Highlands Cashiers Players to Hold Open Auditions for 2024 Plays

     The Highlands Community Players had a great open audition for the 2024 season on Jan 14 at PAC.

We have identified several wonderful new female actors but we need more young male actors, and male actors in general.

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Men, if you have acting experience or wish to try the stage, please send a message to me at our Highlands Cashiers Players page for an interview with one of our directors. - Ron Leslie

     All interested local residents, experienced or otherwise, are invited to join us at 2pm in the Performing Arts Center. This is a first for HCP, and is an attempt to involve a broader spectrum of the community in our productions. Our motto has always been “good plays, well done”, but of equal importance is to provide a stage for local citizens to both develop and display their theatrical talent.  

     Three productions, being staged in March through September will be cast beginning with this process and all fifteen roles are open. Participants will be given a short portion of script to read and the part(s) in question will be reviewed with them by the director. Experienced actors are asked to bring a theatrical resume and all auditionees should bring a recent snapshot on regular paper.  Data sheets will be compiled so that all auditionees are identified both for these and future plays. You are encouraged to discuss the rehearsal schedule with the directors as well as any concerns or questions that you might have.  And please remember, if you don’t see a part that is right for you but are still interested in local theater, please come and introduce yourself anyway. Our knowledge regarding your availability may allow us to choose a more suitable play for our 2025 season.  All plays listed will begin production at least 5 weeks prior to opening night. Directors and show dates are as follows:

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Squabbles (3/28-3/31 and 4/4-4/7)

by Marshall Karp, directed by Scott Ewing.

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Scott is a newcomer to Highlands but brings with him a world of experience. He has recently purchased a home here and we are extremely excited to have him. He describes Squabbles as “All in the Family meeting The Honeymooners with a father in law pitted against a mother in a comedic succession of squabbles. Jerry Sloan is a successful writer of advertising jingles married to an equally successful lawyer, Alice. Living with the happy couple is not so happy Abe Drefus, Jerry’s curmudgeon of a father in law. The situation is hilariously complicated when Jerry’s mother, Mildred, loses her house and is forced to move in when them. Listed characters are:

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• Alice Sloan: A successful lawyer of child bearing age. She is married to Jerry but will always be “Daddy’s girl”.

• Abe Hoffman: Alice’s father, he is an outspoken and opinionated cross between Archie Bunker and Ralph Kramden who has had a health scare and is now moved in with them.

• Jerry Sloan: An affable work-from-home jingle writer who is not at all pleased with Abe’s attitude.

• Mildred Sloan: Jerry’s big city Jewish mother. She is formidable in her own right, but has recently lost everything in a house fire.

• Hector Lopez: He is the family gardener, not a particularly industrious worker who is a great foil for Abe and serves to unite the family in the end.

• Sol Wasserman: A friend of Abe’s who sometimes comes over to play cards.

• Mrs. Fisher: Their baby’s caregiver, very formally dressed in a white nurses uniform. We meet her in the last scene, this is a rich comedic role which would be enhanced by a non-descript foreign accent.

Always a Bridesmaid  ( 5/9-5/12 and 5/16-5/19)

by Jones, Hope, and Wooten, directed by Ricky Siegel.

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Ricky is a very talented local actor and director, with a history of highly successful productions. In this hilarious comedy romp, four friends have sworn to keep the promise they made on the night of their senior prom: to be in each other 's weddings no matter what. More than 30 years later, these southern friends for life are still making the long walk for each other, and determined to honor that vow. Libby Ruth the hopeful romantic with the perfect marriage believes-- in spite of all the evidence to the contrary-- that her friends can find the very same happiness. Headstrong Deedra’s ‘rock solid’ union hangs by a thread when she discovers her husband of many years not only has a wandering eye but hands to match. Monette, flashy high-spirited and self-involved continues to test her friend's love and patience with her all too frequent trips down the aisle. And the salt of the earth tree-hugging Charley discovers --the hard way-- that marital bliss is not at the end of her rainbow and panics in outrageous style when the opportunity presents itself. Corina is stuck being everyone's bridesmaid. Deciding to no longer be a lady-in-waiting, she bravely re-enters the dating scene. Will she always be a bridesmaid or could the love of her life be right around the corner? Listed characters are:

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• Kari Ames-Bissette: Late 20s, kind-hearted, spirited southern charmer.

• Libby Ruth Ames: Late 40s, hopeless romantic, sweet country woman, plain spoken and guileless.

•  Sedalia Ellicott: 60s, a gregarious, energetic Virginia hostess and life-force.

• Monette Gentry: Late 40s, kinda flashy, kinda trashy, southern to the bone flirt.

• Charlie Collins: Late 40s, tree-hugging, Birkenstock wearing, acerbic, southern free spirit.

•  Deedra Wingate: Late 40s, headstrong with a dry wit, no nonsense, Northern transplant.

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The Lifespan of a Fact ( 8/22-8/25 and 8/29-9/1)

by Kareken, Murrell and Farrell, directed by Michael Lanzilotta

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Based on a true story by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal, two of the show's characters. Michael is also a very talented local actor and director and has a history of successfully directing beginning actors.

Bursting with blistering comedy the show grapples with questions about the nature of truth, the role of fact-checking and the boundaries of creative expression in non-fiction writing."Lifespan" invites the audience to ponder the delicate dance between facts and storytelling, leaving them with much to contemplate long after the curtain falls.

The show has three characters:

•  John D'Agata, age 40-60, somewhat of an alpha male, very self-assured.

• Jim Fingal, age 35-50, the Fact checker, described as the total opposite of D’Agata, being small scruffy, awkward and perseverant.  

• Emily Penrose, age 40-60, a tough-minded magazine editor.