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ALIAS GRACE by Margaret Atwood, adapted for the stage by Jennifer Blackmer
AUDITIONS FOR ALIAS GRACE BY MARGARET ATWOOD
DIRECTED BY DON LACASSE
Auditions: December 9, 10 – 2024; 7-10 PM
Read Through: Sunday, December 15, 2024
Rehearsals officially begin: January 2
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood, adapted for the stage by Jennifer Blackmer
Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, this stage adaptation of Alias Grace takes a look at one of Canada’s most notorious murderers. In 1843, 16-year-old Grace Marks was accused of brutally murdering her employer and his housekeeper. Imprisoned for years, Grace still swears she has no memory of the killings.
A fascinating study of memory, culpability, and the shadowy spaces within the human mind.
➢ Drama
➢4M, 4W
Characters (4 Women and 4 Men):
GRACE Marks, 31, convicted of murdering Nancy Montgomery and Thomas Kinnear, but has amnesia of the events in question. Imprisoned for her crimes when she was just sixteen, Grace and has been incarcerated for fifteen years, following the commutation of her original sentence to death by hanging. Grace is ethereal, almost timeless, and able to move fluidly in and out of memories as her story unfolds. Speaks with a slight Irish lilt.
SIMON Jordan, 35, psychologist. Simon has spent a great deal of time researching and advocating for humane treatment of the mentally ill, and has plans to open a private asylum in his native United States. Handsome (in a bookish way) and introspective, Simon has an inquisitive nature and the assurance of a mid-career scientist on his way to national prominence.
MRS. Rachel LAVELL, 54, wife of the wayward Governor of Kingston Penitentiary. Endlessly curious but stifled by her gender, Mrs. Lavell enjoys taking on “projects” (of which Grace is the latest) and surrounding herself with learned men. Tall, almost skeletal with severe features and expensive tastes, Mrs. Lavell is desperate for companionship but hides it well.
MARY Whitney, 16, Grace’s close friend from her first service position in the Alderman Parkinson home, endlessly cheerful and outspoken.
NANCY Montgomery, 24, Thomas Kinnear’s housekeeper, charming, yet spoiled and petulant.
JEREMIAH/Jerome DUPONT, 40-ish (played by the same actor). Jeremiah is a peddler, cheerful and honest, with dark hair and features. Dr. Jerome DuPont is a clean-cut “medical” practitioner, a hypnotist of the school of James Braid, also with dark hair and features. (While the only person who knows this is Grace, Jeremiah and Dr. DuPont are actually the same man.)
Thomas KINNEAR, 40-50, gentleman and businessman, Grace’s employer. Kinnear is handsome and charismatic, a bit of a rogue. Takes what he wants when he wants it.
James MCDERMOTT, 21, stable hand to Thomas Kinnear. Prematurely rough and brusque from years of hard living, McDermott is awkward and socially inept. Handsome in an unkempt way, McDermott likes to think he makes his own choices. Speaks with a slight Irish lilt.
AUDITION SIDES to Download:
Dr. Dupont, Mrs. Lavell, Simon and Grace
Dr. Dupont, Simon and Mrs. Lavell
Grace, Simon, Mary’s Voice and Mrs. Lavell
➢Time: 1859
➢ Place: ONTARIO, CANADA
➢ Mature Content
➢“Brilliantly adapted for the stage . . . A reason to celebrate.” — Chicago Sun Times critic Hedy Weiss
➢“Could not have arrived at a more opportune moment.” — Hedy Weiss
➢2018 Joseph Jefferson Award for New Adaptation (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble)
Synopsis
Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, this stage adaptation of Alias Grace takes a look at one of Canada’s most notorious murderers. In 1843, 16-year-old Grace Marks was accused of brutally murdering her employer and his housekeeper. Imprisoned for years, Grace still swears she has no memory of the killings. A doctor in the emerging field of mental health arrives to try to find out the truth of the matter. Alias Grace is a fascinating study of memory, culpability, and the shadowy spaces within the human mind.
Performances: February 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 — 2025
The play is presented with one intermission, running about 2 hours.
VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE by Christopher Durang
AUDITIONS FOR VANYA & SONIA & MASHA & SPIKE
DIRECTED BY LEN CHILDERS
Auditions: February 17, 18 – 2025; 7-10 PM
Read Through: Monday, February 24
In this outrageous comedy, middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. When their movie-star sister swoops in with her new boy toy and announces her intention to sell the family’s estate, old resentments quickly flare up.
“I exaggerate awful things further, and then I present it in a way that is funny, and for those of us who find it funny, it has to do with a very clear suspension of disbelief. It is a play, after all, with acted characters; it allows us a distance we couldn’t have in reality.”
~ Christopher Durang
➢ Dark Comedy
➢ 2M, 4W
➢ Time: Present
➢ Place: A Lovely Farmhouse In Bucks County
➢ Mature Content
➢Premiered at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey in 2012
➢Produced Off Broadway later the same year
➢Transferred to Broadway in 2013
Performances: April 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 — 2025
2025 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL: THE RUMMAGE SALE
THE RUMMAGE SALE
DIRECTED BY MIA KATZ, IAN GUTHRIE, DAVE MONTAGUE, RICH TINAGLIA & JASON VALES
Auditions: April 21, 22 – 2025; 7-10 PM
Read Through: At Directors’ discretion
When Summer comes around there are two things you can count on—Heartland Theatre’s long-running annual 10-minute Play Festival and people having sales to get rid of stuff. In 2025, Heartland brings these summertime staples together on stage for “The Rummage Sale”.
If one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, what happens when those people come together?
Performances: May 29, 30, 31, June 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 — 2025
The Mike Dobbins Memorial NEW PLAYS FROM THE HEARTLAND
DIRECTED BY DARLENE LLOYD, LYNDA RETTICK & NATASHA WARLOE
Three Winning One-act Plays from the Midwest in Staged Readings. No memorization required.
Auditions: June 16, 17 – 2025; 7-10 PM
Read Through: Sunday, June 22
Forum with Playwright: July 10
Performances: July 11, 12, 13 — 2025