Auditions

Audition Requirements

Elgin Theatre Company to hold auditions for Sylvia

The Elgin Theatre Company is pleased to announce auditions for its upcoming production of Sylvia, a comedy by A.R. Gurney. This production is directed by Frank Del Giudice and is part of ETC’s 2022-2023 season.

Dates/Times:
Auditions for Sylvia will be held on:

Sunday December 4, 2022 1:00 PM to 4:30PM
Monday December 5, 2022 6:60 PM to 9:00 PM
Tuesday December 6, 2022 Callbacks if needed

No appointment is needed.
If you cannot attend these audition dates, but would really like to audition for this production, please contact the Elgin Theatre Company by calling (847) 741-0532 and we’ll see what we can do.

Location:
Auditions will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 216 E Highland Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.

Audition Instructions:
This is an open call for auditions for Sylvia. Auditioning will take place for ALL ROLES. No prior casting has been done.

• You may prepare a two minute monologue (preferred but not mandatory).
• Cold readings from the script will also be available.
• Bring all scheduling conflicts.
• Bring a copy of your resume and headshot if you have same.

Rehearsals:
Rehearsals will be held at First United Methodist Church of Elgin, 216 Highland Ave., Elgin, IL. 60120.

Performances:
Performances of Sylvia will be held on February 3 to 19, 2023. Friday and Saturday performances start at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday performances start at 2:00 p.m.

Performances will be held at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., 8th floor, Elgin, Il. 60120.

Synopsis:
Greg is a man of middle age, a restless empty nester, tired of his job in finance, looking for meaning in his life. Sylvia is an exuberant and beautiful (maybe labradoodle) stray on Central Park, looking for a new home. When they meet, it is love at first sight. But his wife Kate, a busy rising star in the public school system, is looking forward to some independence now that their children have moved on. Kate is not willing to deal with a clever, coquettish canine who jumps and slobbers, sits on her couch and takes Greg’s attention away from his marriage. Sylvia is appalling to Kates friends, the marriage counselor advocates divorce and euthanasia, and even Greg’s new dog owner friend warns him of the splintering effect a dog can have on a marriage. A. R. Gurney’s Sylvia is a smart, silly, sophisticated, and occasionally salty comedy about relationships, nature and growing older.

Characters:
Roles for Sylvia are for all ethnicities.

•Greg (45-58), Loving, Lost, Kind, Dissatisfied, Empty-nester, Father, Financier, Husband, Devoted, Well-meaning, Successful, Wants to feel needed, Wants to engage on his terms, he is not sure of what those terms are.

•Kate (45-50), Teacher, Education philosopher, Shakespeare expert, Active, Energetic, Professional, Wife, Mother, intelligent, driven, Empty nester, Loving, confused, threatened, impatient, knows what she’ wants and is finally about, has achieved great respect and kudos for her work in education.

•Sylvia (Adult), Smart, Street smart, Exuberant, Pert, Spunky, Wild, Feminine, Funny, Sassy, Sincere, Needy, Foul-mouthed, Earthy, Loving, Devoted, Confident, Proud, Playful and Sexy, not above manipulating, wants to be cared for and loved. (a dog/canine).

•Tom (20-30), Friendly, Opinionated, Dog owner, Wry, Cheerful, macho, New Yorker, not the wisest, but he knows a lot, encounters sadness and defeat.

•Phyllis (40-50), Socialite, New Yorker, Elite, Elegant, Delicate, Alcoholic, Frustrated, Sophisticated, Ridiculous, Conservative, Self-conscious, Self-centered.

•Leslie (30-60), Therapist, Counselor, Authoritative, Conciliatory, Astonished, Gender-Neutral, Androgynous, can’t process rejection.

NOTE: Actors will be asked to help however they can with costumes, props, and set pieces.

Additional Information:
For additional information, please contact Richard Grieger by E-mail: dgremax@gmail.com or telephone: (847) 338-0506.

Sylvia is produced by special arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc.

This production is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

For further information about auditions please visit our contact page to phone or e-mail ETC

Audition Form

Thank you for your interest. All auditions for Elgin Theatre Company productions are open auditions. Please fill out the following form.

An asterisk (*) following a field name identifies a required field.

Name (Required)*
First name Last name
Phone (cell)
Phone (home)
Type Your Address Here (Required)*

Street Address City State ZIP Code
Parent Email (if you are a child actor ages 12-17)
Parent Cell Phone (if you are a child actor ages (12-17)
Are you on Facebook? (Required)*
- Yes
- no
May we friend you for purposes of this show? (Required)*
- Yes
- No
Email Address
Do you have any food allergies?
Do you have any medical allergies?
How did you hear about this audition?
Please be specific– Facebook, blogs, websites, online newsgroups, radio, newspaper, etc.
Roles auditioning for:
If there is a monologue requirement:
What is the name of the play and the character?
Experience, Training & Skills:
Please specify experience, credits, education, special training, and skills:
Acting Experience
Shows appeared in with roles/dates/theater companies.
Please list all known conflicts
Work, summer school/camp, other show rehearsals and performances, vacations. You must be specific. We will ask you to confirm your conflicts again when you are cast.
Are you auditioning for other shows? (Required)*
- Yes
- No
If yes, are you waiting to get cast? (Required)*
- Yes
- No
If yes, when will you know?