By Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov
Directed by Marcia Frederick
OVERVIEW:
MY SISTER EILEEN is a 1940's classic comedy based on autobiographical short stories that appeared in The New Yorker Magazine. The successful play spawned an equally successful musical, movie and TV sit-com.
Ruth and Eileen, 2 ambitious but naive sisters from Columbus Ohio, arrive in New York ready to take Manhattan by storm. Ruth, a delightful skeptic seeks her fortune as a newspaper reporter and Eileen, a guileless beauty, has her sights set on being cast in a Broadway show. With stars in their eyes they rent a basement apartment in Greenwich Village that could be called, “a dungeon with a view.”
With unflappable determination the sisters begin their new adventures with a con artist landlord, wily newspapermen, hucksters, hustlers and an entire neighborhood of oddball characters as a farcical flow of traffic (including the Brazilian Navy) streams through their apartment.
ROLES: 13 men and 7 women, some doubling for smaller men’s roles. All roles open; Actors of all backgrounds encouraged to audition.
Women:
- Ruth Sherwood: 25-30. Writer, one-liner expert, older sister.
- Eileen Sherwood: 18-25. Aspiring actress, charmingly innocent.
- Helen Wade: 18 -25 Young “wife” and upstairs neighbor.
- Mrs. Wade. Helen’s conservative mother.
- Violet Shelton. Former tenant with a “colorful” past and clientele.
- Mrs. Sherwood: The sisters’ visiting mother.
- Prospective tenant: wise-crack artist, any age.
Men:
- Mr. Appopolous: fast talking Greek landlord and “artiste”
- Jensen: the apartment’s able “maintenance” staff and bouncer
- Lonigan: the local cop
- The Wreck: football star, wrestler and house “husband”
- Mr. Fletcher: A fireman and potential client of Violet Shelton
- Frank Lippencott: 20-25 Drug store manager, Eileen’s date
- Chic Clark: Glib newspaper reporter, another of Eileen’s dates
- Robert Baker: 25-35, cool reporter and eventually Ruth’s hero
- The Brazilian Council
- Six Future Brazilian Admirals
WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 OR Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 7pm. Please plan to arrive at the time indicated. You need only attend one initially. Call backs Saturday, September 26, 2009.
WHERE:
Lohman Theatre (Room #8002)
Foothill College I -280 & El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (see parking instructions below).
WHAT TO PREPARE: Cold readings will be assigned. Prepared monologue optional.
PRODUCTION: Rehearsals begin Monday, September 28. Show performs November 6-22, 2009.
MISC: Non-equity. No pay. No fees for participating.
MORE INFO: Call (650) 949-7268 or email
frederickmarcia@foothill.edu
Parking Info: Parking will cost $2 for each audition. If cast, you will receive a parking pass. Recommend parking in Lot 7 or 8 for closest, most convenient access.
