Back Alley Productions is holding auditions for "Deathtrap," a thriller comedy complete with murder, betrayal and plot twists (with jokes). Auditions are Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The Mars Theater, 117 N. Chattanooga St. in Lafayette. The show is directed by Zack Jordan.
Plot for Deathtrap:
Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a dry spell which has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college—a thriller which Sidney recognizes immediately as a potential Broadway hit. Sidney's plan, which he devises with his wife's help, is to offer collaboration to the student, an idea which the younger man quickly accepts. Thereafter suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness, and with such an abundance of thrills and laughter, that audiences will be held enthralled until the final, startling moments of the play.
Performances will be July 28-30 and Aug. 4-6: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Those who audition should be sure to be available for the performance dates.
The first cast meeting will be Friday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. Rehearsals will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Some cast members will not be called for every rehearsal.
Character Breakdown:
Sidney Bruhl (M, 40s- early 50s) - Formerly successful playwright struggling creatively and financially. Hatches a plot to murder Clifford and steal his script.
Myra Bruhl (F, 40s) - Sidney's wife. Encourages him to collaborate with Clifford on his play, and discourages Sidney from murdering Clifford to steal his script.
Clifford Anderson (M, 20s-30s) - Affable young playwright. Student in Sidney's seminar who writes a script that Sidney thinks is a sure-fire hit.
Helga Ten Dorp (F, Any age) - German psychic house-sitting for the Bruhls' neighbors. Suspects foul play.
Porter Milgrim (M, 40s-50s) - Sidney's friend and attorney.
Auditions will be cold reads of scenes from the script; participants will not need to have anything prepared. Auditions will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Participants only need to attend one night.
There will not be callbacks for this show, and the director would like to give those auditioning the opportunity to read with as many others as possible. The more people who are there around the same time, the better.
If unavailable during the audition nights, but would like to audition, please email backalleyperformances@gmail.com as soon as possible, to work out an appointment.