Auditions will consist of readings from the various scripts. If you are interested in auditioning for "Bittersweet Lullaby," please prepare 16 bars of a ballad from a Broadway musical. Bring sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. Please bring all conflicts from February 10 through March 24. No experience necessary. Trinity Bird will serve as production coordinator with stage management by Joella Hendrickson.
PLEASE NOTE: SAUK SHORTS requires a much smaller time commitment than most productions. Each short play rehearses separately. However, the following days are required for all cast members:
- Saturday, February 10 from 2-5 p.m. (Read Through)
- Monday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. (Full Cast Run Through)
- Sunday, March 17 at various TBA times (Tech Rehearsal)
- Monday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. (Dress Rehearsal)
- Wednesday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. (Dress Rehearsal)
- All performances.
This year's short plays will include:
Bittersweet Lullaby
Book by Will Lacker, Music and Lyrics by Dylan Glatthorn
Directed by Bruce Crews
Two struggling songwriters live in the same apartment decades apart. In one magical night, their voices connect through time and they begin a collaboration that leaves them forever changed.
Gimme Shelter
By Robert Weibezahl
Directed by Jennifer Wagler
A septuagenarian with an unconventional past and a twenty-something with an uncertain future have a brief encounter at the bus stop in a retirement village and forge a highly unexpected connection.
God and Growing Old
Written and Directed By Bud Vear (of Hillsdale)
An elderly gentlemen speaks to God and gets an unexpected response.
Sandbox
By Scott Mullen
Directed by Sarah Gray
Claire has a noisy child. Claire's child is NOT allowed in the "quiet sandbox." When Claire finds a bunch of adults in the "quiet sandbox," she challenges them, only to be surprised at their response.
The Empty Stage
By Bruce Crews (of Jackson)
Directed by Trinity Bird
The Empty Stage explores the power and possibilities inherent in an empty stage. Creativity, relationships, and endless possibilities unite to make all things possible.
The Feast of Asses
By G.M. (Bud) Thompson (of Grand Rapids)
Directed by Andy Anderson
What happens in Vegas… The story of a couple, who never intended to be a couple, but end up bound together. They are sure it is a mistake. Maybe it is. Maybe it’s not.
The Reception
By Sarah Gray (of Jonesville)
Directed by Conor Slatick
Your wedding is the most wonderful day of your life! But what do your guests think?
The Selfie
By Scott Mullen
Directed by Savannah Bruton
Mandy is confused when Warren asks her to take a selfie with him outside the school dance, but it turns out he has his reasons.
Two Detectives Walk Into a Bar
By Jacob Weldon (of Jackson)
Directed by Josh Hall
Two detectives are individually searching for a criminal, and then mistake each other for the criminal in question. Two Detectives Walk Into A Bar is a parody of the detective noir style.
World Premiere
By G.M. (Bud) Thompson (of Grand Rapids)
Directed by Trinity Bird
For the eleventh consecutive year, playwright G.M. (Bud) Thompson will write a world premiere 10-minute play exclusively for Sauk Shorts.
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. No experience necessary. There are roles for six men and five women. This production will be directed by Bruce Crews.
PLEASE NOTE: This production conflicts with "Icarus/Pandora and the Sickle Moon."
About the Play
J. Bruce Ismay was an upper-crust Englishman who always did what was expected of him. He went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else) and vowed to his staunch, unfeeling father on his deathbed that he would take over the family shipping business and build the biggest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen: the RMS Titanic. What an accomplishment! We all know the story of how the ship sank…or do we? Ismay saved as many people as he could on that fateful night, and finally, with no women and children in sight, he stepped into the last lifeboat…and was branded a coward and a traitor forever. The world needed a scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic and Ismay became the perfect target. He had a powerful enemy in the United States—newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst condemned Ismay nationwide before the rescue ship Carpathia even landed in New York. Hearst's cause was aided by William Alden Smith, a ruthless senator with presidential aspirations, who led a "witch-hunt" investigation into this high-profile disaster. Although there was no solid evidence against Ismay, Senator Smith managed to drag the hearings on for months. More than 3,000 passengers brought lawsuits against the White Star Line for loss of life and property, which only fueled Ismay's intense survivor's guilt. When he was forced to resign from the White Star Line, he spent the rest of his days as a recluse at his estate in Ireland, haunted by the ghosts of that fateful night to the point of near insanity. THE LAST LIFEBOAT is the story of the Titanic that has never been told. This epic tale explores not only the tragedy itself, but the sensationalized trials and aftermath of the night that changed the world.
Available Roles
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. No experience necessary. Trinity Bird will direct this production.
PLEASE NOTE: This production conflicts with "The Last Lifeboat."
About the Play
Icarus follows inventor and architect Daedalus, who commits a crime in Athens and is banished to Crete to serve King Minos. Determined to right the wrong of his crime, Daedalus becomes a father to Icarus, a daring and precocious boy whose eyes are on all the glories of the world around him – the sky, the sea, the stars – while Daedalus buries himself in his work, attempting to save the people of Crete from King Minos' shrewd plans, which include sacrificing humans to a ravenous minotaur. Complicating things further, Icarus falls in love with Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. After adventures involving sea god Poseidon, the Labyrinth, the slaying of the minotaur, and a broken heart, Daedalus and Icarus find themselves in a locked tower, surrounded by Minos' ships. Daedalus makes wings made of feathers, wax, and wood – their only hope for escape from the tower. With his eyes on the sky, Icarus soars and hollers with joy. Daedalus watches in horror as his son flies too close to the sun, which melts the wax in his wings. Icarus falls into the sea and perishes. A grieving Daedalus flies on to Athens, honoring his son by keeping his eyes on the beauty of the world around him. Approximately 45-50 minutes. 7 men, 4 women and 3-10 flexible.
Available Roles
About the Play
Pandora, the first woman created by Greek gods, has opened a box releasing all the evils of humanity. She can't undo the deed so she decides her penance must be to observe the evil play out in the world. She serves as the audience's narrator in this tragic fairy tale told out of time and place. Pandora tells of Freya, a young princess who has been captured in a battle that killed her family. A classically evil queen, Skadaas, is plotting a way to stay in power. Her first-born son, Brono, does not speak and, therefore, cannot be king. Her second-born son, Vol, is an explorer who has no kingly aspirations, though his mother wishes otherwise. Both sons fall for Freya. Pandora frets about not being able to stop evil and considers her situation hopeless, yet through a climactic and surprising sacrifice, she realizes that Freya has taught her that hope will always remain. About 35 minutes. 2 men, 3 women and unlimited ensemble.
Available Roles
Auditions are open to anyone age 15 and up. Actors are auditioning for plays that have not been written. Actors are given two minutes to do whatever shows off their talents best - a monologue, tell a story, sing a song, recite a poem, do a dance, etc. Playwrights and directors will then choose actors to write for. Rehearsals begin Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and continue all day through the 8 p.m. performance. The playwrights and directors will be announced at a later date.
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. No experience necessary. This production features a cast of seven (either gender). This production will be directed by Tim Ambrose.
PLEASE NOTE: This production rehearses Monday through Thursday from 4-6 p.m.
About the Play
Everyone thinks they know Peter Pan. But until you have heard Tinker Bell’s side of the story, you really have not heard it at all. When all the fairies in Neverland start dying, Tinker Bell comes to London to find a friend. There she meets a young boy named Peter Pan who has just run away from his family so he can be a little boy forever and have fun. When Tink takes Peter to Neverland, all sorts of wonderful and amazing things happen: flowers grow, animals appear and pirates arrive. But as Peter brings more Lost Boys and the Darling children back to her island, Tink finds she doesn’t like sharing her friend with anyone else. Especially that Wendy girl. This fresh and intensely theatrical adaptation of the classic story emphasizes play and fun as well as the complicated nature of friendship. A new, twinkling light shines on all the characters you love as J.M. Barrie’s story is reborn from this feisty fairy’s point of view. Approximately 60 minutes. Cast of 7 (either gender).
Available Roles
*Can be either actor or puppet. Excepting the actors playing Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, all should double as puppeteers, other characters, flowers, birds, fairies, etc.
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. Trinity Bird will direct this production with musical direction by Kristi Gautsche.
PLEASE NOTE: This production conflicts with THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT.
About the Play
Based on the famous novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features an original score composed by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) and a book by David Greig. The score also pays homage to the Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley score from the 1971 film with songs from the motion picture including "Candy Man," "I've Got a Golden Ticket," "Oompa Loompa Song," and "Pure Imagination." The world-famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious factory…but only to a lucky few. Young Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a life-changing journey through Wonka’s world of pure imagination including chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas.
Available Roles
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date.
PLEASE NOTE: This production conflicts with CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
About the Play
Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy—an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check D’Agata’s essay, the two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth. This production contains adult language.
Available Roles
Audition requirements will be announced at a later date. Trinity Bird will direct this production with musical direction by Kristi Gautsche.
About the Play
From Tony winners Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, creators of such Broadway classics as Ragtime and Once on This Island, this dazzling show transports its audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family. Inspired by the animated film of the same name.
Available Roles
Titles, Directors and More to be announced at a later date.
Character descriptions, audition requirements and production team to be announced.