNA
Other plays: BABY JESUS, RUDE RESTAURANT, THE ZOMBIE WORE ZEBRA, FRIENDS IN A BACHELOR GROUP, GHOST IN THE GARDEN (An indie full-length film)
Director: Issac Bedonna
Open Auditions: May 8th and 9th (6:30 - 8:30)
Rehearsals: (To be announced)
Matinee Performance: June 17th (2:30 pm)
Evening Performance: June 18th (7:30 pm)
Mature Audiences, Adult Language and Content
The Majestic Theatre (a division of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation department) is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a safe place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. We are particularly eager to work with artists of color and other artists from marginalized communities. All auditions are free and open to the public. This audition is for an amateur, volunteer production. The Majestic Theatre staff and volunteers do not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, gender, ethnic background, ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or any protected class.
Auditions will be held in person at The Majestic Theatre. If you’d like to pre-fill out an audition form, you can download it here and bring it with you to the audition. Otherwise, forms will be available at the audition.
A headshot will be requested to be posted with the cast list.
SHOW SYNOPSIS
The time is 1874, Baltimore, twenty-five years after Edgar Allan Poe’s death. Women gather at Birdie Toynbee’s manor to honor Poe and also give voice to feminist/suffragette concerns. Most of the women are spiritualists or mediums, except for one who is skeptical and NOT a Poe fan. Not only does an unplanned séance occur, but the women become involved in a grave political dilemma to save the life of one of their own.
FROM THE DIRECTOR - Issac Bedonna (pen name) Izo MilanO
SOME WOMEN WHO LOVED POE began as a challenge. Because of entertainment complaints that there were not enough good roles for actresses, especially those middle-age or older, I thought, “Hey, let me give that kind of story a shot.” The play now boasts 7 females characters ranging in age from late teens through the 70’s.
As a writer influenced by Poe at an early age, I focused on an American ghost story which strongly refers to the celebrated writer of horror. The greatest challenge was introducing humorous elements into SOME WOMEN WHO LOVED POE. My writing is always edgy and I love pushing the audience’s buttons as much as possible. SOME WOMEN WHO LOVED POE is a dramedy, punctuated by horror.
PREPARATION NOTES
This is a staged reading so strong, projected voices are required. Emotions register from casual, to squabbing, to angry, to panicked. Be able to scream. No memorization necessary for the 2 theater readings. You may read from the script. I’m interested in “musical, poetic” voices. Download or acquire Poe’s poems “The Haunted Palace,” “Spirits of the Dead,” and “The Conqueror Worm.” Read aloud parts of the poems casually—“lightly”— and other parts in degrees of darkness. Show us the black and the white of your vocal deliveries.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
This cast is made up entirely of Southern, middle-to-upper-class ladies.
BIRDIE TOYNBEE:
Age: 60 — 70’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/movement: must be able to project and yell/scream
Character: owner of Midloch Manor. Upper class spiritualist who secretly practices some witchcraft. She leads women’s groups in her manor. A tricky person. A little scatter-brained. She must project and yell at times.
LORIANNE BILLUPS
Age: 30’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/movement: must be able to project and yell/scream
Character: Upper class with a bit of attitude. Rich background. Usually composed but yells at times. She’s NOT a fan of Poe or Spiritualism. A little quirky, sometimes a mischief-maker. Has a slight Southern accent.
WILLADEAN WITFIELD
Age: 40 — 50’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/ movement: must be able to project and yell/scream
Character: Birdie’s neighbor. Country girl background who married rich, though she doesn’t flaunt it. Secretly practices Wicca but only to cure and heal those around her. Kind of an Earth Mother who can kick ass if need be. Helpful, jovial but can get gruff fast, yells at times.
MADAME VANHAZEL
Age: 40 — 50’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/movement: must be able to project and yell/scream
Character: Birdie’s younger cousin; the bohemian of the family. From family money and quite the traveler. A free spirit witn affected, la-di-da manner. Humorous. Psychic but more when it’s to her advantage. A lesbian who dressed as a man to assist the Civil War wounded. An alcoholic.
EARLENE VAN DER BEEK
Age: 30’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/ movement: must be able to project
Character: Proper, polite, classy but humble, very educated, eloquent. Broad minded. A powerful medium and feminist/ suffragette with a European background. Experiences deep trances. Active in political movements, especially those concerning women.
LOVELYN ENGLEHART
Age: late teens
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/movement: must be able to project
Character: Birdie’s neighbor down the road. A vivacious, tough, young lady. Motherless, raised in a well-to-do all-male family so eager for female company. Energetic, excitable, playful, a budding strong psychic though unknown to her, adventurous like Alice in Wonderland.
FAY WOODWARD:
Age: 40’s
Race: any
Ethnicity: any
Gender: female-presenting
Ability/movement: must be able to project and yell/scream
Character: Birdie’s neighbor down the road. A somewhat dowdy, resilient, decent woman with a very difficult past. Abused by an overbearing, drunk husband.
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