WHEN: Sunday, June 22nd at 7:00 PM
WHERE: Sutter Street Theatre Annex, 710 Figueroa Street, Folsom, CA 95630
REHEARSAL SCHEDULE: July 28th-August 28th, Mondays-Thursdays 6:30-9:00 PM
TECH WEEK: August 2th-August 28th 6:00-9:00 PM
PERFORMANCE DATES: August 29th-September 21st, 2025
Fridays at 7:30 PM
Saturdays & Sundays at 4:30 PM
(No show Saturday, September 20th)
Book by Moss Hart & George S. Kaufman
Directed by TBD
Rated: PG
SYNOPSIS: The family of Martin Vanderhof lives “just around the corner from Columbia University — but don’t go looking for it.” Grandpa, as Martin is more commonly known, is the paterfamilias of a large and extended family of charming eccentrics. His granddaughter, Alice, is an attractive and loving girl who is still embarrassed by her family’s idiosyncrasies. When Alice falls for her boss, Tony, a handsome scion of Wall Street, she fears that their two families – so unlike in manner, politics and finances – will never come together. But why be obsessed with money? After all, you can’t take it with you…
WHAT TO BRING:
● A headshot and resume if you have them.
● A complete list of any conflicts you have during the rehearsal schedule.
There can be no conflicts during tech week or performances.
Audition will consist of cold readings from the script. The script may be purchased from Concord Theatricals if you wish to look at it in advance.
CHARACTERS:
NOTE: Character age range is approximate and meant to convey the stage playing age or how the character should look, not the actual age of the performer. Performers of ALL backgrounds will be considered for ALL roles unless otherwise specified.
The role of MARTIN VANDERHOF has been pre-cast.
PENELOPE SYCAMORE (female, playing 40-55): Playwright and painter. The mother of Alice and Essie and the daughter of Martin, Penelope is hardworking, brilliantly creative, and frank. She writes multiple plays at a time, often concerned with less than savory subjects. She understands that Alice is different from the rest of the family, and desperately wants her to find happiness.
PAUL SYCAMORE (male, playing 40-55): Pyrotechnician. Husband to Penelope and father to Alice and Essie, Paul spends most of his time in the basement creating new and explosive fireworks. Paul possesses both a genius for chemistry and a childlike wonder, and although he loves his family dearly, he is often singularly focused on his projects.
ALICE SYCAMORE (female, playing 20-26): Secretary. In a family of distracted artists and erratic geniuses, Alice is remarkably “normal”. She is deeply in love with Tony, but fears that he won’t understand her non-traditional family. Although she loves her off-beat clan, Alice tries to pass them off as normal for the sake of the Kirby’s.
ESSIE CARMICHAEL (female, playing 25-35): Ballet Dancer and Confectioner. Essie is soft, distracted, and always dancing. She is often found in the kitchen experimenting on new candies. This role requires extensive dancing, and basic pointe skills are preferred.
ED CARMICHAEL (male, playing 25-35) Xylophonist and Printer. Ed’s airy, innocent personality is perfectly suited to his wife, Essie. He provides much of the music that Essie dances to, and likes to block print random phrases he picks up throughout the day. Ed is one of the few members of the Sycamore family who regularly leaves the house, acting as a delivery boy for Essie’s candies. Xylophone skills are a plus.
RHEBA (female, playing 25-35) Housekeeper. Although Rheba’s official job is that of a housekeeper, her culinary and cleaning skills are somewhat lackluster. Rather she functions as a constructive critic and champion of the various artistic pursuits occurring in the Vanderhof household. Rheba is bubbly, quick witted, and flirtatious, the favorite of both Donald and Kolenkhov.
DONALD (male, playing 25-35) Handyman. Donald is chronically unemployed and performs various odd jobs for the Sycamores. He is sweet and a little bit slow, but is fiercely loyal to Rheba and his chosen family.
MR. DE PINNA (male, playing 40-55) Pyrotechnician and model. Mr. De Pinna is the mailman turned pyrotechnician that assists Paul in the creation of explosives. Clever, proud, and a little vain, Mr. De Pinna also moonlights as a model for Penelope’s paintings.
BOLUS KOLENKHOV (male, playing 40-55) Ballet instructor and tsarist. Kolenkhov is Essie’s tough-love Russian ballet instructor. He is aggressive, loud, and still bitter about the Bolshevik revolution. This very physical role requires some fight choreography. A Russian accent is preferred.
TONY KIRBY (male, playing 20-26) Businessman. Tony is young, open-minded, and deeply in love with Alice. He is vice president of his father’s Wall Street company, but finds the artistic life of the Sycamores to be much more appealing.
MR. KIRBY (male, playing 40-55) Businessman. Mr. Kirby is Tony’s uptight, overstressed father. He has constant indigestion, and finds his only joy in the cultivation of expensive orchids. He is deeply unsettled by the alternative lifestyle of the Sycamores. This role also requires minor fight choreography.
MRS. KIRBY (female, playing 40-55) Housewife. Mrs. Kirby is the long-suffering wife of Mr. Kirby and the mother of Tony. She has a delicate constitution and very particular tastes, but finds emotional solace in spiritualism. She is secretly very bored by her life and would appreciate a little bit of spice in her marriage.
GAY WELLINGTON (female, playing 50-65) Actress. Gay Wellington is a drunken actress well past her prime, brought to the Vanderhof house to perform in one of Penelope’s plays. She spends most of the play drunk and/or unconscious. This role is especially physical and requires fight choreography.
OLGA KATERINA (female, playing 50-60) Waitress. Olga Katerina was a Grand Duchess and cousin to Tsar Nikolai II, but now works as a waitress in a diner. Despite her reduced circumstances she holds herself with immense dignity and is still exceptionally generous. She is an amazing cook and is brought to dinner by Kolenkhov. Ability to do a Russian accent is preferred.
HENDERSON (male, playing 30-40) IRS agent. Henderson arrives at the Vanderhof house to alert Martin that he has over 20 years worth of unpaid back taxes.
THREE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (any, playing 20+) These characters come to take the Sycamore’s and the Kirby’s to jail. They only have a few lines but are very physical roles.
