Dates
Friday December 13, 2019……6:00pm-8:00pm
Saturday December 14, 2019……Noon-2:00pm
Actors only need to attend one audition and are welcome to drop by when they are able!
Callbacks (if needed) will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday December 15th at Jackson’s First Presbyterian Church.
Audition Location
Jackson’s First Presbyterian Church
743 W. Michigan Ave. Jackson, MI 49202
Actors should use the parking lot behind the church and follow the yellow signs to the southwest door (left of the playground).
Director
Chelsea Phillips
Chelsea is a soon-to-be graduate at Spring Arbor University, where she is pursuing a degree in Speech/Drama and English for Secondary Education. She loves to travel and see theater productions—including ones by Center Stage Jackson—with her husband, David. Chelsea is especially looking forward to sharing her vision of Making God Laugh with the community because it is relatable to people of all ages. She is excited to work closely with her cast/crew and would like to thank SAU and Concord Area Players for providing the education necessary to direct.
About this Play
Making God Laugh follows one typical American family over the course of thirty years’ worth of holidays. Starting in 1980, Ruthie and Bill’s grown children — a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former football star — all return home, where we learn of their plans and dreams as they embark on their adult lives. The empty-nester parents contend with their own changes, too, as old family rituals are trotted out and ancient tensions flare up. As time passes, the family discovers that, despite what we may have in mind, we often arrive at unexpected destinations.
This production is rated PG-13 for mild adult language.
Performances
February 21, 22, 23
February 28, 29, March 1
March 6, 7, 8
2020
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm, Sundays at 4:00pm
Sandhill Crane Vineyards
4724 Walz Rd. Jackson, MI 49201
This production calls for…
2 females, 3 males
Each character ages 30 years over the course of the show. The three children (1 female, 2 male) start out in their early to late twenties. The two parents (1 female, 1 male) start out in their forties or fifties.
Actors must be at least 18 years of age to audition.
See below for character list.
What actors should prepare for auditions
- Actors may prepare a short monologue – memorization is preferred. Monologues are suggested but not required. Sample monologues will be available upon request and at auditions if needed.
- Actors should bring scheduling conflicts for December 15, 2019 through March 8, 2010.
What actors should expect at auditions
- Monologue presentation
- Group improv exercises
- Cold readings from the script
Character List
- Ruthie:
The matriarch of the family. She starts the play in her late forties or early fifties and ages thirty years as does everyone. She’s bossy, authoritative, means well but tries to steer the world more than is humanly possible. She needles each of her children and even her husband, Bill, to an extent but at bottom, way down there, truly loves them all. - Bill:
Our patriarch. He loves everyone and is a go-with-the-flow sort. Easygoing, wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings, desperately in love with his kids and his wife. Being the dad of these people and Ruthie’s husband is his life’s work and he’s successful at it. He lives a little in fear of Ruthie but the worm turns when it must. - Richard:
The eldest son. Mid-to-late twenties as we start. He wants to conquer the world and is always looking for ways to do that. Not a plugger, more of an entrepreneur. He buys the latest everything and dresses “up to the second” stylish. He’s a good guy but has perhaps seen too many movies of how men behave rather than behaving as he would. A one-time football hero, he misses that kind of spotlight. - Maddie:
The second child. Mid-twenties at the top. She’s an aspiring actress. A strong-willed person who loves her family. She’s closest to Thomas and the two of them have a long-standing habit of picking on their big brother as a team. It’s good-natured except when it’s not. Of all the kids, she’s the only one to have moved away from her hometown. She lives in New York and struggles with the artist’s life as well as her life-life. She and her mother have a difficult relationship. - Thomas:
Son two, the baby of the family and the “good” son. A nice, even-tempered guy, in the style of his father, who thought his life was on a plan. A devoutly religious man studying for the priesthood at the beginning he’s nonetheless funny, warm, and not at all rigid in his approach to life. He means very well but like everyone has his life turn out differently than he planned.
Rough Rehearsal Schedule
One read-through will be held in December (to be determined based on cast availability). Regular rehearsals will start in January.
Starting in January, actors should expect a mix of weeknight (evening) and weekend (daytime) rehearsals. The rehearsal schedule will be based on the availability of the cast.
Rehearsals will be held either at Jackson’s First Presbyterian Church or Spring Arbor University (depending on cast availability) until early February when rehearsals will move to the Sandhill Crane Vineyards (4724 Walz Rd. in Jackson).
Contact
Director Chelsea Phillips at [email protected] or (517) 539-4118.
