Greenwood Little Theatre will hold open auditions for the second show of its 60th season, “The Good Doctor” by Neil Simon.
Auditions will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday and at 6 p.m. on Monday.
Parts are available for men and women age 18 years and older. Rehearsals will began in January and end with four productions Feb. 18-21, 2016.
Directed by Sandi Wheatley, this Broadway hit is a composite by Neil Simon, American playwright and screenwriter, with inspiration from the writings of Anton Chekhov, a physician who became one of the greatest Russian playwrights in history.
“This play is a series of really funny sketches,” said Wheatley. “In one sketch, a feisty old woman storms a bank and upbraids the manager for his gout and lack of money. Let us not forget the classic tale of a man who offers to drown himself for three rubles. The stories are droll. The portraits are affectionate. The humor is infectious and the fun is unending.”
Wheatley has been active at Greenwood Little Theatre since 1982. She has served in many capacities, including acting, directing, serving on the board of directors and heading the costuming committee.
“I have directed a lot of plays at GLT, but the most challenging ones were ‘Noises Off’ by Michael Frayn and ‘The Music Man’ by Franklin Lacey and Meredith Willson,” she said. “This play is sure to bring its own set of challenges since some of the roles will be double cast, but seeing the production come together in February will be so exciting.”
Wheatley previously directed “The Good Doctor” 15 years ago at Mid-Delta Arts Association in Indianola.
“I have so many happy memories of working in that theater,” she said. “Since this is my favorite Neil Simon play, I am excited to revive it in Greenwood. Since this play is a series of individual sketches, people who have been hesitant to get involved with one of our plays because of the time commitment may find that this is the perfect play to get your feet wet with acting in our community theater.”
The play presents several sketches based off Chekhov’s short stories — each a unique and humorous look at life’s mysteries. The sketches include:
• “The Sneeze”: A government clerk over apologizes and has a nervous breakdown after accidentally sneezing on a general during a night out at the opera.
• “The Governess”: A mother attempts to cheat her children’s governess out of her pay by making up offenses and damages for which the governess must “compensate.”
• “Surgery”: A sexton visits the dentist complaining of a toothache, but the dentist’s zeal for his profession begins to frighten his patient.
• “The Seduction”: A crafty seducer tries out his ploys on a married woman, only to realize the woman has been in command of the situation from the beginning.
• “The Drowned Man”: An entrepreneurial tramp pretends to drown himself to make money and calls what he does, “maritime entertainment.”
• “A Defenseless Creature”: A woman with a nervous disorder harasses an ill banker to extort money for her injured husband.
•“The Audition”: An actress who walked four days from Odessa to Moscow to audition for a play uses most of her audition time to gush over the playwright.
• “The Arrangement”: A father takes his shy 19-year-old son to a house to meet a “lady of the night,” but the experience leaves the boy more perplexed than ever.
“Having fun with a Neil Simon comedy, working together to create the story, and then sharing it with people throughout the area is what makes community theater so enjoyable for everyone,” said Wheatley. “I really hope we will have a lot of folks audition.”
For more information about Greenwood Little Theatre and its slate of shows for this season, visit www.greenwoodlittletheatre.com.
