East Lynne Theater Company Announces Auditions in NYC, Philly, and Cape May

East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) will have three Equity open-call audition days for its 2018 Season. Non-union actors will be seen, as long as no members of Actors' Equity are kept waiting. The theater is located in Cape May, NJ where all shows will be rehearsed. The company operates under an Equity SPT 3 Contract.

On Saturday, February 24, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the call is at The Brind School at University of the Arts, 211 S. Broad St. (corner of Broad and Walnut Streets), room 705, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Sign-up for auditions begins at noon, and continues through 4:55 PM. This audition is only for the world premiere musical revue, "On the Sunny Side of the Street," with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and the music, primarily, by McHugh, Kern, Schwartz, Hague, and Coleman. The song list and arrangements are being created by Charles Gilbert, who is the musical director. He will be at the audition to accompany. Also present will be ELTC's artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth, who is directing, and Lee O'Connor, the stage manager who will be signing actors up for the audition.

Rehearsals begin on Monday, May 28 in Cape May, NJ and the show runs from June 13-July 21, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 PM, except there is no show on July 4 and a performance on Sunday, July 8.

ELTC is looking to cast four performers who are strong singing-actors, move well, and have a love for and understanding of The American Songbook, with a particular leaning towards the works of Dorothy Fields. Seeking the following: A MAN and a WOMAN, age range 20-35, and a MAN and WOMAN, age range 36-45. Prepare a ballad and an uptempo song by Fields, if possible; full songs will be heard unless time constraints necessitate a single verse.

On Tuesday, March 6 from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM the call will be at the Actors' Equity Audition Center, 165 West 46th St., NYC. Sign-up for auditions begins at 8:30 AM, and continues through 5:00 PM. Lunch break is from 1:00-2:00 PM. Equity members may access online EPA sign?up through the member portal.

On Saturday, March 10, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, the call will be at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, NJ, where the company is in residence. Sign-up for auditions begins at 9:00 AM and continues through 5:55 PM. Lunch break is from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Equity actors may contact the theater for a definite time-slot by e-mailing the company at eastlynneco@aol.com.

Gayle Stahlhuth will be at these auditions and is directing all but one show. Charles Gilbert will be at both auditions and provide accompaniment. Tom Byrn, who is directing "Silent Sky," plans to be at the NYC audition. Actors may read a side from any of the plays, or do a monologue, preferably humorous, an/or sing a song, preferably from the American Songbook, and preferably with Fields' lyrics. Total audition time in NYC is two minutes. ELTC is committed to nontraditional casting and equal employment opportunities.

The season opener, "A Year in the Trenches," returns from last year, so only seeking possible replacements for all roles: CHARLES EDWARD DILKES - the narrator, who enlists in the army when the United States declared war in 1917, and was one of the last soldiers to leave Germany, age range 30-40; ACTOR 1 - portrays pilot Kenneth Russell Unger, poet Joyce Kilmer, French and German soldiers, and playing guitar a plus, age range 25-35; ACTOR 2 - Arthur Buzzoni (friend of Dilkes), newsboy, German, and various soldiers, age range 20-35; ACTOR 3 - Father Duffy, several American officers, French innkeeper, age range 35-50; ACTOR 4 - nurse Amabel Scharff Roberts, various French women, and Dilkes' sister, also a singer to sing World War I songs, who can play an instrument such as an accordian, guitar, and/or ukulele, age range 20-35; ACTOR 5 - Grace Banker (headed up the "Hello Girls" - part of the Signal Corps), and various French and German characters, also a singer to sing World War I songs, who can play an instrument such as an accordian, guitar, and/or ukulele, age range 20-35. Rehearsals begin on Monday, May 7, and the show runs from May 16-26, 8:00 p.m. curtain, except on Wed. May 23, the only performance is at 2:00pm.

Next is "On the Sunny Side of the Street."

"Arsenic and Old Lace," the 1941 comedy about a dysfunctional family, written by Joseph Kesselring, begins rehearsals on Monday, July 9, and runs from July 25 - September 9, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM. Seeking: ABBY BREWSTER - a darling spinster who mixes arsenic with wine, age range 65-70; MARTHA BREWSTER - Abby's kindly sister, also a spinster, who shares her sister's love of arsenic and wine, age range 65-70; TEDDY BREWSTER - their nephew who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, age range 35-45; MORTIMER BREWSTER - another nephew who is a theater critic and recently engaged, age range 30-40; Jonathan Brewster - a third nephew who is running away from the law, and looks a bit like Boris Karloff, age range 35-50; DR. EINSTEIN - Jonathan's sidekick, who enjoys alcoholic beverages; ELAINE HARPER - Mortimer's fiancé and a minister's daughter, age range 25-35; REV. DR. HARPER - Elaine's no-nonsense father (this actor also plays Mr. Gibbs, a would-be tenant in the Brewster Sisters' boarding house, and MR. WITHERSPOON, the superintendent of Happy Dale Sanitorium), age range 50-65; OFFICER BROPHY - a veteran policeman, age range 35-45; OFFICER KLEIN - understanding, kind policeman, age range 30-40; and OFFICER O'HARA - a policeman who's a would-be playwright, age range 25-35. Due to the size of the cast, an ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER will be hired, who will be playing one of the smaller roles.

Then its "Silent Sky," about Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921), written by Lauren Gunderson. Seeking: Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) - committed scientist who cares about her family, and willing to commit to marriage, but always dedicated to her work, she almost always wears a period hearing-aid since a childhood disease caused a hearing loss, and must show a gradual aging from age 30 to 50; Margaret Leavitt - Henrietta's caring younger sister, a homebody, age range 30-40; Peter Shaw - the head astronomer's apprentice who is attracted to Henrietta, age range 30-40; Annie Cannon - another pioneer in astronomy who works with Henrietta, she is no-nonsense and laser-sharp, age range 40-50; and Williamina Fleming - another astronomer working with Henrietta and Annie, very smart, witty, and Scottish who should speak with a Scottish accent, age range 50-60.

Actors wishing to mail pictures and resumes should mail them to the office: 121 Fourth Ave., West Cape May, NJ 08204 - and not to the church. To learn more about the company, go to www.eastlynnetheater.org. Specific information about these auditions is at this web site under the heading of NEWS.

Photo is from ELTC's "Strictly Dishonorable" with Lino Del Core and Jennie Bissell.

Photo credit: Gayle Stahlhuth