GREENEVILLE –Auditions for a wide array of roles in the “5 X 10 Plays,” a biennial tradition at Tusculum University for 10 years, are scheduled for the end of February.
Elizabeth Sparks, left, and Jackson Beddingfield perform a scene during a prior “5 X 10 Plays.”
Wayne Thomas, left, and Amy Zipperer participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience for the 2021 “5 X 10 Plays.”
Directors will hold auditions Sunday, Feb. 26, and Monday, Feb. 27, for those who are interested in performing in of the five, 10-minute plays. The auditions will take place at 7 p.m. each night in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center. Aspirants are welcome, but not required, to attend both nights.
Experience in theater performances is a plus but not a must for the actors. The auditions will consist of cold readings, and no preparation is required. Directors are seeking people age 15 and older to fill the roles in the diverse plays.
This year’s “5 X !0 Plays” will be held April 21, April 22, April 28 and April 29 at 7 p.m. and April 23 and April 30 at 2 p.m. in Behan Arena Theatre on the lower level of Annie Hogan Byrd. The plays, writers and directors are:
- “The Oktavist,” written by Vince Gatton, winner of the Gary Garrison Playwriting Award for 10-Minute Plays, and directed by Erin Hensley Shultz, Tusculum’s costume director and a veteran local theater actress.
- “The End of Summer,” written by Hank Kimmel, finalist for the Garrison award, and directed by Steve Schultz, director of admission operations for Tusculum and a veteran local theater actor.
- “Swept Under the Rug,” written by Josie Norton, a Tusculum junior who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication, with a concentration in theater, and directed by Gracie Weems, a Tusculum senior, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in arts outreach administration
- “Modern Witches” written by Meagan Stark, associate director of Student Support Services at Tusculum, and directed by Frank Mengel, Tusculum Arts Outreach’s technical director
- “The Letter,” written by Amy Zipperer, a teacher and playwright who is widely published and produced across North America, and directed by Andy Ross, a raconteur, film buff, record collector and former member of the board of directors for Greeneville’s Capitol Theatre
“We have again lined up a series of exceptional plays that will provide audiences with laughs, thought-provoking moments, excellent acting and great writing from established and emerging playwrights,” said Wayne Thomas, executive director of Tusculum Arts Outreach and dean of the College of Civic and Liberal Arts. “We hope our local theatre world will show up for this wonderful initiative to cultivate new voices and celebrate new, important work.”
The “5 X 10 Plays” is a collaboration between Theatre-at-Tusculum and the university’s English and Languages Department. For more information, please email Thomas at wthomas@tusculum.edu.