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Auditions
Characters:
Three Female, One-Two Male, One-Two Either Gender
Total of 6 but could be 7 depending on actors available
Abby Binder (Female- 70’s) A longtime resident of a senior living facility. She can be cranky, show little patience with little tolerance of others externally although we see a softer side of her as the play goes on. She has very definite opinions about what she wants and will not bend in her desires. She is quite stubborn and has suffered hurts in her life which she prefers not to discuss.
Marilyn Dunne (Female-70’s) A new resident of a senior living facility. She has recently moved into Abby’s room as her roommate. A development which has made Abby very unhappy. She is outwardly warm and friendly as she shows tremendous patience with difficult situations. She is a favorite of the staff but disliked intensely by her roommate for those same qualities. However, she has a hidden streak of getting what she wants at any means and proves to be very adept at fighting for what she deems as important.
Scotty (Male-late 20’s-30’s) An aide at the senior living facility. He is the chief aide to Abby and Marilyn as he is assigned to their room. He is quite patient, friendly and good at his job. He aims to please the residents but knows he must follow the rules. He is also an actor and implores the people living at the facility to see his Haunted House show.
* THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS WILL BE PLAYED BY ACTORS ASSUMING MULTIPLE ROLES. I WILL LIST THEM AS THEY ARE IN THE PLAY BUT THIS CAN MOST LIKELY CHANGE TO SUIT AUDiTIONERS
Marilyn’s FamilyRipcord
Colleen (female 30’s-40’s) Marilyn’s very supportive daughter. She and her husband Derek are a fun-loving couple who support her mother in wacky ways if necessary.
Derek (male 30’s-40’s) Fun-loving, adventurous man who is “up” for anything. There are very little boundaries for him. He is Marilyn’s son-in-law and is willing to do whatever is necessary to support his wife and mother-in-law.
Lewis (male 40’s) (Could be a female 40’s) A jump instructor who takes people up in his plane for sky diving adventures. It is revealed that he is also Marilyn’s other son.
Benjamin (Male-30’s-40’s) Abby’s estranged son. He visits Abby after many years of not seeing each other at the insistence of Marilyn. He and Abby have had a difficult past which Abby especially finds hard to get past. Benjamin is a drug addict and has done some bad things in the past such as stealing from his mother and more. He has taken steps to try and make a new start and hopes for an eventual reconciliation but that is not easy.
In Addition to the Characters Above There are Three Characters who Appear in the Haunted House Sequence as Actors Who Are Around to Scare Guests
Woman in White (Female 30’s-40’s)
Zombie Butler (Any Gender 30’s-40’s)
Masked Person (Any Gender 30’s-40’s)
In the Script the Roles are Parceled Out Between Three Actors But It Can Be Shifted to Accommodate Four Actors if Necessary
IN SCRIPT:
*Benjamin, Lewis, Clown (Male 40’s) Played by the same Actor
*Colleen, Woman in White (Female 30’s-40’s) Played by the same Actor
*Derek, Zombie Butler, Masked Man (Male 40’s) Played by the same Actor)
Variations (if needed):
*Benjamin, Masked Man (Male 40’s)
*Colleen, Woman in White (Female 30’s-40’s)
*Derek, Zombie Butler (Male, 40’s)
*Lewis, Clown (Any Gender 30’s 40’s)
Synopsis:
The play opens with Scotty, an aide at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility speaking with Abby Binder. Abby is upset that her roommate of three weeks, Marilyn Dunne is still living with her and wants Scotty to talk with the woman in charge to move Marilyn to another room immediately which Scotty explains that he can’t do.
This is the crux of the action and the main conflict that generates and moves the play along to its eventual conclusion. Marilyn refuses to move out when Abby tells her she wants her out. Both ladies prove to be very stubborn until they bet with each other. Abby bets Marilyn she can make her angry and Marilyn bets Abby she can make her scared. Whoever is successful first has to move out of the room. The rest of the play is about Abby trying to anger Marilyn and Marilyn trying to scare Abby. Marilyn enlists her family into doing what it took to scare Abby and Abby tries everything to scare Marilyn.
This is where the supporting characters come in and many outrageous stunts are pulled by both of them during the play trying to get each to break. This includes fake hold ups, sky diving, fake hangings, not giving important messages, etc. We come to find out personal information about both lead characters and why they act the way they do. Eventually we meet Benjamin, Abby’s son who has deep problems with drugs and they have not talked for ages until Marilyn brings him to the facility. Just when Abby begins to see that Marilyn is not as bad as she thinks, something drastic happens which rocks her life. Or did it? Perhaps it was just another scam.