PRODUCTION: CRIMES OF THE HEART AUTHORS: Beth Henley DIRECTOR: Tess Van Horn REHEARSALS: TBD mid-February/early March 2020 PERFORMANCES: April 17-26, 2020

A Note from the Director, Tess Van Horn

Hello! I’m so thrilled to be directing Crimes of the Heart at USM this spring. I am a Portland based freelance director and have worked with many theater companies in Portland and around Maine. I love working with actors who are very expressive with their bodies and voice and are eager to work as a member of an ensemble. I believe that this play will be a great opportunity to explore the complexities of sisterhood as well as the specific mannerisms and proprieties of a small town in the deep south in the 1980’s. Beth Henley’s classic is embodied with bold, rich characters full of heart, passion and humor.

The Cast/Character Breakdown:

Lenny Macgrath - 30, the oldest sister. Considers herself an ‘old-maid’ and is very preoccupied with appropriateness and following the rules. Underneath she has an immense amount of passion and desire.

Chick Boyle - 29, the sisters’ first cousin. She is married and lives in town with her family. Loves gossip and is very loyal to her cousins.

Doc Porter - 30, Meg’s old boyfriend from high school. He has a slight limp which adds rather than detracts from his quiet seductive quality. He carries himself as slightly older than his age.

Meg Macgrath - 27, the middle sister. Is a singer and performer living in Los Angeles who has come home due to Babe’s situation. She is very out-going, impulsive and loves to be center of attention.

Babe Botrelle - 24, the youngest Macgrath sister. Married to Zachary Botrelle, a state representative. When the play begins she is in custody for shooting her husband. Babe approaches the world with a non-intellectual and beautiful innocence.

Barnette Lloyd - 26, Babe’s lawyer. An intelligent man with an almost fanatical intensity that he subdues by sheer will.

What and How to Prepare:

To be considered for casting in this spring production, Crimes of the Heart, you will need to prepare the following:

1) One of the monologues from the selections below. Choose the monologue that speaks to you, that you connect with, regardless of gender, and one you feel you can fully prepare with bold, dramatic choices. 2) You are expected to prepare by not only fully memorizing your monologue choice, but also making specific choices in regards to: a) who is your character talking to? What is the relationship this character has to whomever they are talking? b) What does your character want from this other person they are addressing? c) What is motivating your character to speak this monologue now? What was the moment before that prompted this speech? d) Word choice: pay attention to the word choice (diction) or written dialect of the monologues. How does it inform the character? e) How does this character change from the beginning of their monologue to the end?

Some of this information can be derived from the actual monologue, and some of this information you can invent out of your imagination, or find in reading the play. When preparing a monologue, the goal is to make specific choices, and create a short journey that has a beginning, a middle, a climax, and an ending.

3) You will be expected to prepare your SLATE when you present you monologue. As you memorize your monologue, don’t forget to practice your slate. The slate is an introduction. It should be: a) Your name b) The title of the play from which your piece is selected c) The author of the piece

NOTE: You are NOT expected to give a synopsis of the story of your monologue, or where it falls in the action of the play.

4) You are expected to arrive to your audition slot at least ten minutes prior to your audition to check in and complete any audition paperwork. You should bring your spring calendars, and fill out any time conflicts to the best of your ability.

How to Sign Up for an Audition Time:

• The audition sign-up sheet will be posted on the Russell Hall Audition Callboard no later than October 28. • Actors will be asked to sign up for ONE 3-minute slot between 11am-2pm on Sunday, November 17, 2019 • Callbacks will be distributed following the initial auditions. Callbacks will be held on Monday, November 18 between 6:30-9:30pm • Auditions and callbacks will be held at Russell Hall Theatre, USM Gorham campus

Questions? If you have any general questions about the audition process, please contact the Department of Theatre Chair: [email protected]

MONOLOGUE SELECTIONS

Chose 1 of the following seven monologues to prepare: Monologue # 1 from Tangled Up in Blue by Brad Boesen

I need to say this. I need to get this out. You remember the first time I saw you? That's the first time we met. The first time I saw you was in the park about--a month before that, on the swings. You remember? I thought I told you. It was really late at night, and I couldn't sleep, so I was walking. And you were--sailing back and forth in the moonlight with your eyes closed--your hair blowing... Even now, when I think about it, I can remember every detail. And then, when I actually met you at the party, we were so good together. We were just so--good. But you were with someone. And you've been with someone ever since. And we've gotten to the point, now, where I really can't imagine not being your friend. I can't... I just can’t imagine my life without you. You asked me why I never stayed very long with the women I've dated; it's you. Because of you. Because I didn't want to settle any more. I've been doing it all my life, and I didn't want to settle. And every woman I met, every one, I would compare them to you, and they weren't you. They just weren't. And I refused to settle until...until I knew one way or another. So don't tell me that I'm just drunk, or that I don't really feel the way I feel, because I've had four years to think about this, and I know how I feel.

Monologue # 2 From Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley

And we were just standing around on the back porch playing with Dog. Well, suddenly Zackery comes from around the side of the house, And he startled me ‘cause he’s supposed to be away at the office, and there he is coming from ‘round the side of the house. Anyway he says to Willie Jay “Hey, boy, what are you doing back here?” And I said, “He’s not doing anything. You just run right on Home.” Well, before he can move, Zackery comes up and knocks him once right across the face and then shoves him down the porch steps, causing him to skin up his elbow real bad on that hard concrete. Then he says, “Don’t you ever come around here again, or I’ll have them cut out your gizzard!” Well, Willie Jay starts crying, these tears come streaming down his face then he gets up real quick and runs away with Dog following off after him. After that, I don’t remember much too clearly; let’s see... I went on into the living room, and I went right up to the davenport and opened the drawer where we keep the burglar gun... I took it out, Then I—I brought it up to my ear, That’s right. I put it right inside my ear, Why, I was gonna shoot off my own head! That’s what I was gonna do. Then I heard the back door slamming and suddenly, for some reason, I thought about mama...how she’d hung herself, And here I was about ready to shoot myself, Then I realized—that’s right I realized how I didn’t want to kill myself! And she—she probably didn’t want to kill herself, She wanted to kill him and I wanted to kill him, too. I wanted to kill Zackery, not myself ‘Cause I__ I wanted to live! So I waited for him to come on into the living room. Then I held out the gun, and I pulled the trigger, aiming for his heart, but getting him in the stomach... It’s funny that I really did that.

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Monologue #3 from Reasons for Being Pretty By Neil LeBute

I’m very attractive. I am. I’ve always been that way but it’s no great big deal to me—if anything, it’s worked against me for most of my life. (Beat.) It’s about this (Points.) My face. I was born with it, people. That’s all. I have been given this thing to wear around, my features, and I’m stuck with it. And yes, over the years it’s gotten me things, I won’t lie about that, dates and into clubs that I really wanted to get into or smiles from my father . . . but as I got older it suddenly became a kind of, I dunno what, but almost like a problem. A real bother that I don’t have any control over. (Beat.) Listen, I’m not stupid, I know I should be thankful, that I should pray to heaven and be happy that I’m not scarred or missing an ear. I don’t have any of those problems and I’m happy about that. I’m not saying that I don’t understand how I got lucky in many ways, I do get that, I do, I just want folks to comprehend that beauty comes with a price, just like ugly does. A different one, of course, and I’ll take what I’ve got, but I’ve cried myself to sleep at night because of who I am as well, and you should know that . . . (Beat.) I hope my baby’s OK,—did I mention that we found out it was a little girl? I really hope she’s no more than pretty, that’s my wish. That she’s not some beauty queen that people can’t stop staring at because I’d hate that for her . . . to be this object, some thing that people can’t help gawking at. I’d almost rather it was a situation where she was oblivious to it— Some sort of oblivion that gets pasted over her eyes so she can go about life and not be aware that people are cruel in many ways. . . not just with their words but with the ways they look at you and desire you and, and, and . . . almost hate you because of it.

Monologue #4 from Enigma by Floyd Dell

No—it happened to me. It didn't happen to you. You made up your mind and walked in, with the air of a god on a holiday. It was I who fell—headlong, dizzy, blind. I didn't want to love you. It was a force too strong for me. It swept me into your arms. I prayed against it. I had to give myself to you, even though I knew you hardly cared. I had to— for my heart was no longer in my own breast. It was in your hands, to do what you liked with. You could have thrown it in the dust. It pleased you not to. You put it in your pocket. But don't you realize what it is to feel that another person has absolute power over you? No, for you have never felt that way. You have never been utterly dependent on another person for happiness. I was utterly dependent on you. It humiliated me, angered me. I rebelled against it, but it was no use. You see, my dear, I was in love with you. And you were free, and your heart was your own, and nobody could hurt you.

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Monologue #5 from Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller

Well, I spent six or seven years after high school trying to work myself up. Shipping clerk, salesman, business of one kind or another. And it’s a measly manner of existence. To get on that subway on the hot mornings in summer. To devote your whole life to keeping stock, or making phone calls, or selling or buying. To suffer fifty weeks of the year for the sake of a two week vacation, when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off. And always to have to get ahead of the next fella. And still — that’s how you build a future.. Hap, I’ve had twenty or thirty different kinds of jobs since I left home before the war, and it always turns out the same. I just realized it lately. In Nebraska when I herded cattle, and the Dakotas, and Arizona, and now in Texas. It’s why I came home now, I guess, because I realized it. This farm I work on, it’s spring there now, see? And they’ve got about fifteen new colts. There’s nothing more inspiring or —beautiful than the sight of a mare and a new colt. And it’s cool there now, see? Texas is cool now, and it’s spring. And whenever spring comes to where I am, I suddenly get the feeling, my God, I’m not gettin’ anywhere! What the hell am I doing, playing around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week! I’m thirty-four years old, I oughta be makin’ my future. That’s when I come running home. And now, I get here, and I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve always made a point of not wasting my life, and everytime I come back here I know that all I’ve done is to waste my life.

Monologue #6 from This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan

Well…OK...It’s just – This is getting a little weird now, because when I talked to Valerie, she asked me if anything happened with us last night, and for some reason, I guess I didn’t really tell her that anything did. So now she’s gonna talk to Dennis and I’m gonna look like a total liar to someone I’m just starting to be close friends with and who I really care about! But honestly, Warren? I really don’t care who you told, or what you told them, because people are gonna think whatever they think and you know what? There’s nothing I can do about it. I should just really listen to my instincts, you know? Because your instincts are never wrong. And it was totally against my instinct to come over here last night, and it was definitely against my instinct to sleep with you, but I did and it’s too late. And now my Mom is totally furious at me, I probably ruined my friendship with Valerie, and now like Dennis thinks I’m like easy pickings or something! And it’s not like I even care what he thinks, OK? Because I don’t actually know him. Or you. Or Valerie for that matter! So it really doesn’t matter! I’ve made new friends before and I can make more new friends now if I have to. So let’s forget the whole thing ever happened, you can chalk one up in your book, or whatever – and I’ll just know better next time! Hopefully. OK?

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Monologue #7 from The Miss Firecracker Contest by Beth Henley

I registered today. I just thought I’d give it a whirl. I’m twenty-four. Twenty-five’s the age limit. I just thought I’d give it a whirl while I still could. Course, don’t expect to win--that’s crazy. I’m just in it for the experience---that’s’s the main thing. That’s actually why I dyed my hair red; I thought it would be more appropriate for the contest. I’m trying to make crimson red my thematic color. I know they only pick five girls. I’ve thought about it, and I, frankly, can’t think of five other girls in town that are prettier than me. I’m speaking honestly now. Course I know there’s Caroline Jeffers, but she has those yellow teeth. I know why you’re worried. You think I’ve ruined my chances, cause of my reputation. Well, everyone knew I used to go out with lots of men and all that. Different ones. It’s been a constant thing with me since I was young and---I just mention it cause it’s different now, since Aunt Ronelle died and since I got that---disease. Anyway, I go to church now and I’m signed up to where I take an orphan home to dinner once a week or to a movie; and I work on the cancer drive here just like you do in Natchez. My life has meaning. People aren’t calling me Miss Hot Tamale anymore like they used to. Everything’s changed. And being in that contest--it would be such an honor to me...I can’t explain the half of it. I’m not all that ugly. I wish you had about a drop of faith in me.

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