"MUDPIE" Audition Notice
We’re NOW accepting actor submissions to audition for our upcoming production of MudPie.
A new play written by Christopher Heatherington
Directed by Sally Cacic
Auditions: April 6 & 7, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Room CHD 15, University of Calgary.
STORY SYNOPSIS:
After her husband is killed in a tragic hit and run accident, Ella Coulter’s journey through grief takes a turn for the unexpected when she becomes convinced that her sister Laura was somehow involved - and responsible - for her husband’s death. Suspecting a conspiracy and cover up, Ella refuses to believe the official police account of what happened and severs all ties with her only sibling. Suspicion spawns obsession as Ella’s search for answers becomes all-consuming - and for her own family, all ‘concerning’.
When presumably-lost personal items from her dead husband mysteriously begin to turn up, Ella’s quest becomes an odyssey - beginning in her own backyard, and ending when long-kept, closely guarded family secrets are finally revealed.
CAST CHARACTERS:
ELLA COULTER. (Open ethnicity 65+). A product of her times and generation, Ella is a Boomer and proverbial ‘older sister’ in every sense. Educated, erudite and articulate when it suits her, she is equally coarse, overbearing, judgemental, opinionated and even childish when something doesn’t. Outwardly she exudes confidence, self assurance and a healthy ( or unhealthy) sense of entitlement. Inwardly she is wracked with insecurity, self-doubt, suspicion, fear and a lingering distrust of institutions. Her values and world-view are at-once ‘hardened’, while at the same time self-contradictory to the point of absurdity. Her world is ‘black and white’, ‘right and wrong’ ‘ true and false’, ‘real and nonsense’, ‘provable and refutable’.
As a result, she finds herself increasingly at odds with the modern age ‘mostly-shades-of-grey’ reality. What she can’t explain, accept or understand she denies, diminishes or simply dismisses.
LAURA BOUCHARD. (Open ethnicity 60+) Ella’s younger sister, Laura has always looked up to and admired her ‘big sister’. She also harbours a long simmering resentment about her older sibling’s seemingly perfect life, relationships and ‘Fairytale marriage’ to the ‘Prom King’. In her teens, Laura chafed about being the tagalong ‘little sister’ and rebelled at the real and ‘imagined’ constraints of her ‘second sibling’ status. While now seemingly successful and happily settled in her own life, she nonetheless bears the burden of guilt and shame of a long held and closely-guarded family secret. One that she is forced to confront when ‘talismans’ from her long-suppressed past mysteriously re-surface and threaten to further widen the sororal rift with her sister.
CHARLEE COULTER-MAZURSKY. (Open Ethnicity Late 20s - early 30s) The only child of Ashton and Ella Coulter, Charlee seems to defy the old adage about apples not falling far from the tree. In many ways she is the antithesis of her mother, suggesting she perhaps inherited more of her father’s ‘kinder, gentler’ traits. While not exactly ‘ her mother’s daughter’ in personality and demeanor, Charlee is not without a spine, readily sparring with her mother over everything from appropriate child’s gifts to what Ella calls the ‘pathetic participation ribbon’ reality of the modern age. Since her father’s death, Charlee has become increasingly concerned about her mother’s growing isolation, her ‘self-medicating’ and her obsessive - possibly delusional - behavior.
CONNOR ‘ CONNIE ‘ STEVENSON. (Open ethnicity 60+) Laura’s longtime live-in partner, ‘Connie’ is everyone’s like-able uncle and armchair philosopher, albeit with a sometimes adolescent mischievous streak. He is observant and surprisingly thoughtful when he wants to be - and is also a wellspring of seemingly random facts and nuggets of obscure knowledge one wouldn’t necessarily expect from such a bon vivant, seemingly carefree fellow. He is a steadying force in Laura’s life and an ‘unobtrusive’ moral compass in the same way that Jiminy Cricket would gently whisper guidance in Pinocchio’s ear.
WILLIAM CHOGAN. (45+ Indigenous/First nations) Self reliant, spiritual and rightfully proud of his culture and community, William has always navigated the contradictions and tensions between his own heritage, his First Nation and the colonial world with a large measure of caution and respect. While ‘inherently’ wary and somewhat distrustful of the ‘white man’s’ ways and institutions, Williams’ desire to abide by the law and ‘do the right thing’ undermines his initial instinct to ‘just keep driving’ when he happens upon a road-side tragedy late one night.
HENRY MINIWAPTA. (60+ Indigenous/First nations.) A product of his generation, when ‘The Indian Act’ still ruled the day ( and lives of First Nations peoples ), Henry ‘assimilated’ just enough to benefit from the educational largesse afforded by various governments to bright and gifted indigenous students. After earning his law degree, he became one of the founders of the Indigenous Bar Association and set about building a practice that, in his words, “uses the Colonialists legal tools to bring justice to those wrongly accused and / or convicted by the Colonialist system.“ Miniwapta was a social justice warrior long before the term was ever coined.
BEN MAZURSKY. (Open ethnicity Mid-late 30s) Charlee’s husband and father of the couple’s daughter, Ben is the supportive partner and the proverbial ‘good and decent man’. While he is well aware of what’s going on with his Mother in Law, he prefers, for the most part, to stay out of the line of fire. Well meaning and helpful when he can be, he’s there - often just in time - to offer the ‘calming voice of reason’ when nerves fray and tempers threaten to boil over.
DETECTIVE JOANNE / JOHN WELGUS. (Male/Female Open ethnicity 60+)
Detective Welgus keeps his / her own counsel especially close when it comes to investigating what may be a glaring instance of law enforcement malfeasance. Believing there may be something more insidious - even personally threatening - in the case of Ashton Coulter’s death, Welgus deliberately looks for the often-overlooked and minute loose ends that could very well spell ‘The End’ - not only of the case, but also of a career.
ASHTON COULTER. (Open Ethnicity 65+) An ‘old school’ Community builder and former City Councillor, Ash’s public persona of devoted husband, father and dedicated public servant hides a somewhat murkier ‘pre-social media’ past. When he is tragically killed on a back road late one night, questions about why he was where he was lead to speculation about what he was doing that night - and who he might have been with.
THE CYCLIST. (Open Ethnicity Male Late 20s - early 30s) A ‘mysterious’ young male who appears onstage in back-lit silhouette on a bicycle. He recounts the ‘story’ of his life and how his ‘journey’ and mission - cycling across the country to raise funds for Mental Health - has brought him to this small town, where a fortuitous and ultimately fateful meeting takes place.
AUDITION DATES & TIMES:
April 6th, 2024 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
April 7th, 2024, from 10.00 am to 6:00 pm
Room CHD15 (basement) at the University of Calgary
Auditions will consist of monologues and dialogues from the script. Specified character sides will be sent out to auditioners in advance so actors can prepare.
REHEARSAL TIMES & CONTRACT DATES:
Rehearsals:
Tuesday/Thursday evenings 6:00-10:00 pm and Sunday afternoons 1:00-5:00 pm. Rehearsal schedule runs from April 16-June 2, 2024. Some rehearsal dates may be subject to change.
Move-in to Theatre Space & Tech:
Show: June 5-9, 2024 at Vertigo Studio Theatre in Calgary.
COMPENSATION:
As a semi-professional Theatre Society, SALS offers base salaries plus a percentage of the gross income after ticket sales. We are able to engage Equity actors under an Inde 2.2 agreement with CAEA.
We are an equal opportunity society welcoming a diverse array of applicants from all backgrounds and abilities.
AUDITION ACTOR SUBMISSIONS:
Please submit your interest and availability to our Producer, Louise Day, at seniorsactinglab@gmail.com with the subject line "Mudpie Auditions" and include a headshot and resume. Please indicate your preferred role and preferred audition date & time in the body of your email.
