13TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF SHORTS - Edmonds Driftwood Players Non Equity Auditions

Posted April 15, 2024
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13TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF SHORTS - Edmonds Driftwood Players

Visit our
WEBSITE for full details and link to audition survey.

13th Annual Festival of Shorts

Audition Dates

Saturday, May 11, 2024: 10:30am-3:00pm

Monday, May 13, 2024: 6:30pm-9:30pm

Callbacks (by invitation only)

Each short will have a 45-minute time slot designated during one of the following times/days. You may be called for multiple callbacks.

Wednesday, May 15, 2024: 7:00pm-10:00pm (Shorts #1, 5, 7, & 8)

Thursday, May 16, 2024: 7:00pm-10:00pm (Shorts #2, 3, 4 & 6)

Audition & Callback Location

Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds

Rehearsal Dates

May 21, 2024: Kick Off Event - 7:00pm

May 22-June 18, 2024: A total of 12 hours of regular rehearsal will be scheduled for each play during this time frame, with tech time starting June 19. Rehearsals will be 1.5 hours, twice per week. Please see the detailed schedule linked
HERE and take your conflicts into account, as we will not be able to change days/times due to space use.

All the following days are REQUIRED for the Act you are cast in:

  • Act I Cue to Cue: June 19 (7-10pm)
  • Act II Cue to Cue: June 20 (7-10pm)
  • Full Dress Rehearsals:
    • June 22 (Time TBD)
    • June 24 (6:30-11pm)
    • June 25 (6:30-11pm)
    • June 26 (6:30-11pm)
  • Performances (call times TBD, but will be no earlier than 1.5 hours prior to curtain)
    • Thursday, June 27 at 8pm
    • Friday, June 28 at 8pm
    • Saturday, June 29 at 2pm
    • Saturday, June 29 at 8pm
    • Sunday, June 30 at 2pm
  • Strike: June 30 following the performance/awards

Rehearsal Location

Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds OR Wade James Theatre located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds

Performance Dates

June 27-30, 2024, for a total of 5 performances (Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm; Saturday, Sunday at 2pm). Call times will be no more than 1.5 hours prior to curtain.

Performance Location

This production plays at The Wade James Theatre, home of Edmonds Driftwood Players, located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds (Free lot & street parking)

Volunteer Stipend

This festival is a completely volunteer-based production and there are no stipends offered to actors at this time. The cast and crew will each receive two comp tickets as well as a Friends & Family discount to share and use on additional ticket purchases. Edmonds Driftwood Players is not associated with Actors’ Equity Association and does not participate in union contracts.

Show Synopsis

Join us for our 13th Annual Festival of Shorts! The theme for 2024 is “Silver Linings: a consoling or hopeful prospect”. Each performance includes eight short plays that include multiple directors and casts. Come be a part of our annual festival where the audience gets to vote for their favorite short from among the eight finalists.

The final scripts were chosen by volunteer reader groups who were given blind copies for rating. We typically receive submissions from around the globe! The shorts must not have been produced for an audience previously and follow the guidelines provided for the competition. Past winners have later been developed into full-length award-winning plays!

After the closing performance, we will announce the following playwright awards:

  • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Judges’ Awards
  • Overall Audience Favorite

Audition Requirement

  • Monologue: Please come prepared with a 1 to 2 minute-long comedic monologue AND a 1 to 2 minute-long dramatic monologue.
  • Headshot and Resume: Please bring one copy of each. The headshot does not need to be professionally made – a print out of a selfie will suffice. If this prevents a barrier to participation, please contact the office about printing.

Casting

We are casting a maximum of 22 actors (actors are limited to participating in two shorts each): 11 male-presenting roles, 10 female-presenting roles, and 1 role any presentation. Actors of all ethnicities, gender, identity, and ability are encouraged to audition. Any gender identities listed are referring to the characters in the play and the pronouns used in the script.

Copies of the scripts will be available for you to review on-site at auditions and callbacks. Please plan accordingly if you’d like to read any before/after your scheduled time. We will not be distributing them digitally.

Act I/Show #1: Finding Mother Courage, directed by Bailey Dobbins

Veteran actress Katherine is looking forward to auditioning for the title role in an upcoming production of Mother Courage and her Children. It is the one role that has eluded her long career in the Theatre. Katherine's enthusiasm dampens, however, when she must deal with the Assistant Director from hell who is running the auditions. The question then becomes... how far will Katherine go to get the part? With an eye towards humor and an ending you won't expect, the play takes a poke at sexism, ageism, and identity.

  • ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (AD) (male presenting): 20-30. Rude, insulting, snarky, dismissive, and totally oblivious to the feelings of the actress auditioning.
  • KATHERINE WAULK (female presenting): 50-60. An accomplished, versatile veteran actress who can “read the phone book” and still entrance you.

Act I/Show #2: The Real Thing, directed by Bethany Arneson

Ellen doesn’t have a lot to show for her thirty-five years on this earth: she is neither a prima ballerina nor a famous detective; she doesn’t have a black stallion, a husband, or much in the way of prospects. What she does have is a very resourceful (albeit imaginary) friend who’s putting in one final appearance to shake things up for two very ordinary, very nice, very real people.

  • ELLEN (female presenting): 30-40.
  • PAMELA (female presenting): 30-40.

Act I/Show #3: The World Needs More Trees, directed by Jenny Boyle Penney

When Rachel's brother Brandon dies from a drug overdose, will a spectral visit provide an opportunity to say what's been left unsaid?

  • RACHEL (female presenting): early 20s.
  • BRANDON (male presenting): mid-to-late 20s, Rachel’s brother

Act I/Show #4: First Impressions, directed by Thomas A Glass

Amanda attempts to rely on her two roommates to help her prepare for a job interview that same day. They do try to help, technically.

  • JEFFREY (male presenting): 20-35, Bless his heart
  • AMANDA (female presenting): 20-35, Knows what a five-year plan is and hopes to get one soon.
  • IAN (male presenting): 20-35, But he really is a good kid.

Act II/Show #5: The Bench, directed by Henry S Brown Jr.

Two social isolates unexpectedly discover that a specific bench in the park has great importance to each of them. The problem? Both require full occupation of that bench on a specific day and time. This specific day and time. And no one is budging. The resolution? Unexpected and extraordinary.

  • CAROL (female presenting): 20’s
  • TED (male presenting): 30’s
  • PARK WORKER (any gender): 40-60’s

Act II/Show #6: A Much Better Deal, directed by Vicki Wicks

In a rural diner with a snowstorm approaching, A Much Better Deal is a story of how one teenager struggles to make peace with the loss of his war hero father and trying to accept a new man in his mother's life, while another young man thinks crime may be the way to support his young family. The intersection of these two different paths leads to an unexpected outcome for both young men.

  • ELLEN (female presenting): Middle-aged. Owner of diner and mother of JONATHAN
  • JONATHAN (male presenting): High School-aged. ELLEN’s son.
  • ROGER PARKS (male presenting): Middle-aged. Local state park ranger, ELLEN’s boyfriend.
  • DAVID RANDOLPH (male presenting): Early 20s.

Act II/Show #7: Horseshoe, directed by Paul Fleming

Dad wants Joe to take over the ranch. Joe has another dream.

  • DAD (male presenting): 60s. The father of JOE and NAN.
  • JOE (male presenting): 30s. The son of DAD and the brother of NAN.
  • NAN (female presenting): 30s. The daughter of DAD and the sister of JOE

Act II/Show #8: Lemonade, directed by Diane Jamieson

Old age may bring with it certain indignities, but Vera has discovered one bonus feature. She’d like to share the benefits of this discovery with her old friend Charlotte, but she’s meeting with some resistance.

  • VERA (female presenting): 70
  • CHARLOTTE (female presenting): 70
  • SERVER (male presenting): younger than 40

To reserve your audition time: Click on the “Audition Survey” button and you will be taken to a Google Survey so that we can collect your contact information, conflicts, and the roles you are interested in. Be sure to double check that your email is entered correctly so we can reach you for callbacks. At the end of the survey there will be a link to select your audition time.

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