Bell Road Barn Players in Parkville, MO will be holding open auditions for their spring 2023 show

“Dead Man’s Cell Phone”
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Gary Heisserer

Performances March 10th – 19th

AUDITION INFO
Auditions will take place at the
David Theatre, in Alumni Hall on the campus of Park University
8700 NW River Park Dr. Parkville, MO 64152

Sunday, January 8th from 1:00—5:00
and
Monday, January 9th from 6:00 – 10:00 pm

Callbacks (by invitation only)
Tuesday, January 10th from 6:00-10:00

Auditions by appointment only and will consist of readings from the script.
You can make an appointment by clicking the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAEA62BA3FEC34-dead

If you have any questions about signing up, or if you encounter problems, please email the director gheisserer@hotmail.com.

Actors will be requested to show proof of COVID vaccination at auditions. Actors and company members may be requested to mask in the theatre when not acting on stage.

Headshots and resumes are welcome, but not required.

Roles are available for 4-5 women and 2 men.

Actors over 18 years of age, and actors of all ethnicities and experience are encouraged to attend.

PERFORMANCE DATES: March 10 – 12 & 17 – 19 (Friday-Saturday evenings, Sunday matinees)

Rehearsal will begin January 23rd, usually on Sunday afternoon and at 6:00 on Monday through Thursdays. Please come to auditions with any potential conflict dates you may have during this period.

For specific questions, please email gheisserer@hotmail.com

About the Play

A phone in a café rings and rings and rings. Jean, a woman sitting at a nearby table, goes to the table where the phone is ringing. She soon discovers that the man sitting at table has died. She decides to take the dead man’s cell phone and by doing so enters the worlds of his mother, wife, brother, lover, and dubious business partner. The play also looks at the “noise” of information overload, and the “aloneness” it can create. The play is at time realistic, but also ventures into nonrealism. Like our contemporary world, the environment of the play is at times loud and at times silent, real and at times ethereal, fluid yet transitory.

“Ruhl’s zany probe of the razor-thin line between life and death delivers a fresh and luminous look at the times we live in.” Variety

About the Characters

Jean
39 years old. She is enigmatic and difficult for others to read. There is a bit of a chameleon in her; she adapts to whoever she is with and with whatever situation she is in. She is a bit of a loner, but when she discovers Gordon’s cell phone and that he has died, she goes on a mission to keep his memory alive. It’s never completely clear why she does this. At times she seems almost like a blank canvas that becomes painted differently depending on who she is with. She is in every scene in the play except one, but it seems we know her least well. And she lies a lot during the play.

Gordon
Probably 40-50, but his age is not specified. Very large personality, extremely smart, and amoral. He runs a black market organ transplant operation. He is arrogant and rich He can also be cruel, and he is very charismatic.

Gordon’s mother, Mrs. Gottlieb
Probably 60 or so but it is not specified. Like all the other women in the play (except Jean), she has a big personality. She likes to wear furs, indoors. She loves to eat a lot of rib-eye steak and control everything. She quickly changes emotions and she speak her mind very directly. She can be sentimental, and she can be coarse.

Gordon’s widow, Hermia
Probably in her 40s but it is not specified. She too has a big personality. She likes to drink and can become vulgar when she does so. Talks openly about her sex life with her late husband. It’s easy to miss, but she is also very smart, but in an unconventional way.

Gordon’s brother, Dwight
Probably in his 40s, but it is not specified. He contrasts sharply with Gordon. Dwight is romantic and sentimental. He says, “Gordon was the mover and shaker. I always sat back a bit.” He works in a stationary store and loves fancy paper.

Other Woman (may also play the Stranger)
Age not specified. She is a former lover of Gordon. She is extremely confident in herself and in her appearance. She says, “A beautiful woman should walk in a room thinking, ‘I am beautiful, and I know how to walk in these shoes.”

Stranger (may also play the Other Woman)
Probably somewhere between 35 and 50 but could be a little older or younger. She is, “A beautiful woman who travels constantly between the capitals of Europe and South America.” She deals in the black market for organs that can be transplanted. She is capable of violence and probably murder.