audition notice - THE FOREIGNER - Fountain Hills Theater - January 26 & 29

Fountain Hills Theater is proud to announce auditions for The Foreigner.

What does a shy Englishman in search of rest do when he visits a fishing lodge in Georgia? In Larry Shue’s hilarious farce, Charlie Baker, a proof reader by day and a boring husband by night, adopts the persona of a foreigner who doesn’t understand English. When others begin to speak freely around him, he not only becomes privy to secrets both dangerous and frivolous, he also discovers an adventurous extrovert within himself.

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Auditions for The Foreigner will be Saturday, Jan 26 @ 4:00pm & Tuesday Jan 29 @ 7:00pm.  Callbacks (If required) Wednesday, Jan 30 @ 7:00pm

Auditioners should visit http://www.fhtaz.org/auditions/ or call 480-837-9661 X 3 for an audition appointment time.  

Auditioners are asked to please prepare 1-2 minute monologue and prepared to read cold from the script.

The theater is located at 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills.

The Foreigner will be directed by Ben Tyler.

The Foreigner will play March 8 – 24  with an expected extension through March 31.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.   All rehearsals will be held at the theater.

Casting for:

Charlie Baker: 30’s to mid-50’s.  Should be able to speak with an British accent as well as other foreign accents (possibly Slovak or other)  Charlie Baker is the “foreigner” of the play’s title, an Englishman. Initially, Charlie is extremely shy, dull, and morose as he worries about the apparently imminent death of his philandering wife. A proofreader for an English science fiction magazine, Charlie considers himself “boring” and wonders what it would be like to have a vibrant personality. At the beginning of the play, Charlie is so sad and shy that he doesn’t want to speak to anyone. When Froggy introduces him as a “foreigner” who can’t speak or understand English however, Charlie reluctantly takes on the role. He gradually discovers his hidden potential: leadership skills, love, and the vibrant personality he has always craved.

Reverend David Marshall: Lee  20’s to early 30’s.  Should be able to speak with a Southern accent

The Reverend David Marshall Lee is a good-looking man, the fiancé of Catherine, and one of the main villains in the play, along with Owen Musser. Pretending to be concerned about Betty and her struggling business, David secretly attempts to gain control of her lodge so he can turn it into the Tilghman County headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan. David appears to be friendly, sincere, genuinely decent, kind, and patient, and he is quite canny in carrying out his devious plot.

Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur: 30’s to 50’s.  Should be able to speak with a heavy British accent

Froggy is a demolitions expert from the British Army who brings his friend, Charlie Baker, to Georgia for a three-day weekend. In his annual visits to the United States, Froggy has become good friends with Betty Meeks and is genuinely concerned about her welfare. When Charlie pleads for solitude during his brief stay, Froggy is caught between his loyalties to both Betty and Charlie, so he hatches the plan to pass Charlie off as a “foreigner.” Froggy’s plan is for Betty to be charmed by the exotic visitor, while Charlie gets his needed peace and quiet. Froggy speaks with a Cockney accent, is dressed in his army fatigues, and is extremely cheerful and very sure of himself. He is loud and leads a very exciting life, almost the exact opposite of Charlie.

Betty Meeks:  50’ s to 80’ s.  Should be able to speak with a thick Southern accent.  Betty Meeks is an older woman, a widow, and the owner and operator of the fishing lodge and resort in which the play takes place. Betty has always dreamed of traveling outside of Georgia and is quite thrilled with the prospect of having a “real, live foreigner” as her guest. Since the death of her husband, Betty has been struggling to keep her resort business alive, unaware of David and Owen’s underhanded plot to gain control of it. Betty speaks with a strong Georgia accent, and talks to Charlie, “the foreigner,” as if he were deaf, as if speaking louder and slower will facilitate Charlie’s understanding.

Owen Musser: 30’sto 50’s.  Should be able to speak with a thick Southern accent.  Owen Musser is a local Georgia man who serves as the henchman for the main villain, the Reverend David Lee. After being named the property inspector for Tilghman County, Georgia, Owen takes full advantage of his new authority to help himself as well as cause harm to others. To call Owen “crude” is to indulge in understatement: he is mean-spirited, ignorant, volatile, and extremely prejudiced against anyone who doesn’t fit his ideal of “Christian, white America.” A character you love to hate and a very fun role.

Catherine Simms:  20’s to 30’s.  Should be able to speak with a Southern accent.  Catherine is staying with Betty at the lodge. She is engaged to the Reverend David Lee, unaware of his true, villainous character. A former debutante and the heiress of a huge fortune, Catherine is bored with life, restless, and unsure of what she wants. In the beginning, she is a bit of a whiner and somewhat sarcastic. When she discovers in Charlie a man who is genuinely kind and really enjoys listening, she believes she has found her ideal romantic mate.

Ellard Simms:  Teens through early 20’ s.  Should be able to speak with a Southern accent.  Ellard is the youngest of the cast, and Catherine’s younger brother, an extremely insecure young man who is considered by others to be mentally defective. An overgrown, backward youth, who spends much of his time kneading something tiny and invisible in front of his chest. Catherine has promised to give Ellard half of their very large inheritance if he shows any signs of mental and social competence. During the course of the play Ellard proves to have both moderate intelligence and considerable courage.