Join Okotoks' theatre troupe for an upcoming production.
The Dewdney Players put out a casting call seeking a wide range of actors for its upcoming production of Bus Stop, a 1955 play by William Inge.
The play takes place entirely in a small seedy, run-down café/bus stop in a small Kansas town 30 miles (50 kilometres for Canadians) west of Kansas City in 1958. All those in the play are forced together for most of the night by a raging blizzard in March, likely the last big storm of the season. The ensemble cast of eight characters caught by the storm each has their own reasons for being there and for not wanting to be there.
The cast of quirky characters is as follows:
Elma Duckworth — waitress working the night shift, late teens, a high school student, interested in the arts.
Grace Hoylard — older, more seasoned woman, late 30s/early 40s, split from her husband, owns the restaurant.
Will Masters — large and imposing, Will is the local sheriff, impression is he is as tough as he looks.
Cherie — a pretty southern chanteuse, about 20ish, from the Ozarks, she is ill prepared for the weather or apparently much else given her wardrobe (open sandals, almost stage make-up, etc), but fragile looking. (Cherie needs to be able to sing: think Peggy Lee torch songs of the 1950s.)
Dr. Gerald Lyman — a former university professor, he is medium height, weight, age, etc. (not sure if he is retired or not teaching for other reasons, a little bit drunk on entry and more so later), glasses, etc. to look more scholarly.
Carl — the bus driver, a large man, boisterous and maybe a bit loud.
Bo Decker — Montana ranch hand, in his early 20s, good looking in a rough sort of way, brash, a little arrogant and somewhat pushy/argumentative, he and Virgil look almost like caricatures of western outlaws.
Virgil Blessing — late 40s, slow moving and a bit corpulent, carries a guitar (which he needs to be able to play), rumpled cowboy appearance, similar but a bit neater than Bo, he appears to have somewhat of a parental concern for Bo.
Auditions will be held at the Aldersyde Community Hall on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Rehearsals will be most Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through November, December and January with some adjustments for holidays and other events.
Bus Stop performances are scheduled for Jan. 17 to Feb. 1.
Learn more on the Dewdney Players' website or by contacting [email protected].
