Open Auditions for Four Old Broads

By Leslie Kimbell

Directed by Shelly Peterson

This is an open audition. Everyone is welcome to come play! You do not need to memorize anything for this audition. We'll be reading scenes from the scripts. No need to sign up for a slot or pre-register. Show up ready to fill out an audition form (bring your calendar to let us know of any conflicts during the rehearsal period) and have some fun! You can also print out the provided form below and fill it out at home to save yourself some time.

THE PREMISE

Retired burlesque queen Beatrice Shelton just wants a relaxing Caribbean cruise if she can persuade her best friend, Eaddy Mae, to join her. Life at Magnolia Place Assisted Living, however, is anything but relaxing. Residents are losing their memories, scheming, and causing chaos, while the menacing Nurse Pat Jones seems to have an agenda of her own. When the ladies uncover a mysterious plot, hilarity ensues, secrets are exposed, and plans for the ultimate getaway are at risk of not happening at all!

ROLES TO BE CAST

Beatrice Shelton -   Female presenting - Age roughly 60 or up -  A retired burlesque dancer who refuses to slow down, Beatrice is a big personality wrapped in bright lipstick and sequins. She’s bold, flirtatious, impulsive, and absolutely allergic to boredom. Beneath the sass, though, is a woman who aches for adventure and connection, someone who wants to feel vibrant and seen after years of routine. Her humor is sharp, her language is colorful, and she’s the one most likely to stir up trouble just to see what happens. Playing Beatrice means embracing her theatricality, confidence, and unapologetic zest for life.

Eaddy Mae Clayton - Female presenting - Age roughly 60 or up -  Eaddy Mae is a former nurse and deeply devout woman whose faith is sincere,  but so is her loyalty to her friends. She’s gentle, kind-hearted, and the closest thing the group has to a moral compass, though even she can get swept up in mischief. When she does slip and swear, it’s shocking even to herself. She often worries about doing the right thing, but her love for the other ladies tends to override her hesitations. Actors playing Eaddy Mae should lean into her warmth, her earnest nature, and her subtle comedic timing. 

Imogene Fletcher – Female presenting - Age roughly 60 or up - The newest resident at Magnolia Place, Imogene is dealing with unsettling memory lapses that leave her frightened, confused, and sometimes frustrated. Despite this vulnerability, she’s sharper than people assume and still has a wit that surfaces when she’s feeling clear. She’s determined, proud, and desperately hoping her mind isn’t failing her. She becomes a key part of unraveling the mystery in the home. Actors should play both her fragility and her grit: she is never a caricature, but a woman fighting to hold onto herself. She is stylish, conservative, saucy, and open to romance. Auditioners should play into her fragility, but also her love of life/sauciness.

Maude Jenkins – Female presenting - Age roughly 60 or up - Delightfully eccentric, dramatic, and completely unfiltered, Maude lives life on her own quirky wavelength. She’s obsessed with planning her own funeral down to the smallest detail and equally obsessed with her favorite soap opera. There’s something endearingly childlike about her bluntness and her peculiar logic, and she often steals scenes with unexpected one-liners. Underneath the oddball humor is someone who cherishes her friends and wants to feel prepared in a world that keeps changing around her. Maude is a playground for a comic actor with heart.

Pat Jones – Female presenting - Age 40s -  Pat is the kind of nurse who walks into a room and instantly makes the temperature drop. Her manner is clipped and efficient, as though she’s always calculating her next move. Pat maintains strict control of the facility because it benefits her, not because it serves anyone else. She’s the unsettling presence of Magnolia Place: calm, sharp, and utterly self-interested. An actor playing Pat should focus on her stillness and precision; she’s a woman who reveals very little, says only what serves her agenda, and exerts power not through volume, but through an unnerving sense of control.

Sam Smith – Male presenting - Age roughly 60 or up - A retired Elvis impersonator who has never fully relinquished the spotlight, Sam is charming and ready to flirt with anyone within five feet. He wears his flashiness proudly, gold chains, polyester, swagger. But there’s a sweetness beneath the showmanship. He’s lonely and more vulnerable than he lets on. Sam adds a playful dynamic to the ladies’ schemes and becomes part of the mystery as well. An actor should give him charisma, a touch of goofiness, and a bit of genuine soul.

Ruby Sue Bennett – Female presenting - Age 30s - A genuinely sweet, soft-spoken nurse who is everything Pat is not: patient, thoughtful, and quietly compassionate. She cares deeply for the residents and often serves as their safe haven amid the chaos. Ruby Sue brings a younger energy to the cast but is never naïve; she simply chooses kindness as her default. An actor should tap into her gentle humor and open-hearted sincerity.

This play contains some language that some might find offensive.  Please ensure you are comfortable either saying or being around some "salty" language; we are legally bound to use what is in the script.

Tuesday, December 9 - 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Thursday, December 11 - 6:30 - 8:30 pm

The Bingen Theater - 210 Oak St, Bingen, WA 98605

Rehearsals won’t fully begin until after the holidays, but we plan to have our first read-through the week of the 14th based on people’s schedules. Casting this early is meant to get scripts into actors hands so they can begin working on it during the holidays.

We will create the rehearsal schedule based on conflicts given to us, but you can expect that there will be rehearsals three days as week though you may or may not need to be at all of them.

Performances will be March 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27 & 28