Walpole Footlighters - News - Walpole Footlighters

Call for Directors for 2022-2023

1/6/2022

The Walpole Footlighters seeks submissions for directors for our 2022-2023 season.

    The Humans
    By Stephen Karam
    Performance Dates: October 21, 22, 28, 29, 30, November 4, 5, & 6 – 2022

    A Comedy of Tenors
    By Ken Ludwig
    Performance Dates: February 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, & 19 – 2023

   Something Rotten!
    By John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick
    Music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick
    Performance Dates: May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 19, 20, & 21 – 2023

Interested directors should submit their resumes and written show proposals to the Play Reading Committee Chair by January 17, 2022 to plays@footlighters.com. Interviews will be scheduled for late January.

We look forward to hearing director proposals for each of these exciting shows. We encourage all who would like to direct to apply and join the Walpole Footlighters in putting together this fabulous season.

The Walpole Footlighters Announce Cast for Sylvia by A.R. Gurney

8/2/2021

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce the cast for Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, directed by Vito Abate.

Sylvia - Shanel Sparr
Greg - Mark Adams
Kate - Diana Doyle
Tom/Phyllis/Leslie - Dori Bryan Ployer

Mark Adams last appeared in the Footlighters production of Open House. Diana Doyle appeared in The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play. Shanel Sparr and Dori Bryan Ployer are making their Walpole Footlighters debuts.

Thank you to all who auditioned!

Walpole Footlighters Announce Auditions for Sylvia by A.R. Gurney

7/5/2021

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce open auditions for Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, directed by Vito Abate, on Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. Callbacks will take place as needed on Thursday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Depending on the role(s), you will also be asked to sing. Actors should bring a headshot or a current photo and a resumé and a list of all conflicts from August 26 through Nov 21. Performance dates are November 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8:00 pm and November 14 and 21 at 2:00 pm.

Because some actors will be auditioning for 3 and 4 roles, a small group will be put together to start and then others will come and go into the mix based on attendance. Everyone will be seated in the theater and have the opportunity to read for their role(s) and may have additional chances to read. When you check in please let them know if you have a time constraint and we will do our best to get you out by that time.

All auditions and performances take place at the Footlighters Playhouse at 2 Scout Road, East Walpole, MA. All roles are available and open to all. Rehearsals are scheduled for Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning in late August with additional rehearsals added if needed. If you have any questions, or are interested but unavailable during the scheduled times, please email WalpoleSylvia@gmail.com.

Vito Abate is an award-winning actor/director/producer who recently relocated to the greater Boston area. Sylvia marks his Walpole Footlighters debut.

A.R. Gurney has written numerous plays including The Dining Room and Love Letters. Sylvia opened Off-Broadway in 1995 and ran for 167 performances and was revived on Broadway in 2015 for a limited run. It has been produced in regional and community theatres around the country and “from France to China.”

The characters are listed on our web site at https://www.footlighters.com/auditions.html, where you can also download an audition form.

Walpole Footlighters announce 2021-2022 Board Members

6/11/2021

At the 2021 annual meeting on June 9, the Walpole Footlighters elected members of the Board of Directors for 2021-2022.

President: Kathleen Hardigan
Vice President: Meg Culkeen
Treasurer: Marianne Phinney
Secretary: Linda Berman
Publications: Lisa Cyr
Publicity: Steve Small
Social Media: Rachael Rabinovitz
Member At Large: Ashley Harmon

Three new members were elected to the Play Reading Committee for two year terms:
Patrick Murphy
William “Woody” Farrick
Beth Morrell

The position of House Manager is currently vacant. The Chair of the Play Reading Committee will be elected by the members of the PRC to represent the committee on the Board.

2021 Scholarship Winners Announced

5/29/2021

After review of the applications submitted for the Walpole Footlighters' Scholarship, the Board of Directors decided to grant not one, not two, but THREE scholarships this year! Congratulations to the 2021 Scholarship recipients!

Mahoney Cyr, Millis High School
Brenna Hughes, Walpole High School
Cate Lightbody, Walpole High School

Cast Announced for "The 39 Steps"

12/26/2020

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce the cast of The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, directed by Sheila Kelleher:

Actor 1: Ken Carberry
Actor 2: Jon Workman
Actor 3: James Koonce
Actor 4: Diana Doyle
Actor 5: Amy Keegan

Thank you to all who auditioned!

Cast Announced for "Love in the Snow"

11/2/2020

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce the cast for Love in the Snow by Matthew Garlin, directed by Kathy Bedard. Love in the Snow will be performed on Zoom December 4 & 5 at 8:00 pm.

Storyteller - Philip Tomposki
Russ - Matthew R. Divoll
Bill - Mark S. Logan, Jr.
Jillian, Jenny - Anita Harkess
Amber, Nicki - Lauren Ruth
Ben, Announcer - Andrew Quinney
Hilary, Julie - Nika Shakhmuradova
Dave - Patrick Murphy
Ralph - Chris Erath

Thank you to all who auditioned!

Auditions Extended for "Love in the Snow"

10/26/2020

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce auditions for their next virtual production, Love In The Snow - Stories for Christmas by Matthew Garlin, directed by Kathy Bedard.

The script is in 3 short stories with separate characters. The plot summary and character details are included below. Actors should complete the audition form at http://bit.ly/SnowAuditions and upload a video audition using one of the monologues available at http://bit.ly/SnowMonologues by Saturday, October 31 at 6:00 pm.

NOTE: Actors will be responsible for pulling together some costumes and props. For questions, please contact the director at katherinelbedard@gmail.com.

Performance dates are Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 - 8:00pm. This production is being performed virtually. Rehearsals will take place on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning November 3. Actors MUST be available for both evening tech rehearsals on Tuesday, December 1 and Thursday, December 3.

Plot Summary:
Love in the Snow - Stories for Christmas is three short plays about characters looking to show how much their loved ones mean to them by the quality and quantity of gifts but they learn that it's about the quantity of love they have for each other and not the price of a gift that matters.

Roles:
Below are the roles per play. Not all characters have monologues. Feel free to use any of the monologues or two within the same video, or provide your own that aligns with the character. Important: The video file can’t be larger than 100 MB.

Storyteller: Any age, a mysterious balladeer who introduces each play and sings a song, or will be poetically read over music.

The Christmas Gift: A man wants to propose to his girlfriend and has an elaborate plan that includes his best friend and an annoyed waitress, but he is sidelined by his co-dependent mother and his old neighbors who are out to embarrass him.

Russ: 30-35 age range: an anxious man who wants to propose to his girlfriend but has a co-dependent relationship with his mother.
Amber: 30-35 age range: a romantic woman who is also practical and doesn’t want to settle or be second banana to Russ’ mom.
Bill: 30-35 age range: a classic best friend who is usually unreliable but wants to do well in his position.
Jillian: 30-35 age range: a waitress who hates her job and is stuck in a long-term relationship with a man who won’t propose or read a love poem and lives through Amber.
Ben Steinman: 50 age range (makeup may be needed): an older man who has some health issues as well as memory issues.
Hiliary Steinman: 50 age range (makeup may be needed): an older woman who loves her husband but kind of has a one-track mind.

Gifts for Christmas: A poor newly married couple tries to get Christmas gifts for each other but their finances are very low and so they have to make sacrifices, but it turns out that their sacrifices are rewarded.

Julie: 27-year-old woman: a practical well-meaning woman who doesn’t really want money but wants to be able to survive.
Dave: 27-year-old man: a practical man who thinks he has to provide for his family and feels like a failure when he doesn’t.
Nicki: 47-year-old woman: a storekeeper who just wants to bring happiness and do good in the world.

Christmas of Gifts: Two parents want to get their child the toy they really want but they find themselves arguing about who will give him the toy while other shoppers try to get their shopping done.

Ralph: 30-40-year-old man.
Jenny: 30-40-year-old woman.
Men and women shopping: can be played by two actors in different costumes.
Announcer: at the beginning of this play.

Cast Announced for "A Virtual Whodunnit"

9/28/2020

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce the cast for their next virtual production, A Virtual Whodunnit, by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, directed by Steve Small. A Virtual Whodunnit will be performed on Zoom on October 23 & 24.

Augusts Sterling: Peter Bradley
Florina Sterling: Lauren Bushway
Bullion Sterling: Kevin Lowney
Juniper Everton: Shelby Speer
Eugene Everton: Mark Logan
Macy Gables: Juli Small
Haley Hawkins: Karen Bell
Barry Schwartz: Chris Erath
Rockford Sloan: Beth Morrell

Thank you to all who auditioned!

Auditions Announced for "A Virtual Whodunnit"

9/16/2020

A Virtual Whodunnit
By Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus
Directed by Steve Small

The Walpole Footlighters are pleased to announce auditions for their next virtual production, A Virtual Whodunnit, by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, directed by Steve Small. Actors should complete the form at http://bit.ly/WhodunnitAudition and upload a video audition using one of the monologues available at http://bit.ly/WhodunnitMonologues by Friday, September 25 at 6:00 pm. Rehearsals will take place on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning September 29, with Zoom performances scheduled October 23 & 24 at 8:00 PM. Actors will be responsible for pulling together some costumes and props. For questions, please contact the director at publicity@footlighters.com.

A Virtual Whodunnit starts during a virtual family meeting when the patriarch announces he is changing his will, but dies suddenly and comically before signing the updated document. Murder is suspected, everyone is a suspect, and the detective discovers that they all had both motive and opportunity. The audience gets to vote for the killer, and the play has multiple endings.

The age ranges given below are preferences; they are not set in stone. The roles referenced are just to give those auditioning a better idea of the character, but impersonations aren’t the goal.

Characters
Augustus Sterling (Male, mid -50’s to mid-60’s): The patriarch who runs both the family and the family business with an iron fist. He’s used to getting his way, and says a lot of things that sound like they could have been said by President Trump.

Florina Sterling (Female, preferably not older than mid-30’s): The fourth Mrs. Sterling speaks with a thick vampire-esque accent. Florina is a spoiled little gold digger who has had it with her husband’s three exes. Think Melania Trump?

Bullion Sterling (Male, mid-30’s): Bullion is the CEO of the family business. He is Sterling’s only son and heir apparent. Except that it isn’t apparent to Sterling, who treats Bullion as an inconvenient afterthought. Think Gob Bluth from Arrested Development.

Juniper Everton (Female, late 20’s – early 30’s): Daddy’s little girl who can do no wrong. But she’d like to try. Think Cher from Clueless as an adult.

Eugene Everton (Male, late 20’s – early 30’s): Juniper’s husband and CFO of the family business. A milquetoast man who is easily forgettable, and Sterling often does. He’s Mr. Cellophane from Chicago, without a song.

Macy Gables (Female, early to mid-20’s): The youngest of Sterling’s children, a flower-child tree-hugger who doesn’t want anything to do with Daddy’s money. Macy is a cross between Janice the Muppet and Alexis Rose of Schitt’s Creek.

Haley Hawkins (Female, early to mid-30’s): VP of Technology for the family business, but not a member of the family. Haley hates that Sterling treats her like an assistant, and she definitely shouldn’t be under-estimated. Think a techy Elle Woods from Legally Blonde.

Barry Schwartz (Male, mid-30’s to mid-40’): Sterling’s personal lawyer with a secret agenda of his own. Think Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad.

Rockford Sloan (Either sex, any age): The hard-boiled detective who will wade through quicksand to find the truth. S/he does film noir-ish asides to the audience. Think Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon.