Auditions for "Quartet”
by Ronald Harwood
Director: Stephanie Singer
Producer: Kevin O'Byrne
Tuesday, April 22
9:30 a.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
The Drama Association of Rossmoor (DAOR) will hold open auditions for its next Naked Stage production, “Quartet” by Ronald Harwood, directed by Stephanie Singer, on Tuesday, April 22, at 9:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Studio at Hillside. Performances will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 20, 21, and 22. There are roles for two female and two male actors. In Naked Stage productions, the actors rehearse and perform with their scripts in hand and do not memorize their parts.
“Quartet” tells the story of Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred, all famous opera singers in their day, who are enjoying their autumn years in a home for retired musicians. They are looking forward to performing in a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday. When Jean Horton, the fourth member of their famous quartet, takes up residence at the home, three of the four are keen to recreate the third act quartet from “Rigoletto.” Jean, however, unfailingly tactless, overbearing, reminding everyone of her diva status, and also Reggie’s ex-wife, has other ideas. Can the four put aside their old grudges and re-team for one more show-stopping finale? The show must go on in this funny and poignant play.
The four characters include: Cecily Robson (Cissy), in the early throes of memory loss, has a friendly, open, and happy personality, but occasionally “loses it”; Reginald Paget (Reggie), organized, serious and intense, is unglued by Jean’s presence; Wilfred Bond (Wilf), full of humor and fantasies of trysts, is highly focused on sex, however imaginary; Jean Horton, very proud, and reluctant to admit to growing old, is more uncomfortable in the surroundings of the retirement home. She was married a number of times, none of them very happily.
The show’s director, Stephanie Singer, is an actor, director, and an acting and improv teacher. She directed the 2023 multimedia musical play “JFK a Remembrance” at the Rossmoor Event Center and recently directed “Doubt” at the Town Hall Theater in Moraga.
The auditions will consist of paired cold readings from the script. No singing is involved. Copies of the script are available for loan. All those interested in auditioning should arrive promptly at 9:30 a.m. and plan to stay for the duration of the audition. No resumes or headshots are required. Callbacks, if required, will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 25. Rehearsals will be held Tuesday and Friday mornings, from 9:30 a.m. – 12/12:30, beginning April 29.
For further information about the show, contact Stephanie Singer at rosscomgal@ gmail.com. To register for the audition, and/or to borrow a copy of the play, contact the Producer, Kevin O’Byrne, at [email protected], or (925) 395-0015. Please complete and return the Audition Information Sheet that will be sent to you, indicating which character or characters you wish to audition for and any schedule conflicts. Auditions are open to DAOR members and non-members alike, although membership is obligatory for all those cast in the show.
by Ronald Harwood
Director: Stephanie Singer
Producer: Kevin O'Byrne
Tuesday, April 22
9:30 a.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
The Drama Association of Rossmoor (DAOR) will hold open auditions for its next Naked Stage production, “Quartet” by Ronald Harwood, directed by Stephanie Singer, on Tuesday, April 22, at 9:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Studio at Hillside. Performances will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 20, 21, and 22. There are roles for two female and two male actors. In Naked Stage productions, the actors rehearse and perform with their scripts in hand and do not memorize their parts.
“Quartet” tells the story of Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred, all famous opera singers in their day, who are enjoying their autumn years in a home for retired musicians. They are looking forward to performing in a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday. When Jean Horton, the fourth member of their famous quartet, takes up residence at the home, three of the four are keen to recreate the third act quartet from “Rigoletto.” Jean, however, unfailingly tactless, overbearing, reminding everyone of her diva status, and also Reggie’s ex-wife, has other ideas. Can the four put aside their old grudges and re-team for one more show-stopping finale? The show must go on in this funny and poignant play.
The four characters include: Cecily Robson (Cissy), in the early throes of memory loss, has a friendly, open, and happy personality, but occasionally “loses it”; Reginald Paget (Reggie), organized, serious and intense, is unglued by Jean’s presence; Wilfred Bond (Wilf), full of humor and fantasies of trysts, is highly focused on sex, however imaginary; Jean Horton, very proud, and reluctant to admit to growing old, is more uncomfortable in the surroundings of the retirement home. She was married a number of times, none of them very happily.
The show’s director, Stephanie Singer, is an actor, director, and an acting and improv teacher. She directed the 2023 multimedia musical play “JFK a Remembrance” at the Rossmoor Event Center and recently directed “Doubt” at the Town Hall Theater in Moraga.
The auditions will consist of paired cold readings from the script. No singing is involved. Copies of the script are available for loan. All those interested in auditioning should arrive promptly at 9:30 a.m. and plan to stay for the duration of the audition. No resumes or headshots are required. Callbacks, if required, will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 25. Rehearsals will be held Tuesday and Friday mornings, from 9:30 a.m. – 12/12:30, beginning April 29.
For further information about the show, contact Stephanie Singer at rosscomgal@ gmail.com. To register for the audition, and/or to borrow a copy of the play, contact the Producer, Kevin O’Byrne, at [email protected], or (925) 395-0015. Please complete and return the Audition Information Sheet that will be sent to you, indicating which character or characters you wish to audition for and any schedule conflicts. Auditions are open to DAOR members and non-members alike, although membership is obligatory for all those cast in the show.
“Flamingo Court” consists of three short plays, each set in a different condo within the same retirement community. In the first act, Angelina, a widow, starts to develop feelings for her neighbor, Dominic. However, her sick husband is in the next room, leading to a series of comedic situations as a friend plays matchmaker. In the second more somber, yet poignant playlet, Clara is dealing with memory loss and the emotional struggle of being moved by her loving husband, Arthur, to a home for dementia care. In the final story, 89-year-old Harry wants to celebrate his birthday by hiring a hooker to scandalize his money-grubbing daughter and her annoying husband.
Cast in the first act are Gail Wetherbee as Angelina, Joe Costella as Dominic, Maria Faer as friend Marie, and Thomas Cassese and Lee Gale Gruen as soap opera actors, with Jon Rasmussen as the narrator. In act two, Martha Hawkins is Clara, and Edward Kimak is Arthur. Cast in the third act are Gary Mutz as Harry, David Michetti as Mark, Vicki Beckerman as Charity, Neil Fiore as Walter, and Toby Cowen as Chi-Chi. Faer, Hawkins, Mutz and Cowen are new to Naked Stage.
“In the end, ‘Flamingo Court’ is a good prescription for any senior who wants to reassess what growing older means in the new millennium,” commented the director Michael McGarty.