The Marion Art Center (MAC) has announced open auditions for all roles in the upcoming production of Death by Design by Rob Urbinati, a farcical look at the British Murder Mystery. What happens when you mix the brilliant wit of Noel Coward with the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie? Set during a weekend in an English country manor in 1932, Death by Design is a delightful and mysterious “mash-up” of two of the greatest English writers of all time. Edward Bennett, a playwright, and his wife Sorel Bennett, an actress, flee London and head to Cookham after a disastrous opening night. But various guests arrive unexpectedly – a conservative politician, a fiery socialist, a nearsighted ingenue, a zany modern dancer – each with a long-held secret. When one of the guests is murdered, it’s left to Bridgit, the feisty Irish maid with a macabre interest in homicide, to solve the crime.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, May 11at 10:00 am, and on Monday, May 13at 7:00 pm, at the Marion Art Center, 80 Pleasant St. (the corner of Main and Pleasant Streets), in Marion. Performances will be Friday, August 23 – Sunday, August 25 and Thursday, August 20 – Sunday, September 1. Thurs, Fri, Sat performances will begin at 7:30 pm, while Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 pm. Auditions will consist of a cold reading from the script. Both accomplished and aspiring actors are encouraged to audition. Participants can expect 2-3 rehearsals a week during June, July, and August. Rehearsal scheduling will be flexible and take actors’ needs into consideration.
Director Kate Fishman will be casting four females and four males. Actors’ ages should appear the ages represented in the following characters: Bridgit- the maid, Irish accent, fifties; Jack- the chauffer, Cockney accent, twenties; Edward Bennett-the playwright, forties; Sorel Bennett-the actress, forties; Walter Pearce-politician, forties/fifties; Eric-the radical, twenties; Victoria Van Roth-the Bohemian, any age; Alice- the shy visitor, twenties
For more information, call the MAC at 508-748-1266 or email MACtheater1957@gmail.com. Find more information by visiting marionartcenter.org.