[Capdist-auditions] Auditions for Approaching Simone

[Rosanne Raneri]

Auditions for Approaching Simone by Megan Terry
(Won the Obie Award for Best American Play, 1970)Performances will take place on Friday, July 29, Saturday, July 30, and Sunday July 31
at Hudson Vally Community College's Maureen Stapleton Theatre

The play is being produced as a Master's Thesis project and will be directed by Rosanne Raneri.

Auditions will be held on Tuesday, May 31 and Wednesday June1, 7:00 - 10:00 pm
at Maureen Stapleton Theatre, Siek Campus Center, Hudson Valley Community College
80 Vandenburgh Ave. (Route 4), Troy, NY, 12182.
Auditioners will be asked to read from the script, sing four bars of any song a cappella, and to participate
in a simple improvisation involving movement. Prepared monologues are not required. 

For more information please contact Rosanne at rosanneraneri at msn.com 
Approaching Simone tells the compelling story of philosopher and activist Simone Weil, who belied that
"attention is the rarest and purist form of generosity." The play chronicles Weil's unusual life, and emphasizes
the socio-political forces that shaped her outlook and the opposition her extreme determination and altruism
received. Weil dedicated herself to those who suffered and were oppressed, and sought to change
society's negligence and apathy. 
*Important note: This provocative plays falls under the new realism category. It will combine elements of
conventional realism and non-realism. Actors will be asked to do some vocalizing and singing and to 
occasionally move in unconventional or abstract ways. 
Plot: Brilliant, sympathetic Simone Weil, living in France in the 1920s, 30s, and early 40s, feels a strong 
desire to be of service and acts out against her family's wishes. She struggles with her family's disapproval, 
and the onset of sever headaches. Weil becomes a teacher and promotes independence and bold thinking, 
but is fired for her progressive methods and outlook. As she develops her intellectual awareness and
compassion, she begins to form the philosophy that leads to her eventual acclaim, but she battles her own
love self-esteem and the doubts of others. Her interactions with family members, friends, employers,
comrades, priests, and political officials reveal the complex personal negotiations that structure society and
reality. She becomes a factory worker, and goes to fight in Spain. After experiencing the war up close, she
becomes an activist and tries to persuade officials to let her be of service to soldiers on the front line during
World War II. Finally, Simone (age 34), in sympathy with those starving in France during the war, starves
herself to death. This ultimate activism inspires many questions about responsibility and the welfare of our
fellow human beings. 

Available Roles for 4 Women, 3 men        
Simone: 20 - 35 years old, fiercely intelligent, direct, idealistic, sympathetic, sensitive, passionate, 
                an extreme activist, perhaps a bit innocent but old for her age
Carolina/Ensemble member: 20 - 45 years old, African-American, jazz-blues singer, bright, charismatic, 
                likable, flirtatious, gutsy

Two Female Ensemble members: 20 - 50 years old. Each actor will play a variety of roles and will have the
                opportunity to explore a range of characteristics and states of being. Roles that will be assigned
                include Simone's mother, friend, student, doctor, comrade, school board member, worker, soldier.

Three Male Ensemble members: 20 - 50 years old. Each actor will play a variety of roles and will have the 
                opportunity to explore a range of characteristics and state of being. Roles that will be assigned
                include Simone's father, friend, mentor, priest, school board member, manager, official, soldier.
                            *The Ensemble members are an essential, vital part of the play, and for this production are considered principle
roles. 

Rehearsals will begin the first week of June. Dates and times will be arranged with actors, but rehearsals may 
be scheduled on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 pm in 
June, and on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 pm in July. There may 
occasionally be rehearsals scheduled on Saturdays or Sundas during the day.  		 	   		  
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