The holiday mix is upon us and we are all busy with various projects that we find ourselves doing this time of year, but take a breather from the routine and come out and audition for Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, an Apron Series production that will be performed on Jan. 31, and Feb. 1 and 2.
Our Apron Series is our term for staged readings that are open to the public and are presented in front of the grand drape.
The very talented Pam Harbaugh, of Brevard County, will be making her Guild directing debut with this production and she is looking for a cast of a dozen men and three women. Participating in a readers’ theatre production is a lot of fun and has many benefits to the participants that aren’t required when partaking in a full main-stage production.
Staged readings are performed with scripts in hand; no memorization is required! Apron Series shows are to be done with only 6 rehearsals, 1 tech rehearsal, 1 dress rehearsal and only 3 performances; 1 on Friday evening and 1 each on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
A little bit about this play:
A View from the Bridge is set by the docks of Red Hook, a working-class part of Brooklyn, New York. It is narrated by a lawyer, Alfieri, and revolves around the Carbone family – Eddie, his wife Beatrice and their niece Catherine. The family is first seen awaiting the arrival from Sicily of Beatrice’s cousins Marco and Rodolpho. Catherine and Rodolpho are attracted to each other, which annoys Eddie. He finds more and more things to dislike about Rodolpho as the young couple grow closer over the following weeks. When they decide to get married, Eddie does the unspeakable – he reports the cousins as illegal immigrants. When Marco comes to get revenge on him, Eddie produces a knife during the fight which Marco uses to stab him. He dies in Beatrice’s arms.
Social and historical context:
A View from the Bridge was first performed in its present format in 1956, at a time when the United States was entering a period of great prosperity after the hardships of the Second World War. Many immigrants were arriving, having decided to leave the problems of war-torn Europe behind them. It was seen as a time when hard work and ambition could lead anybody with a strong enough desire to achieve the American Dream.
The play is set in the 1950s, and is based on an apparently true story told to Miller by a lawyer who worked with longshoremen. It echoes the format of a Greek tragedy, where the main protagonist is propelled helplessly towards his fate, and nothing can be done to alter it.
So, if you are an experienced actor or just thinking about wanting to be in a play for the first time, come out December 20 at 7:00 pm, Saturday, December 21 at 10 am or Sunday, December 22 at 2 pm; find out what we’re all about at the Guild, the play A View from the Bridge and join in auditioning for this exciting second Apron Series production of our 62nd Season!
The theatre is located at 2020 San Juan Avenue. Please bring a resume, a snapshot of yourself and you’ll be reading directly from the script.
