AUDITION: "An Evening of Radio Theater" at BIG ARTS Community Players

The BIG ARTS Community Players will hold open auditions for "An Evening of Radio Theater" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.

Auditions will be held in Schein Performance Hall in the BIG ARTS complex, located at 900 Dunlop Road on Sanibel. Actors should bring a headshot, resume and be prepared to do a cold reading from the script.

"An Evening of Radio Theater" will stage selections from "The Bickersons" and "Dragnet." Radio jingles and songs from the Andrews Sisters will also feature.

For more information, or to inquire about directing or volunteer positions, contact Shirley Jewell at srjewell@embarqmail.com.

Complete press release below.

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BIG ARTS Community Players Casting Call Dec. 4 & 5
Actors and Directors Needed For An Evening of Radio Theater

Sanibel, FL (November 19, 2013) - BIG ARTS Community Players will be holding open auditions for An Evening of Radio Theater beginning at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, December 4 and continuing at 6 pm on Thursday, December 5. All auditions will be held in Schein Performance Hall at BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. Actors must bring a headshot and biography to the casting call and be prepared to do a cold reading from the script.

The BIG ARTS Community Players Evening of Radio Theater will be staging readings of two of America's favorite episodic radio programs from the 1940s and 1950s, The Bickersons and Dragnet, as well as include a segment devoted to a selections of hit songs originally performed by the Andrew Sisters.

AUDITION DATES:
December 4, 6:30 pm for The Bickersons
Lead: Clara - female; voice-match for 50 to 60 year old
Lead: John Bickerson - male; voice-match for 50 to 60 year old
Supporting: Blanche- (off stage recorded) female; voice-match for 50 to 60 year old
Supporting: Surgical Nurse - female; any age
Supporting: Doctor - male; 30 years old and up

December 4, 7:30 pm for Dragnet
Lead: Sgt. Joe Friday - male; voice-match similar to original actors and demeanor important
Lead: Officer Frank Smith (Joe's partner) - male; voice-match similar to original actors and demeanor important
Lead: Martha Dunbetter - female; voice-match for elderly woman
Supporting:Tina Millot - female; voice-match for 30 to 50 years old
Supporting: Ralph Portlong (suspect) male; voice-match for 40 to 50 years old
Supporting: Policeman - male, any age
Supporting: Bessie Maxon (Martha's sister) - female; voice-match for elderly woman

December 5, 6 pm for two announcers and three jingle singers
Announcers - any age with a rich voice; please bring a recording of your speaking voice
Jingle Singers - any age; please bring a recording of your singing voice

The presentation of The Bickersons at BIG ARTS will feature two 15 minute scripts based on the couple who seemed to have no business being married at all. The iconic battling comedic duo may have inspired other popular television couples, such as Ralph and Alice Kramden (The Honeymooners), Nels and Harriet Oleson (Little House on the Prairie) and more recently, Al and Peg Bundy of Married... with Children).

Dragnet, the popular radio, television and film series, will be performed from a 30 minute script by the BIG ARTS Community Players. Originally staring Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday and Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith, the weekly television series focused on the cases of the dedicated Los Angeles police detective. The big screen version of Dragnet featured Dan Aykroyd (Sgt. Joe Friday) and Tom Hanks (Det. Pep Streebek).

Produced by BIG ARTS Community Players, An Evening of Radio Theater showcases dedicated volunteers and performers, both onstage and backstage, and will be performed at Schein Performance Hall at BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel on Thursday, January 30, 2014 and Friday, January 31, 2014 at 8 pm.

The Community Players are also in need of volunteers to help with set-building, prop acquisition, stage managing and stage hands for theater productions. The Community Players provide local live theater, performed for the community, by the community.

If you are interested in directing one of these BIG ARTS Community Players performances, please contact Shirley Jewell at srjewell@embarqmail.com.

The BIG ARTS Community Players provide local live theater performed for the community, by the community. A non-profit 501(c) 3 organization, programming at BIG ARTS is made possible through the generous support of corporate sponsors, donors and more than 300 dedicated volunteers.