Description:

The Beverly Theatre Guild, Chicago's longest-running community theatre company, announces open auditions for Noel Coward's Classic Comedy Present Laughter.

Auditions will be held at The Baer Theater at Morgan Park Academy 2153 W. 111th Street, Chicago

All roles will be cast from open auditions.
Auditions will consist of readings from the script, to be posted prior to auditions on the Beverly Theatre Guild's website
Auditioners' prepared comic monologues (up to 3 minutes) welcomed.
Bring headshot and resume, if available.

Roles to be Cast:

Garry Essendine (Lead)
Male. 40-60
A cigarette-holder-wielding matinee idol slipping reluctantly into middle age; self-dramatizing, self-important, and hopelessly self-infatuated.

Liz Essendine (Lead)
Female. 30-50
Garry's (separated) wife; stylish and able to hold her own at a party, alongside (or even in spite of) London's most celebrated, romantic leading man; not easily shaken, gracious, witty, but when she lets her guard down, full hearted; self-possessed and dignified.

Monica Reed
Female. 30-69
Garry's secretary, pal, and confidant; hard working and indispensable to Garry, she tries to be a taskmaster, but must instead be a bastion of patience, albeit with varying degrees of success; she's quite competent and great at managing people, but her stress and the lack of time in a day emerge in a sardonic sense of humor.

Roland Maule
Male. 20-39
An aspiring, experimental playwright who still lives with his parents in Uckfield; his unfulfilled ambition has left him loudly obsessive, quietly jealous, and secretly resentful; human psychology eludes him somewhat, so he's taken to writing dystopian fantasies; lofty and grandiose, he would love to transform the theater to a world of ideas. Seems gamely unaware of social cues or rules regarding personal hygiene. Develops an annoying hero-worship of Garry.

Joanna Lyppiatt
Female. 30-49
Henry's wife; a femme fatale whose appetite for social status is matched only by her other appetites; savvy, coy, yet witty; extremely stylish, she's aware of her sexual prowess and enjoys leaving others feeling destabilized.

Daphne Stillington
Female. 20-29
Garry's recent dalliance; a pretty, gently-bred debutante who grew up absolutely idolizing Garry Essendine; quirky and shrewd; she truly believes she's meant to be Garry's muse; a budding social climber, she does not realize that her attempts to be more sophisticated than she is are highly transparent; any touch of innocence about her is balanced by her ambition.

Henry Lyppiatt
Male. 40-69
Garry's producer; shrewd and business savvy; hospitable yet proud; after many years of working with Garry, he appreciates him, but would prefer Garry's petulance be managed by someone else; he feels he deserves a wife befitting his success, but doesn't mind indulging a few mistresses on the side.

Morris Dixon
Male. 30-69
Garry's manager; smart but with a romantic streak; deferential to a point, but not without taste and a sense of the theater's tradition; enjoys being Garry's artistic sounding board; he's fallen deeply and obsessively in love with Joanna and is carrying on with her behind Henry's back.