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Inspire Theatre will hold auditions for the Southern-fried comedy, "Dearly Departed” written by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones.AUDITION DATES:
Monday & Tuesday, December 29 & 30, at 6 p.m. at Inspire Theatre.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
March 6-22, 2026 (Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays at 2 p.m.)
AUDITION PROCESS:
Those auditioning will be asked to read from the script. Copies of the script will be provided at the audition.
REHEARSALS:
A read-through/company meeting will be January 4. Rehearsals will be Sundays 1 – 5 p.m. and Mondays & Wednesdays 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE AUDITION APPLICATION
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMUwP26HTa00j7ghBx7AGfrVz2HhUHTUps0BhQIS9X7-2PJw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=107905846804927649101
THEN PRINT, FILL, AND BRING WITH YOU TO AUDITIONS, THE FOLLOWING FORM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZX9d1r1afhHOI_BH0_5JuoPhQ8lZq4xp/view?usp=sharing
THE STORY:
A dysfunctional Southern family comes together to plan a funeral in this character-driven ensemble comedy. When the Turpin family patriarch Bud suddenly dies of a stroke, his sons Ray-Bud and Junior, sister Marguerite, and widow Raynelle do their best to ensure a dignified memorial, but familial squabbles quickly get in the way. Junior’s wife Suzanne (correctly) accuses him of infidelity, a resentful Ray-Bud drinks to deal with his resentment over footing the bill for a service being handled by the funeral home of his archrival, and Raynelle seems more concerned with ensuring that Bud’s legacy as “mean and surly” is quite literally carved in stone. Dearly Departed is a side-splitting ensemble comedy that’s at once a parody of and a love letter to life in the Deep South.
ROLES AVAILABLE (Ages may vary)
LEADS:
Raynelle – 40s-60s (female) – the family matriarch whose husband has just passed away
Royce – late teen-40s (male) – son of Marguerite; unemployed, no goals in life; his “plan” is to get on welfare
Marguerite – 50s-60s (female) – feisty Bible-thumping woman who despite claiming to be a devout Christian is constantly insulting her son
Ray-Bud – 30s-40s (male) – the “responsible” one of the Turpin brothers; uncomfortable at the thought of being at a funeral
Lucille – 30s-40s (female) – Ray-Bud’s wife; practical, but has some PTSD issues with a KFC chicken bucket
Junior – 30s-40s (male) – the other Turpin son; entrepreneurialism isn’t his best quality; at the top of the show, a secret about Junior is exposed
Suzanne – 30s-40s (female) – loud, high-maintenance, drama queen
SUPPORTING:
Reverend Hooker – 40s-60s (male) – the town minister; has his own radio show; needs to stay away from Mexican food
Delightful – 20s (female) – the only Turpin daughter; for her, life is just fine as long as she has a bag of chips…or a corn dog…or a coke…or M&Ms…or a Dilly Bar
Veda – 50s-60s (female) – a round-the-clock caregiver to her husband, Norval
Nadine – 20s-30s (female) – not your typical “mother of the year” despite having an unspecified number of children, all named for celebrities. But she still is looking for Mr. Right!
Clyde – 20-40s (male) – owns a body repair shop where Ray-Bud works. Think “The Sopranos” below the Mason-Dixon line
Norval – 40s-60s (male) – speaks mainly in grunts
Juanita – 40s-60s (female) – quite wealthy but not high class
Joy of Life Singers - Either Gender
Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult
For more info call [email protected] 734-460-2410
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33455 Warren Rd, Westland, MI, United States
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