2020 Season Auditions!
KHT auditions will be held starting at 10:00 am on Saturday January 11, 2020.
Location: Keizer Heritage Center (next to Keizer City Hall)
2nd Floor
980 Chemawa Rd NE, Keizer
Click the button above to print and fill out the audition form in advance. Forms will be available at auditions.
Auditons will be for all the shows in the season. Later auditions may be held if needed to fill spots.
The shows and show dates! :
* February 14-16 and 21-23
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Directed by Leigh Matthews Bock
Full Length, Comedy/Drama
5 women (doubling, flexible casting) Total Cast: 5
THE STORY: A play of interactive monologues, Love, Loss, and What I Wore covers a lot of territory linked by the common thread of what was worn at key moments in women’s lives. There’s the unfortunate prom dress, the evils of fitting rooms, the inability to find anything in your messy purse, searching for a bridal gown, the trauma of bra shopping for the first time, and the loss of one perfect shirt. These stories are all deeply personal yet oddly enough, universal. Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a deeply funny, warm, real show.
Based on the bestselling book by Ilene Beckerman.
"Funny, compelling...Brought down the house...but [the play] is not a comedy: A story about black cowboy boots becomes a sad tale of being underappreciated in a relationship; a tale of two women shopping for their wedding outfits ends bittersweetly; and the recollection of a new bra is a quiet testament to a women's search for dignity while undergoing treatment for breast cancer." —NY Times. "So funny and so powerful; so dear and sweet; so remindful of our female wiles, our worries, our insecurities, our remembrances of mother, father, sisters, brothers, lovers—I think it can't miss." —WowOwow.com.
* March 20-April 5 (9 performances)
Steel Magnolias
Directed by Jennifer Johnson
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 6 women
Total Cast: 6, Interior
THE STORY: The action is set in Truvy's beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town's rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, ("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for forty years"); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M'Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a "good ole boy." Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the
play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength—and love —which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad. A first play which met with immediate critical and popular acceptance in its premier production by New York's WPA Theatre. Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching—and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters. "Harling has given his women sharp, funny dialogue...The play builds to a conclusion that is deeply moving." —NY Daily News. "...a skillfully crafted, lovingly evoked picture of eccentricity in the small-town South...Robert Harling is a new voice in the theatre and the qualities of STEEL MAGNOLIAS suggest he may be an important one." —Drama-Logue. "...suffused with humor and tinged with tragedy." —NY Post.
*May 15 -31 (9 performances)
The Revolutionists
Directed by Kayla Mansur
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 4 women
Total Cast: 4, Flexible Set
THE STORY: Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. It's a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection...that ends in a song and a scaffold. “...a sassy, hold-on-to-your-seats theatrical adventure...[Gunderson] has created a play that is wonderfully wild and raucous...It’s a wild ride, filled with verbal gymnastics that come racing at you so quickly it’s occasionally hard to keep up. Listen closely, though, and hang on tight. If you do, you’ll be treated to an invigorating and enlightening journey.” —Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s simply a brilliant script...” —CityBeat (Cincinnati). “...in this sparkling work, politics is very, very funny. [Gunderson] knows it’s tricky to present entertaining, yet socially driven art, but she does so without losing the rhythm and forward momentum of her characters...These are hilarious and lovable women trapped in a history with a somber final act.” —Houston Chronicle. “...an astoundingly accomplished show...a cause for rejoice...Ingeniously conceived and delivered.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
* July 17 & 18 in Aumsville, July 22-25 in Keizer
The Book of Will
Directed by John Sams
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 7 men, 3 women
Total Cast: 10, Flexible Set
THE STORY: Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell and John
Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, THE BOOK OF WILL finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.
“THE BOOK OF WILL...unequivocally announces Gunderson as a playwright with whom to be reckoned. It is, quite frankly, one of the best plays I have ever seen. It will bring tears of both laughter and sorrow to all but the most jaded audience member’s eyes. It is, in a word, a triumph.” —Boulder Weekly (CO). “[Gunderson] has peopled the stage with lively, historically based characters...She paints a vivid portrait of the times in language sometimes formal, sometimes poetic and often...contemporary...She also gives a real feel for theater life and what it means to be an actor; you sense this is a work of both scholarship and love...[THE BOOK OF WILL] serves as homage to those who sacrificed to make the first folio happen and to Shakespeare’s magnificent words.” —Westword (Denver, CO).
* October 16-31 (8 performances, 10 pm show on Halloween)
Bad Seed
Directed by Loriann Schmidt
Full Length, Thriller
7 men, 4 women, 1 small girl
Total Cast: 12, Interior
THE STORY: The scene is a small Southern town where Colonel and Christine Penmark live with their daughter, Rhoda. Little Rhoda Penmark is the evil queen of the story. On the surface she is sweet, charming, full of old-fashioned graces, loved by her parents, admired by all her elders. But Rhoda's mother has an uneasy feeling about her. When one of Rhoda's schoolmates is mysteriously drowned at a picnic, Mrs. Penmark is alarmed. For the boy who was drowned was the one who had won the penmanship medal that Rhoda felt she deserved.
One of Broadway's outstanding hits. "It is solely and honestly meant to entertain...As purely purposeful diversion it ranks with 'Dracula' and sometimes sets your spine to as much tingling...chilling." NY Telegram.
* December 4- 13, (6 performances)
Every Christmas Story Ever Told
Directed by Becky Nielson
Comedy | 80 - 95 minutes
3 m (3 actors possible: 0-3 f, 0-3 m)
Content Notes: Some mild adult language and content
Set: Minimal: several chairs, a couple of trunks, some holiday decoration.
Instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told -- plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!
SEASON AUDITION NOTICE
This year Keizer Homegrown is in the fourth year of our own unique audition process. It has turned out to be great way to introduce ourselves to the local talent pool and we are eager to continue to work with as many actors as possible to help bring quality live theatre to our community.
Here’s how it works:
Here’s why we like full season auditions
Location: Keizer Heritage Center (next to Keizer City Hall)
2nd Floor
980 Chemawa Rd NE, Keizer
Click the button above to print and fill out the audition form in advance. Forms will be available at auditions.
Auditons will be for all the shows in the season. Later auditions may be held if needed to fill spots.
The shows and show dates! :
* February 14-16 and 21-23
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Directed by Leigh Matthews Bock
Full Length, Comedy/Drama
5 women (doubling, flexible casting) Total Cast: 5
THE STORY: A play of interactive monologues, Love, Loss, and What I Wore covers a lot of territory linked by the common thread of what was worn at key moments in women’s lives. There’s the unfortunate prom dress, the evils of fitting rooms, the inability to find anything in your messy purse, searching for a bridal gown, the trauma of bra shopping for the first time, and the loss of one perfect shirt. These stories are all deeply personal yet oddly enough, universal. Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a deeply funny, warm, real show.
Based on the bestselling book by Ilene Beckerman.
"Funny, compelling...Brought down the house...but [the play] is not a comedy: A story about black cowboy boots becomes a sad tale of being underappreciated in a relationship; a tale of two women shopping for their wedding outfits ends bittersweetly; and the recollection of a new bra is a quiet testament to a women's search for dignity while undergoing treatment for breast cancer." —NY Times. "So funny and so powerful; so dear and sweet; so remindful of our female wiles, our worries, our insecurities, our remembrances of mother, father, sisters, brothers, lovers—I think it can't miss." —WowOwow.com.
* March 20-April 5 (9 performances)
Steel Magnolias
Directed by Jennifer Johnson
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 6 women
Total Cast: 6, Interior
THE STORY: The action is set in Truvy's beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town's rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, ("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for forty years"); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M'Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a "good ole boy." Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the
play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength—and love —which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad. A first play which met with immediate critical and popular acceptance in its premier production by New York's WPA Theatre. Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching—and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters. "Harling has given his women sharp, funny dialogue...The play builds to a conclusion that is deeply moving." —NY Daily News. "...a skillfully crafted, lovingly evoked picture of eccentricity in the small-town South...Robert Harling is a new voice in the theatre and the qualities of STEEL MAGNOLIAS suggest he may be an important one." —Drama-Logue. "...suffused with humor and tinged with tragedy." —NY Post.
*May 15 -31 (9 performances)
The Revolutionists
Directed by Kayla Mansur
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 4 women
Total Cast: 4, Flexible Set
THE STORY: Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. It's a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection...that ends in a song and a scaffold. “...a sassy, hold-on-to-your-seats theatrical adventure...[Gunderson] has created a play that is wonderfully wild and raucous...It’s a wild ride, filled with verbal gymnastics that come racing at you so quickly it’s occasionally hard to keep up. Listen closely, though, and hang on tight. If you do, you’ll be treated to an invigorating and enlightening journey.” —Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s simply a brilliant script...” —CityBeat (Cincinnati). “...in this sparkling work, politics is very, very funny. [Gunderson] knows it’s tricky to present entertaining, yet socially driven art, but she does so without losing the rhythm and forward momentum of her characters...These are hilarious and lovable women trapped in a history with a somber final act.” —Houston Chronicle. “...an astoundingly accomplished show...a cause for rejoice...Ingeniously conceived and delivered.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
* July 17 & 18 in Aumsville, July 22-25 in Keizer
The Book of Will
Directed by John Sams
Full Length, Comedy/Drama 7 men, 3 women
Total Cast: 10, Flexible Set
THE STORY: Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell and John
Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, THE BOOK OF WILL finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.
“THE BOOK OF WILL...unequivocally announces Gunderson as a playwright with whom to be reckoned. It is, quite frankly, one of the best plays I have ever seen. It will bring tears of both laughter and sorrow to all but the most jaded audience member’s eyes. It is, in a word, a triumph.” —Boulder Weekly (CO). “[Gunderson] has peopled the stage with lively, historically based characters...She paints a vivid portrait of the times in language sometimes formal, sometimes poetic and often...contemporary...She also gives a real feel for theater life and what it means to be an actor; you sense this is a work of both scholarship and love...[THE BOOK OF WILL] serves as homage to those who sacrificed to make the first folio happen and to Shakespeare’s magnificent words.” —Westword (Denver, CO).
* October 16-31 (8 performances, 10 pm show on Halloween)
Bad Seed
Directed by Loriann Schmidt
Full Length, Thriller
7 men, 4 women, 1 small girl
Total Cast: 12, Interior
THE STORY: The scene is a small Southern town where Colonel and Christine Penmark live with their daughter, Rhoda. Little Rhoda Penmark is the evil queen of the story. On the surface she is sweet, charming, full of old-fashioned graces, loved by her parents, admired by all her elders. But Rhoda's mother has an uneasy feeling about her. When one of Rhoda's schoolmates is mysteriously drowned at a picnic, Mrs. Penmark is alarmed. For the boy who was drowned was the one who had won the penmanship medal that Rhoda felt she deserved.
One of Broadway's outstanding hits. "It is solely and honestly meant to entertain...As purely purposeful diversion it ranks with 'Dracula' and sometimes sets your spine to as much tingling...chilling." NY Telegram.
* December 4- 13, (6 performances)
Every Christmas Story Ever Told
Directed by Becky Nielson
Comedy | 80 - 95 minutes
3 m (3 actors possible: 0-3 f, 0-3 m)
Content Notes: Some mild adult language and content
Set: Minimal: several chairs, a couple of trunks, some holiday decoration.
Instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told -- plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!
SEASON AUDITION NOTICE
This year Keizer Homegrown is in the fourth year of our own unique audition process. It has turned out to be great way to introduce ourselves to the local talent pool and we are eager to continue to work with as many actors as possible to help bring quality live theatre to our community.
Here’s how it works:
- Audition for the entire 2019 season at one time on Saturday, January 11, 2020 in our theater ( We still love saying that)
- Bring a short prepared monologue - doesn’t have to be memorized but directors will not be impressed if you stumble through something you are reading off your phone. ir needs to be under 2 minutes.
- Directors will have actors read for specific parts after the monologues
- Monologues start at 10am. Last year the entire process took about four hours - which is pretty impressive to cast an entire season, if you think about it.
- If the 11th doesn’t work for you, contact us and we will make arrangements to see you.
- You will be invited to be part of our 2019 season with roles in all or some of of the productions, depending on your interests, availability and the vision of the directors
Here’s why we like full season auditions
- Actors know in advance what shows they will be doing for KHT and plan auditions for other theaters accordingly.
- Actors have more time to learn lines prior to the start of rehearsals which requires shorter rehearsal schedules and decreases the stress on all.
- Costumers have plenty of lead time to design and play.
- We’re betting that the more you work with us, the more you will love us!
