Audition Announcement: “Enchanted April,” Feb. 24-26

By Matthew Barber
Directed by Amanda Ranowsky

Play Synopsis

In this gentle and romantic comedy, two London housewives pool their savings to rent a villa in Italy for a ladies-only holiday away, reluctantly recruiting a pair of difficult upper-class women to share the cost and the experience. Against the backdrop of a country still reeling from World War I, the women join together under the Mediterranean sun, seeking a necessary balm of sunshine and renewal.  Soon joined by the villa owner, husbands and lovers, the four women clash — and then begin to bond and bloom.  Enchanted April won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New American Play in 2003, along with numerous Tony Award nominations.

Providence Players of Fairfax is:

  • A non-profit community theater troupe. All participation is on a volunteer basis. No members of the cast or crew are compensated.
  • A membership organization. Membership is not required to audition. If cast, all actors (and in fact, all volunteers), are required to become members of Providence Players of Fairfax ($25 per individual or $60 per family – three or more) for the season (if not already a member).

Casting Announcement

Providence Players is casting 8 roles (5 Women and 3 Men).  No roles are precast, and all roles are open.  All backgrounds, ages, ethnicities welcome and encouraged to audition!  All welcome!

Download all three documents: Audition AnnouncementForm and Theater Access Schedule.

Audition Dates

  • 7:00 p.m. Monday, February 24
  • 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 25
  • Callbacks, by invitation only:  7:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 26

PLEASE RSVP to info@providenceplayers.org with the date you plan to attend.

Actors who audition one night may be asked to come back a second night, if available. You are not required to be available multiple evenings to be considered. The Director reserves the right to extend the audition period pending initial audition response.

Audition Location

The James Lee Community Center
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22042

Auditions will be held in two locations at the Center. Please come into the front entrance of the community center and sign in at counter. Staff can point you in the right direction and signs will be posted.

Performance Dates and Times

Preview:                              June 4, 2020; 7:00 pm Curtain
Evening Performances:    Thurs. Fri. Sat.; June 5 – 20, 7:30 pm Curtain
Matinees:                            Sundays, June 7 & 14, 2:00 pm

About the Director: Amanda Ranowsky

Amanda Ranowsky is a longtime member of PPF. She has acted, costumed, stage managed, and provided other technical assistance for nearly 20 productions since joining in 2010. She is the 2017 WATCH Award winner, along with Julie Janson, for Outstanding Costume Design in a Play for PPF’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird.

From the Director, Amanda Ranowsky

We all dream of that magical trip that will change our lives from the boring humdrum of our everyday into the exciting future we’ve always desired. For the four women at the center of this play, it seems those dreams can come true. For all of those who know what it’s like to feel stuck or uninspired, caught in a reality unlike the one we expected to have, this moving and inspiring play shows us how the power of friendship is the enchantment that can “change what we have into what we wish for.”

As most of the characters are English and the first half of the play is set in England, we will be using English accents for most characters. Only one character – Costanza, the Italian housekeeper, is exempt from this, and her dialogue is almost exclusively Italian. Several other characters will also have a few lines of Italian to speak, so a facility with languages and accents is valued. Dialect and language coaches will be available.

REHEARSALS: Download a copy of the Theater Access Schedule for this show. This is NOT the specific rehearsal schedule (which will be supplied later), but it will give you an idea for the commitment you are making – rehearsal space and performance – and how to identify conflicts.

In March, we will likely have a read-through so everyone can meet and begin to get a sense for the characters, the script and each other.  We will not begin rehearsals until April, which will still be a relatively light schedule. Rehearsals schedule will pick up in May.  For many of the initial rehearsals, only small groups of actors will be called at any given time to work specific scenes.

The schedule will be finalized the week after casting and will be based on crew and actor conflicts. Unless indicated otherwise, all rehearsals will take place at the James Lee Community Center. Weeknight rehearsals will usually start no earlier than 6:45pm and will generally go until 9:45pm. Weekend rehearsals will be based on availability, but likely in the 10:00am to 5:00pm range.

A copy of the preliminary stage rehearsal schedule is included with this announcement and will be available online and at auditions. In addition to the stage rehearsal schedule, additional full cast readings of the play and some selected scene study and character work will be scheduled based on actor availability prior to or in addition to the stage schedule. The schedule for these will be finalized a week after casting.

Please come to auditions prepared to list any availability conflicts with rehearsal or the performance schedule.  Space is provided on the audition form for this purpose.

Female Characters (7)

Notes on character ages:  While the ages of characters are described in the script the director may cast outside of those ages if it works for the overall casting.

  • Lotty Wilton (age 30-40) – Lotty is a middle-class Englishwoman, wife to family solicitor Mellersh. She is naturally shy, and has, over the course of her marriage, withdrawn into herself. She would be considered unremarkable at parties, and has grown used to thinking of nothing but taking care of her home and husband. But in her secret heart of hearts, she has felt the loss of her confidence and vivacity keenly, and longs to reconnect with herself and the world around her.
  • Rose Arnott (age 30-40) – Following the devastating loss of a baby, Rose has withdrawn into her religion, and away from the husband she loves very much.
  • Graves (age 60s) – Proper, unforgiving, and determined to have her way, Mrs. Graves is still living in the past. But perhaps her repressive ways hide an artistic soul.
  • Lady Caroline Bramble (age 20s – early 30s) – Caroline is actually tired of being the center of attention. Though always surrounded by people, a sad secret makes her feel dreadfully alone.
  • Costanza (age 50s) – the loving, nurturing caregiver, Costanza is the keeper of the house, literally. This character speaks almost exclusively in Italian.

Male Characters (3)

Notes on character ages: While the ages of characters are described in the script the director may cast outside of those ages if it works for the overall casting.

  • Mellersh Wilton (age 30-40) – a family solicitor who’s forgotten his own creativity and passion in favor of looking important. He is so caught up in projecting the right image that he didn’t notice his wife disappearing within it.
  • Frederick Arnott (age 30-40) – a successful author threw himself into a wildly successful, if unfulfilling career. He longs to reconnect with his wife, but is settling instead for the wild parties and wilder company she abhors.
  • Antony Wilding (age 20s to 30s) – the owner of the magical Italian villa. His longing for the family he lost draws him to connect with the women who’ve rented his Italian home.

Additional Audition Information/Instructions:

  • HOW WE WORK: Most Providence auditions have actors up and down to read multiple times in multiple combinations and scenes. Most actors find this fun. As space allows, you will be able to watch the auditions. You may be asked to go into the hallway with audition partners and work a bit on a scene. We will do our best to get you up multiple times reading for parts you are interested in. You will also be asked to read for other parts you may not be auditioning for. The Providence Players strives to make our productions open to interested and engaged actors & actresses, regardless of their level of experience. We try and make our auditions as relaxing and fun as possible.
  • AUDITION PROCESS & SIDES: Auditions will consist of readings from the script. No monologue required. Sides for the audition process will be supplied at auditions.
  • AUDITION FORM: Please ALSO COMPLETE the attached Providence Audition Form and bring it with you to the audition. Forms will be available at auditions as well. Resumes and headshots will be accepted but are not required. We may ask to take a picture of you, but this is for internal use only and will not be shared.

We look forward to seeing you at Auditions!