The Old Town Players community theatre will hold open auditions.
The OTP will be holding open auditions for the comedy “The Red Velvet Cake War” on Jan. 7 and 8, 7:00 p.m. (EST), at the OTP Theatre and Arts Center located on Broadway at Fifth Street in Vincennes.
“The Red Velvet Cake War” is a funny Southern-fried comedy, the three Verdeen cousins – Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette – could not have picked a worse time to hold their family reunion. Their outrageous antics have delighted local gossips in the small town of Sweetgum and the eyes of Texas are upon them, as their self-righteous Aunt LaMerle is quick to point out. Having “accidentally” crashed her minivan through the wall of her husband’s girlfriend’s doublewide, Gaynelle is one frazzled nerve away from a spectacular meltdown.
Peaches, a saucy firebrand and the number one mortuarial cosmetologist in the tri-county area, is struggling to decide if it’s time to have her long-absent trucker husband declared dead. And Jimmie Wyvette, the rough-around-the-edges store manager of Whatley’s Western Wear, is resorting to extreme measures to outmaneuver a prissy neighbor for the affections of Sweetgum’s newest widower. But the cousins can’t back out of the reunion now. It’s on and Gaynelle’s hosting it. Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette have decided its success is the perfect way to prove Gaynelle’s sanity to a skeptical court-appointed psychologist.
Unfortunately, they face an uphill battle as a parade of wildly eccentric Verdeens gathers on the hottest day of July, smack-dab in the middle of Texas tornado season. Things spin hilariously out of control when a neighbor’s pet devours everything edible, a one-eyed suitor shows up to declare his love, and a jaw-dropping high-stakes wager is made on who bakes the best red velvet cake.
As this fast-paced romp barrels toward its uproarious climax, you’ll wish your own family reunions were this much fun.
Parts are available for four men and seven women. Newcomers are welcome and encouraged to try out and no advance preparation is required. Those auditioning will read aloud from various scenes in the script, and roles will be assigned upon completion of the auditions.
For those interested in participating in a non-acting capacity, production assistants are also needed to help with set construction and painting, props, costumes, and more. Auditions will be conducted OTP veteran director/performer Vickie Puffer, along with assistant directors Phyllis Workman and Lee Williams.
Performances of “The Red Velvet Cake War” will be February 22 – 24 and March 1 – 3, with show times at 8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3:00 p.m. Sundays.
