Health & Fitness
Auditions Announced for 'Lost in Yonkers' at Cheshire Community Theater
Auditions are January 26th and 28th with callbacks on January 29th if needed.
Cheshire Community Theater presents auditions for "Lost in Yonkers," a comedic drama by Neil Simon, directed by Joanne Palmieri and Michelle Noel. Auditions are January 26th and 28th with callbacks on January 29th if needed, all dates 7-9 pm on the second floor of Hillside Village Community Room, East Mitchell Ave, Cheshire.
Jay and Arty Kurnitz, whose predicament is described in the title, are about to endure the longest year of their young lives. The action of the play is generated by a crisis in the life of Jay and Arty’s father, Eddie Kurnitz. Jay and Arty learn that before their mother died from cancer their father, in order to pay her medical bills, borrowed money from a loan shark. Taking a high paying, war-related job selling scrap metal is his only hope of repaying the loan shark, except that it requires him to travel. That means he must leave his two boys behind with his mother, the intimidating Grandma Kurnitz, in Eddie’s childhood home above the family candy store. The play begins with the three of them arriving at Grandma’s apartment so that Eddie can beg her to take the boys in for one year.
Looking for 1 boy 12-17 years old and 1 young male 15-21 years old, 3 women (2 aunts and grandmother of boys) and 2 men (father and uncle).
Contact Michelle Noel at (203)379-6684 for more info/questions.
Jay: He is fifteen years old. He is an independent, self-serving jokester, who sometimes gets carried away with the situations going on around him. The play tells his coming-of-age story.
Arty: Jay's younger brother, he is 13 years old. More of an observer than the rest of his family, he often goes with the flow of things, but also can be a little childish.
Bella: Jay's thirty-five-year-old aunt. She is sometimes a bit off-center and is mentally challenged, but despite this she is also loving and protective of her nephews. Much of the second half of the play focuses on her attempts at independence from her stern mother.
Louie: Jay's flamboyant, jovial uncle, in his late 30s, who comes to live with the family when he is hiding from the local mob. He is considered by Grandma Kurnitz to be the "survivor" of the family. He has a strong, mercurial nature, and a certain underlying dark side, which the kids uncover in the second act of the play. He works as a "bag-man" for the mob.
Grandma Kurnitz: Jay's grandmother. A very old and stern woman. Owing to her harsh childhood, she has always been very intolerant of what in others she calls "weaknesses". She is blunt, sometimes even in a funny way, and always knows what is going on with the people around her.
Eddie: Jay's middle-aged father. After the death of his wife, he is forced to send his two sons to live with their grandmother, while he repays his large financial debts. He is shown to be, much like his sisters, a nervous wreck around Grandma.
Gert: Jay's aunt, and Grandma's daughter. She is a very interesting addition to the family. Her most noticeable issue is that when she breathes she has a tendency to suck in while still speaking, as a result of trauma instilled in her by Grandma from a young age.
