STC's search for Rhoda Penmark gets a contemporary twist

Consider young Rhoda Penmark: she's always impeccably dressed, respectful of her elders, the veritable prim and proper picture of perfection: Mother's perfect little angel. Just don't ever beat her in a spelling bee - or you'll see the other side of young Miss Penmark, the darker and far more sinister side that she cloaks so well with her starched pinafores and shiny Mary Janes. That Rhoda is manipulative, controlling and the very personification of evil.

First created by writer William March in his 1954 book The Bad Seed, then recreated by playwright Maxwell Anderson for his hugely successful Broadway play of the same name (which was filmed for the screen by Mervyn LeRoy, starring the Broadway duo of Patty McCormick and Nancy Kelly as Rhoda and her mother), the character of Rhoda Penmark has inspired (Tina Denmark in the musical Ruthless is clearly a doppelganger for Rhoda) and sent chills up the spines of audiences for more than 50 years - and now Nashville's Street Theatre Company plans a revival - with a contemporary twist - of the melodrama for presentation in June.

Embracing the popularity of reality TV and the public's immersion in social media interaction - while deepening the community's connection to the arts - STC has announced plans for an innovative contest, clearly the first of its kind in Music City, called Finding the Bad Seed: The Search for Nashville's Finest Young Actress to star as Rhoda in STC's production of The Bad Seed.

"The Bad Seed takes place in a small Southern town where the Penmarks live with their eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda. She appears to be sweet, charming, full of old-fashioned graces, loved by her parents, admired by all her elders, but evil lies just under the surface," reads a press release from STC.

Hoping to showcase the incredible young talent Nashville has to offer in its search for the lead of the upcoming summer production, STC will launch the process with general auditions on Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, April 17, from 1 to 5 p.m..

During those auditions, young actresses vying for the role of Rhoda will be filmed - and those auditions will then be posted to Facebook on Sunday evening, April 17. Fans will then be able to vote for their favorite Rhoda on Facebook by clicking "like" for their chosen candidate. The window of opportunity will be short: Voting closes at midnight on Tuesday, April 19, at which time the top ten candidates will be announced on Facebook and selected to move to the next round.
During the second round of competition, candidates will participate in a master class, working with some of Nashville's best-known directors and actors on a scene from the play. This process also will be captured on film and shared on Facebook.

The panel of judges from the master class will then narrow the field down to the top five, who will then compete before a live audience on Tuesday evening, April 26, at Street Theatre Company (1933 Elm Hill Pike), with the young actress who is selected to play Rhoda to be announced at the end of the evening.

The Bad Seed opens June 10-26 at Street Theatre Company, with Cathy Sanborn Street, the company's founder and artistic director, directing.. Auditions are by appointment only; actors must bring headshot and resume and prepare a monologue, no longer than two minutes. To schedule an appointment, email info@streettheatrecompany.org or call (615) 554-7414.