The Acting Collaborative Toledo and the Vilage Players are casting two summer collaborative productions.
‘Ben Hur’
Auditions for “Ben Hur” by Partick Barlow (author of crowd favorite “The 39 Steps”) will be held at The Village Players Theatre (2740 Upton Ave, Toledo, OH 43606) on May 7 and 8 from 1-4 p.m. An Actors Collaborative Toledo and Village Players collaboration directed by Irina Zarouv. Cast calls for three men and one female. (All performers must be fully vaccinated.)
“Ben Hur” is based on one of the timeless stories of one of the best-selling books of the nineteenth century, this stage adaptation condenses the epic tale so that it can be told by just four actors. The story follows an amateur theatre troupe as they produce the massive tale of the fictional Jewish prince and merchant Judah Ben-Hur. He falls to galley slave and rises to champion charioteer within Jerusalem during the life of Jesus Christ, while the actors struggle along through the piece as rivalries form and offstage romances interfere. Complete with chariot race, sea battle, and stage combat, Patrick Barlow weaves his compressed style popularized by “The 39 Steps” into one of the largest stories ever told. Performance dates are July 22-24, 2022, at the Village Players Theatre.
‘Rocket Man’
Auditions for “Rocket Man” by Steven Dietz will be held at The Village Players Theatre (2740 Upton Ave, Toledo, OH 43606) on May 14 and 15 from 1-4 p.m. An Actors Collaborative Toledo and Village Players collaboration directed by Dave Nelms. Cast calls for two men (40’s-50’s), two females (late 30’s-40’s), and one female teen. (All performers must be fully vaccinated.)
“Rocket Man” is a serious comedy about the road not taken. Donny Rowan has placed everything he owns on his front lawn, along with a sign that reads: “Here’s my life. Make an offer.” He has cut a skylight into his attic and placed his E-Z Boy recliner underneath—where he can sit, staring at the stars. Somewhere in the universe, Donny believes, is a place where all the roads we never chose converge. ROCKET MAN explores one man’s obsessive desire to find this “parallel world” —and the profound effect of his decision on his family and friends. Performance dates are July 29-30, 2022, at the Village Players Theatre.
