Auditions

Gulf View Drive

Written by Arlene Hutton
Directed by Mazie Wakefield

WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Callbacks will immediately follow initial auditions on Tuesday. Auditionees are highly encouraged to attend the first night of auditions.  

WHERE: Artis Center Black Box Theatre, Radford University

WHAT TO BRING: Please prepare a memorized one-minute contemporary dramatic monologue. Bring your complete class/work/life schedule from Jan. 12 to Feb. 22. If you have a headshot and resume, please bring that, too. Be prepared to answer questions about your boundaries with theatrical intimacy and discussing sensitive topics. The best way of preparing for auditions is reading the script.  

ABOUT THE PLAY: Young Kentuckians Raleigh and May find each other amid the tumult of WWII. By 1953 they are married and living in booming, post-war Florida where they settle in to nurture their individual and mutual dreams. But trouble comes to paradise as relatives descend and turbulent events of the outside world close in. Their safe haven threatened, and their love tested, they might have to make some unconventional decisions to weather the storm. This moving and comic look at mid-century America shows that the “good old days” were not as simple as they seemed.

Content Advisory: Gulf View Drive contains sensitive topics such as discrimination, period-typical attitudes and language about race, and sexual assault. Reading the script will help the individual determine their own comfortability with these aspects.

SEEKING: Five actors, comfortable portraying nuanced relationships and situations. 

• Raleigh- 30's, May’s husband, a writer. Kind, generous. Portrays intimacy with May. (hugging, closed mouth kissing, etc.)
• May- 30's, Raleigh’s wife, a schoolteacher. Caring, passionate, anxious. Portrays intimacy with Raleigh. (hugging, closed mouth kissing, etc.)
• Mrs. Gill- May's mother, a widow who has come to live with her daughter in her old age but is by no means incapable. 
• Mrs. Brummett- Raleigh's mother, recently widowed, has just come to Florida from her home in Corbin, Kentucky. 
• Treva- Raleigh's sister, a young wife and mother far away from home.

Please direct any questions to Mazie Wakefield (mwakefield@radford.edu) or Wesley Young  (wyoung@radford.edu)

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Little Shop of Horrors

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Music by Alan Menken
Directed by Wesley Young

WHEN: Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, and Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Artis Center Main Stage Theatre, Radford University

WHAT: Down on Skid Row, poor Seymour Krelborn seems destined to live a glum life. But then he encounters a strange and interesting plant with a big mouth and a speedy metabolism. The plant delivers fame, money, and the girl of Seymour's dreams all for the price of MORE BLOOD and …what...world domination? It’s a pop/rock, sci-fi, horror musical!

CHARACTERS: 

• Seymour- An insecure, naïve, put-upon, florist’s clerk. Engages in intimacy with Audrey (“passionate embrace”, potentially closed-mouth kissing). Dances a tango with Mushnik.
• Audrey- The secret love of Seymour’s life. A combo of Judy Holliday, Carol Channing, and Marilyn Monroe; sweet and vulnerable. Engages in intimacy with Seymour (“passionate embrace”, potentially closed-mouth kissing). Depicts partner violence with Orin.
• Mr. Mushnik- Their boss who owns a failing East Side florist. Seldom smiles, often sweats. Dances a tango with Seymour.
• Orin- A good-looking bad boy of a leather-jacket-wearing dentist with sadistic tendencies. Depicts partner violence with Audrey.
• Audrey Two, the Plant- An anthropomorphic cross between a Venus Flytrap and an avocado.
• Voice of Audrey Two- A sound something like Barry White, Aretha, and Wolfman Jack? Street-smart, funky, and conniving; an R & B Richard III.
• Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon- Three street urchins who participate in the action and comment on it like a “Greek Chorus”. They are hip and savvy, and the only ones who really know what is going on.

WHAT YOU BRING: Prepare to sing at least 16-bars of a contemporary musical theatre song in the style of the show. Please bring appropriate sheet music. An accompanist will be on hand. Bring your resume and headshot if you have those along with your class/work/life schedule for spring semester 2026.  As moments of intimacy are required for some of the characters, please be prepared to answer questions regarding personal boundaries. All intimacy will be choreographed/supervised by trained personnel.

The dance audition for all will include a 45-second combination in the style of the show. A video of the combination will be released two weeks before auditions (11/17). Learning it in advance is strongly recommended. The combination will be taught to the full group, then performed in smaller groups. Please wear clothing that allows full movement (no jeans, jewelry, or bulky layers) and secure hair away from the face. Appropriate footwear includes character shoes/heels or jazz shoes/boots. Bring water! 

Ideally, auditioners will demonstrate strong arm and leg placement, a clear understanding of musicality and timing, and confident performance quality, along with a basic understanding of ballet and jazz technique and the following movements: tendu, passé (parallel), tombé, piqué soutenu, grapevine, fan kick en dedans, en relevé, forward lunge, pivot turn.

CONTENT

There are depictions of dating violence and a large vegetable eating people. Oh, and said veggie has a potty mouth.

Reading the play is your best, first level of preparation. PLEASE NOTE this is the 1982 version.

Please direct any questions to Wesley Young at wyoung@radford.edu.