The Foreigner
by Larry Shue

Auditions in Wampler Auditorium
Jan 29 and 30 from 6 to 8:30 pm

Please read the info below then download/print audition material for the character(s) you would like to audition for.

Rehearsal info

Rehearsals will begin towards the end of February. You will not be required to be on campus during the whole of Spring Break, but you will be asked to not leave campus earlier or return to campus later than the official ‘no-class’ days.

Although the time commitment for rehearsals will be significant, this play allows for smaller scene work that often does not require the entire ensemble to be present. This means that cast members (with the exception of Charlie) will likely have a few days off a week and a reasonable number prior commitments can be accommodated if they are considered well in advance.

Character descriptions for “The Foreigner”

In a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia, two English men, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests. After pleadings from his sick wife, the shy Charlie agreed to accompany Froggy on the trip. Froggy then claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is from an exotic country and does not understand English. Residents at the lodge try to talk to Charlie, anyway. Due to his supposed lack of ability to understand English, Charlie soon discovers scandals amongst some of the residents of the lodge.

Charlie Baker

* Age range: 30’ s to early 40’ s

* British accent as himself – when in ‘disguise’ he speaks a sort of Eastern Bloc gibberish that resembles Russian spoken by the Swedish Chef.

* A very physical role… think Jim Carrey.

Charlie Baker is the "foreigner" of the play's title, an Englishman. Initially, Charlie is extremely shy, dull, and morose as he worries about the apparently imminent death of his philandering wife. A proofreader for an English science fiction magazine, Charlie considers himself "boring" and wonders what it would be like to have a vibrant personality. At the beginning of the play, Charlie is so sad and shy that he doesn't want to speak to anyone. When Froggy introduces him as a "foreigner" who can't speak or understand English however, Charlie reluctantly takes on the role. He gradually discovers his hidden potential: leadership skills, love, and the vibrant personality he has always craved.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT CHARLIE AUDITION SIDES

Reverend David Marshall Lee

* Age range: late 20’s

* Should be able to speak with a Southern accent

The Reverend David Marshall Lee is a good-looking man, the fiancé of Catherine, and one of the main villains in the play, along with Owen Musser. Pretending to be concerned about Betty and her struggling business, David secretly attempts to gain control of her lodge so he can turn it into the Tilghman

County headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan. David appears to be friendly, sincere, genuinely decent, kind, and patient, and he is quite canny in carrying out his devious plot. Kind of reminiscent of Joel Osteen.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT DAVID AUDITION SIDES

Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur

* Age range: mid 30’s to 50’s

* cockney British accent

* Confident and sure of himself

Froggy is a demolitions expert from the British Army who brings his friend, Charlie Baker, to Georgia for a three-day weekend. In his annual visits to the United States, Froggy has become good friends with Betty Meeks and is genuinely concerned about her welfare. When Charlie pleads for solitude during his brief stay, Froggy is caught between his loyalties to both Betty and Charlie, so he hatches the plan to pass Charlie off as a "foreigner." Froggy's plan is for Betty to be charmed by the exotic visitor, while Charlie gets his needed peace and quiet. Froggy speaks with a Cockney accent, is dressed in his army fatigues, and is extremely cheerful and very sure of himself. He is loud and leads a very exciting life, almost the exact opposite of Charlie. Think John Cleese.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT FROGGY AUDITION SIDES

Betty Meeks

* Age range: 50’ s to 60’ s

* Strong Southern accent.

* Not afraid of a good days labor. Naïve. Uneducated but wise in her own way.

Betty Meeks is an older woman, a widow, and the owner and operator of the fishing lodge and resort in which the play takes place. Betty has always dreamed of traveling outside of Georgia and is quite thrilled with the prospect of having a "real, live foreigner" as her guest. Since the death of her husband, Betty has been struggling to keep her resort business alive, unaware of David and Owen's underhanded plot to gain control of it. Betty speaks with a strong Georgia accent, and talks to Charlie, "the foreigner," as if he were deaf, as if speaking louder and slower will facilitate Charlie's understanding.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT BETTY AUDITION SIDES

Owen Musser

* Age range: mid 30’s to 50’s

* Very thick Southern accent.

* Neanderthal in nature and a very angry person.

Owen Musser is a local Georgia man who serves as the henchman for the main villain, the Reverend David Lee. After being named the property inspector for Tilghman County, Georgia, Owen takes full advantage of his new authority to help himself as well as cause harm to others. To call Owen "crude" is to indulge in understatement: he is mean-spirited, ignorant, volatile, and extremely prejudiced against anyone who doesn't fit his ideal of "Christian, white America." A character you love to hate and a very fun role. Think Duck Dynasty.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT OWEN AUDITION SIDES

Catherine Simms

* Age range: mid 20’s to 30’s

* Southern accent

* Attractive younger woman

Catherine is staying with Betty at the lodge. She is engaged to the Reverend David Lee, unaware of his true, villainous character. A former debutante and the heiress of a huge fortune, Catherine is bored with life, restless, and unsure of what she wants. In the beginning, she is a bit of a whiner and somewhat sarcastic. When she discovers in Charlie a man who is genuinely kind and really enjoys listening, she believes she has found her ideal romantic mate. Catherine is small in stature and pretty.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT CATHERINE AUDITION SIDES

Ellard Simms

* Age range: 20’ s

* Should be able to speak with a Southern accent

* Overgrown, backward youth

Ellard is the youngest of the cast, and Catherine's younger brother, an extremely insecure young man who is considered by others to be mentally defective. An overgrown, backward youth, who spends much of his time kneading something tiny and invisible in front of his chest. Catherine has promised to give Ellard half of their very large inheritance if he shows any signs of mental and social competence. During the course of the play Ellard proves to have both moderate intelligence and considerable courage. A loveable dope. He’s like a cocker spaniel puppy. A little bit Gomer Pyle.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT ELLARD AUDITION SIDES