Casting "Arsenic and Old Lace"
By Joseph Kesserling
Produced by The Little Egg Theatre Company (LETCO)
Directed by Donn Shear
AUDITIONS: Open readings Friday 1/10/2025 4pm- 8pm & Saturday 1/11/2025, noon-4pm at the Edward Thornton / Little Egg Harbor Community Center at 319 West Calabreeze Little Egg Harbor, NJ. If you read Friday, you may be asked to come back on Saturday for a call back. Auditions will be open readings from scripts/sides provided. Final call back TBA if needed.
LETCO is a community theater group, welcoming and friendly. All levels of experience are welcome.
REHEARSALS: Begin January 13th and will be held at the Community Center and The Church of the Holy Spirit in Tuckerton. Generally they will be Mondays and either Thursday or Friday of each week. Actual dates will be determined depending on space availability and cast schedules.
Load in, Tech, and final dress starts Friday March 21st and runs through Wednesday March 26th. All cast must be available within that window leading up to the show.
PERFORMANCE DATES: Runs Thursday March 27th through Sunday March 30th.
The stage will be struck immediately following the Sunday performance and all cast and crew are expected to help. A pizza and prosecco cast party will follow.
SYNOPSIS:
Drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor, they killed him! Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine, a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another brother using plastic surgery to hide from the police—not to mention Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage—it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic dark comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
Ages noted below are suggestions and others will be considered.
The Parts noted with physicality require that the actor be physically able to accomplish
the correct choreography.
Depending on audition turnout, we may consider females for some of the male parts.
WOMEN
Abby Brewster (Female 50-70 years old): A darling lady, and the very model of Victorian charm and grace, who poisons elderly gentlemen, with her sister as an act of charity. She and her sister Martha seem to be the absolute embodiment of the values and polite society of a bygone era. More dominant, and a bit older than Martha. Both ladies are happy, healthy, lucid, and spry. She is Aunt to Teddy, Jonathan, and Mortimer.
Martha Brewster (Female 50-70 years old): Very sweet, but more submissive than Abby, Martha still is a strong woman. She and her sister have lived together for many, many years. Their personalities and pecking order around each other have been firmly rooted for eons. Always wears a high collar. She is Aunt to Teddy, Jonathan, and Mortimer.
Elaine Harper (Female 25-40): An attractive girl, daughter of Rev. Dr. Harper, and is Mortimer’s fiancée. She is surprisingly wise in the ways of the world for a minister’s daughter. She is a little bit wily, sassy, and absolutely sharp. Actor seeking this role will need to show genuine zest and spunk. She will also need to display a wonderful sense of versatility. We witness Elaine's progress from casual happiness, to utter bliss, to twisted confusion, to stark fear, to relief, and back to casual happiness again.
MEN
Mortimer Brewster (Male 30-50): Nephew of Abby and Martha, brother to both Teddy and Jonathan Brewster. Very likable, Mortimer is a drama critic who is in love with amd engaged to Elaine Harper. A good-hearted cynic who is about to have his world turned upside down. PHYSICAL ROLE. Special Note: The actor who plays this role must be comfortable to utterly “LET GO.” Mortimer controls the show. From the discovery of the first body, Mortimer must be electrified. He carries that energy all the way through the show. Physical comedy, perfection of timing in dialog delivery, likability in presence, and an ability to display agility in navigating the rapidly changing circumstances of each scene is absolutely necessary.
Teddy Brewster (40-60 years old): Very likable, kindhearted brother to Mortimer and Jonathan, Nephew of Abby and Martha Brewster, Teddy is a man who believes that he is the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Extreme dedication and energy is necessary while charging up a flight of stairs and screaming “CHARGE!” PHYSICAL ROLE.
Jonathan Brewster (40-60 years old): Nephew of Abby and Martha Brewster, brother to Teddy and Mortimer. Jonathan is a psychopath who has numerous murders to his credit and no scruples whatsoever. He is creepy. Jonathan is a killer, that loves his business and he has an unbelievably short temper. Dr. Einstein has changed Jonathan’s face three times, currently resulting in a Boris Karloff resemblance (to which he is a bit sensitive.) Some PHYSICAL work.
Dr. Einstein (45-55 years old): German plastic surgeon, with an accent to prove it. Right hand to Jonathan, Dr. Einstein is mousey and submissive to Jonathan. Einstein should be viewed as a good guy whose life has gone bad. The audience truly has to sympathize with this guy. With somewhat of a ratty appearance, his face wears the benevolent smirk of a man who lives in a pleasant haze of alcohol.
The Reverend Dr. Harper (50-70 years old) (Cameo): We only see Elaine Harper’s father in the opening scene; a doctor of divinity, and the minister to the church next door to the Brewster house. The Brewster sisters have seen many ministers come and go over the years, but they seem to be particularly fond of Dr. Harper and vice versa. The actor portraying Dr. Harper should display a sense of polish, refinement, and mild mannered sensitivity towards others. He is not in favor of Mortimer and Elaine’s relationship.
Officer Brophy (25-45 years old) (Cameo): The first police officer we meet in the show, Brophy is a thoroughly likable sort of fellow. He is making his rounds collecting Christmas toys for the needy. Some PHYSICAL work.
Officer Klein (25-45 years old) (Cameo): A flatfoot Brooklyn officer who makes his rounds with Officer Brophy collecting Christmas toys.
Officer O’Hara (any age) (Cameo): He is the quintessential example of an Irish-American police officer: Full of life, good natured and played big. He is on very good terms with the Aunts. O’Hara is a would-be playwright, and needs to plainly display the nagging, persistent drive that’s kindled within him once he discovers that Mortimer is a famous dramatic critic. Well intentioned, O’Hara really doesn’t mean to come across as annoying as he does.
Mr. Gibbs (55-80 years old) (Cameo): An elderly gentleman who wishes to rent a room from the Brewster sisters; and nearly falls victim to the sisters “charity”. He is a little gruff, but he warms up fairly quickly upon being offered a treat he hasn’t had since he was a child.
Lieutenant Rooney (50’s years old) (Cameo): The man in charge at the local police precinct. Very early in the show we gain a pretty strong understanding of the caliber of men he has to manage under his watch. As such, he has very little patience for blunders and mistakes, and needs to run a pretty tight ship. He is loud, decisive, and clearly in-charge of every situation in which he finds himself.
Mr. Witherspoon (50-60s years old) (Cameo): The superintendent of Happy Dale Sanitarium. Very mild mannered and kind.
*LETCO is a non-profit community theatre troupe. All participation is on a volunteer basis. No members of the cast or crew are compensated.