Auditions

​Is He Dead?

Producers - Kate Edington & Wayne Dunn
Director - Kurt Percy
Audition Dates

We will be holding auditions for our Spring 2019 production, Is He Dead?, on the following dates:
  • Sunday, January 6, 6pm
  • Monday, January 7, 6pm

​Auditions will be held at our theater, and will consist of cold readings from the script. We welcome auditioners of all ages and experience levels. You do not need to attend both days of auditions, but those who are interested, are welcome to do so.

Performances will be on Mar. 15-17 and 22-24, 2019.
Synopsis

“Is He Dead?” by the great humorist Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives, is a madcap boisterous comic farce. Think Commedia and Moliere mixed with a healthy dose of The Marx Brothers and you have “Is He Dead?”

Jean-Francois Millet, a young painter of genius, is in love with Marie Leroux but in debt to a villainous picture-dealer, Bastien Andre. Andre forecloses on Millet, threatening debtor's prison unless Marie marries him. Millet realizes that the only way he can pay his debts and keep Marie from marrying Andre is to die, as it is only dead painters who achieve fame and fortune. Millet fakes his death and prospers, all while passing himself off as his own sister, the Widow Tillou. Now a rich "widow," he must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life, and marry Marie.

Roles

  • AGAMEMNON BUCKNER / CHICAGO - Male, 20-25; a young American artist, crony of Millet; character man, great with physical comedy and timing.
  • HANS VON BISMARCK / DUTCHY - Male, 20-35; pupil and fun-loving friend of Millet; German dialect; methodical, practical, character man, great with physical comedy and timing. 
  • MARIE LEROUX - Female, 20-30; Millet’s beautiful young sweetheart; free spirit and confident in her manner.
  • CECILE LEROUX - Female, 20-35; Marie’s older sister; in love with “Chicago”; jealous and suspicious of widow Tillou and Chicago’s relationship; disguises herself as an inspector to investigate the death of Millet.
  • PAPA LEROUX - Male, 56-65; older father to Marie and Cecile; becomes foolishly enamored of Widow Tillou; agile and good at physical comedy.
 
  • JEAN-FRANCOIS MILLET - Male, 26-45; struggling free-spirited artist living in poverty; madly in love with Marie; fakes his death and takes on the persona of his fictional widow sister, Madame Daisy Tillou, as a cover; excellent comedian, great with physical comedy and timing.
  • BASTIEN ANDRE - Male 46-59; picture dealer and our villain trying to ruin Millet and the Leroux family threatening them with financial ruin; lusts after the Widow Tillou; weasel-like; an operator.
  • MADAME BATHILDE - Female, 45-59; kindly older benefactress to Millet; busy body.
  • MADAME CARON - Female, 45-59; older benefactress to Millet; gossipy friend of Madame Bathilde.
  • PHELIM O'SHAUGHNESSY - Male, 26-35; pupil and mischievous boisterous friend of Millet; Irish dialect; character man, great with physical comedy and timing.
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  • BASIL THORPE - Male, 20-39; Rich fussy english merchant, discriminating buyer of art.
  • CLAUDE RIVIERE - Male, 20-39; reporter from “Le Figaro"; French dialect.
  • CHARLIE - Male, 20-39; a gorgeous flunkey
  • SERVANT / INSPECTOR MONNET - Male, 20-39; servant is Inspector Monnet in disguise
  • KING OF FRANCE - Male, 20-39.

Need to Learn an Accent?

Some of our actors have had continued success learning a variety of accents via the Dialect Accent Specialist materials. These are a reasonably priced collection of downloadable audio dialect lessons by David Lan Stern. The collection includes a wide range of dialects, such as New York City, American Southern & Texas, Cockney, German, and even Arabic! More info here:  Accents & Dialects for Actors.

Learning Lines? Yes, There's an App for That!

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There are a growing number of smart phone/device apps to help one learn lines. One that some of our actors highly recommend is LineLearner. However, it appears to work best with an iPhone rather than Android devices. Some additional links related to the app: iOS written instructions and video tutorials, 

Recommended Reading

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An Actor's Companion, Tools for the Working Actor. is an excellent book for both those new to acting as well as advanced actors. It is a relatively short read, full of succinct and simply set forth principles and activities. Experimenting with these principles will enable you to give a better performance.

Are you interested in being part of the Stage / Technical Crew?

We're always looking for individuals to participate in any aspect of LTC's productions. Stage managers, creative costumers, resourceful property managers, and responsible technical people are also greatly sought after by LTC. Please contact us anytime throughout the year if you would like to help.