Auditions for “Biloxi Blues”

Open auditions for “Biloxi Blues”
by Neil Simon

7pm September 18 & 19 at Towngate Theatre.

Roles include 7 men and 2 women. Play is staged November 3, 4, 5 & 10, 11, 2023

P.D. Gregg directs.

For specific audition questions, call Towngate Theatre at 304-233-0820.

About the Play

Part of Neil Simon’s Eugene trilogy, “Biloxi Blues” centers on the experiences of a young army recruit, Eugene Morris Jerome, during World War II. At basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, Eugene is determined to use his army experiences to help his writing career and keeps detailed memoirs about his experiences. Eugene and his fellow soldiers-in-training suffer under a hard-nosed drill sergeant, Merwin J. Toomey; attempt to stomach the terrible army food served up in the mess hall; and bond over an adventure to visit the local prostitute. Along the way, Eugene is forced to learn about authority, danger, sex, assimilation, bigotry, homosexuality, and love. In the process, he discovers that life can be both ugly and tender.

This semi-autobiographical comedy has been termed by Frank Rich, “Mr. Simon’s first serious attempt to examine his conscience as an artist and a Jew.”

Audition Dates for Towngate Theatre 2023-24

July 31 & August 1, 2023; 7pm
Open auditions for “Into the Woods”  
Music by Stephen Sondheim/Book by James Lapine
Director Dave Henderson; Musical Director David Scherrick; Choreographer Cheryl Pompeo
Roles include 9 males and 12 females, ages 16 and up.
Play is staged September 15, 16, 17 & 22, 23, 2023

September 18 & 19, 2023; 7pm
Open auditions for “Biloxi Blues”  
by Neil Simon
P.D. Gregg directs.
Roles include 7 men and 2 women.
Play is staged November 3, 4, 5 & 10, 11, 2023

October 9 & 10, 2023; 7pm
Open auditions for “Babes in Toyland”
Adapted by Cathey C. Sawyer and Kermit Medsker. Music by Victor Herbert. Additional lyrics by Cathey C. Sawyer and Kermit Medsker.
Produced with express permission by Yellow Rose Productions, LLC.  
Director Tim Thompson; Musical Director Karissa Martin
Roles include 12 males, 10 females, 10 either gender. Ages 12 and up, including adults. 10 children ages 8-11 to play Toys.
Play is staged December 8, 9 & 10

December 11 & 12, 2023; 7pm
Open auditions for “Wiley and the Hairy Man”  
By Suzan Zeder
Dave Henderson directs.
Roles include 3 men, 1 woman, 4 either gender, and extras.
Play is staged January 26, 27, 28, February 3 and 4

January 29 & 30, 2024; 7pm
Open auditions for “Rabbit Hole”  
by David Lindsay-Abaire
Butch Maxwell directs.
Roles include 2 men, 3 women, 17-year-old male.
Play is staged March 15, 16, 17 & 22, 23, 2024 

March 18 & 19, 2024; 7pm
Open auditions for “Twelfth Night”  
by William Shakespeare
Dennis Fox directs.
Roles include 8 men, 3 women, 5 either gender, and extras.
Play is staged May 3, 4, 5 & 10 & 11, 2024

May 28 & 29, 2024; 7pm
Open Auditions for Parcel Players, Oglebay Institute’s summer theater program for students ages 13-22.

Experience the magic of art onstage…

Towngate is the premiere venue for community theater in Wheeling.  Enjoy an intimate theater experience. Marvel at and applaud the talent of local actors. Experience a variety of though-provoking, heartwarming, comedic and historically significant works from renowned playwrights and talented newcomers. When watching a stage production, you are transported  into a different world. Escape from reality and feel the energy created by sharing an intimate space with actors and fellow theatergoers. Live action happens right before your eyes. There’s no app for that!  Furthermore, theater is a social experience meant to be shared with one another. So, bring your family and friends and meet new friends, too. Most importantly, support your local actors, directors, stage managers, set and costume designers. They spend months working to bring characters and stories to life. Their efforts produce amazing art time and time again.

Keeping the Community in Community Theater in Wheeling. . .

Towngate is a cornerstone of creative life in Wheeling and serves as an entertainment destination for residents of the Ohio Valley and beyond. People of all ages and backgrounds gather here to create and experience art onstage. Most of all, Towngate celebrates the essential power of theater to illuminate our common humanity. The community enjoys and participates in hundreds of live performances, classes and workshops year-round.