Cast: 9 men, 7 women, 3 male extras: 19 total
Setting: INTERIOR

One of the most popular and successful plays of modern times.  Winner of the 1937 Pulitzer Prize.  The basic theme of the play is timeless focus on conformity versus individuality in the search for human happiness.  The characters who live in the Sycamore house are unique and eccentric.  Each one has hobbies and traits that make them in-depth and meaty characters who are ripe for development.  The play is about happiness, what it means to be an individual, and the basic meaninglessness of our every day worries in contrast to the "Big Picture."  Each character is beautifully crafted by the playwrights from Grandpa to the I.R.S. Man.  It is hilariously funny, touching, charming, and filled with truth.

THE STORY: At first the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirbys. The plot shows how Tony, attractive young son of the Kirbys, falls in love with Alice Sycamore and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening. The shock sustained by the Kirbys, who are invited to eat cheap food, shows Alice that marriage with Tony is out of the question. The Sycamores, however, though sympathetic to Alice, find it hard to realize her point of view. Meantime, Tony, who knows the Sycamores are right and his own people wrong, will not give her up, and in the end Mr. Kirby is converted to the happy madness of the Sycamores, particularly since he happens in during a visit by an ex-Grand Duchess, earning her living as a waitress. No mention has as yet been made of the strange activities of certain members of the household engaged in the manufacture of fireworks; nor of the printing press set up in the parlor; nor of Rheba the maid and her friend Donald; nor of Grandpa's interview with the tax collector when he tells him he doesn't believe in the income tax.

THE CHARACTERS:

Martin Vanderhof - (~70) Patriarch of the family.  Wise, collected and
well-balanced.  Comfortable with himself and his individuality.  Projects
love and calm to all who encounter him.  Enjoys collecting stamps and
attending graduations.
 
Penelope Sycamore - (45-50) Daughter of Martin Vanderhof, Mother of Alice
and Essie.  Penny is definitely her father's daughter, though can be
susceptible to the blues now and then.  Full of life and joy, but that is
partly due to her own innocence and naivete.  She enjoys writing novels and
painting.
 
Paul Sycamore - Penelope's husband. (45-50) Essie and Alice's father. 
Loving and childlike.  Unashamed to be himself at all times. Enjoys model
train sets and helping Mr. DePinna make fireworks.
 
Essie - (20-30) Paul and Penelope's daughter.  An aspiring star of the
ballet who falls down quite a bit.  Makes up for her shortfalls with a great
deal of enthusiasm and youthful vigor.  Filled with even more innocence and
naivete than her mother.  Enjoys ballet and making candy.
 
Ed - (20-30) Essie's newlywed husband.  A decidedly odd character who is
somewhat distracted.  Enjoys playing the xylophone and printing.  Youthful
and innocent. A true modern artist (without, perhaps, the artistic ability).
 
Alice - (20-30) Romantic female lead.  Daughter of Paul and Penelope.  The
most conventionally "normal" of the Sycamore family.  Loves her family but
knows they seem very different to others.  Very "head-over-heels" in love
with Tony.
 
Tony Kirby - (20-30) Romantic male lead.  Heir to the Kirby empire.  Very
"head-over-heels" in love with Alice.  Ready to accept her and her entire
"unusual" family.  At a juncture where he must either accept his father's
conservative values or assert his own individuality.
 
Mr. DePinna - (40-60) Delivered ice to the Sycamore house many years ago and
never left.  Loves his adopted family and the environment of total
acceptance he found there.  Enjoys Making fireworks in the basement.
 
Rheba - (30-50) Live-in help.  Devoted to the Sycamore family as if they
were her own.  Next to Grandpa, the wisest character in the play.  Enjoys
life to the fullest.
 
Donald - (30-50) Live-in help.  Gets very wrapped up in everything he does
in an awkward and comical way.  Gets involved in some fast moving comedy. 
Very close to Rheba.
 
Boris Kolenkhov - (30-50) Russian ballet instructor who thrived under
Czarist rule.  Loud, boisterous, opinionated and vivacious.  Very physical
with everyone he meets.
 
Gay Wellington - (40-50) Aging actress who has taken to drink.  While
drinking she often takes to singing, babbling and kissing strangers. 
Hilariously comical role.
 
Mr. Henderson - (30-60) I.R.S. Agent.  Visits to confront Mr. Vanderhof
regarding 25 years of unpaid taxes.  Flabbergasted when Mr. Vanderhof
doesn't take him seriously.  Excellent "straight-comic" role.  The comedy of
this scene is all in his reactions.
 
Mr. Kirby - (45-60) Tony's father.  Conservative, successful businessman who
wants to pass his empire and his values on to his son.  Straightlaced man
who has sold his passion for success.  Once played saxophone, and now only
indulges in the hobby of raising rare high-priced orchids.  Very confused by
the Sycamores.  This character has to make a relatively quick transition to
final acceptance of the Sycamores.
 
Mrs. Kirby - (45-60) Tony's mother. Conservative and very class-conscious
woman.  Completely taken aback by the Sycamores.
 
Olga Katrina - (40-60) A Grand-duchess of Russia, deposed in the 1917
Russian Revolution.  Now works in a diner.  Has made the adjustment very
well, considering her long fall from wealth and leisure.  Makes
prize-winning blintzes.
 
G-man #1 - #3 - (20-40) Official Government agents who have had the
Sycamores under surveillance for awhile.  These men burst in for the arrest.

Please note:  Ages are approximate and act only as a guide.  Through makeup and actions, actors may appear both older or younger than actual age.  Please audition, if you feel comfortable playing a character of that approximate age.  The director will make the final decision as to your appropriateness for the part.

Cast members as April 10th:

Martin Vanderhof               - George Berry
Penelope Sycamore            - Deedie Kriebel
Paul Sycamore                   - Les Tarmy

Rheba                                - Althea Adlien
Donald                               - Rick Dumont
Essie                                  - Carrie Erwin
Ed                                      - Marc Fillion
Alice                                  - Danielle Warren
Tony Kirby                        - James Wilcox
Mr. DePinna                      - Dennis Nee
Boris Kolenkhov                - Hal Morse
Gay Wellington                  - Pauline Wright
Mr. Henderson                  - Craig Owen
Mr. Kirby                          - Dan McDuffie
Mrs. Kirby                         - Karen Nee
Olga Katrina                      - June DeRoin

G-Man                              - Bill Gaylardo
G-Man Jim                        - Charles G. Brennan, Jr.
G-Man  Mac                     - Rob Warren

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