CASTING/AUDITION INFORMATION
Driving Miss Daisy
Written Alfred Uhry
Directed by Renee van Nifterik
PRODUCTION DATES:
Open Auditions: Sunday, March 19 at 6pm
Performance Dates: May 12-28, 2023
SUMMARY OF SHOW:
The place is the Deep South, the time 1948, just prior to the civil rights movement. Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Werthan, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of seventy-two, is informed by her son, Boolie, that henceforth she must rely on the services of a chauffeur. The person he hires for the job is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy immediately regards with disdain and who, in turn, is not impressed with his employer’s patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice. But, in a series of absorbing scenes spanning twenty-five years, the two, despite their mutual differences, grow ever closer to, and more dependent on, each other, until, eventually, they become almost a couple. Slowly and steadily the dignified, good-natured Hoke breaks down the stern defenses of the ornery old lady, as she teaches him to read and write and, in a gesture of good will and shared concern, invites him to join her at a banquet in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. As the play ends Hoke has a final visit with Miss Daisy, now ninety-seven and confined to a nursing home, and while it is evident that a vestige of her fierce independence and sense of position still remain, it is also movingly clear that they have both come to realize they have more in common than they ever believed possible—and that times and circumstances would ever allow them to publicly admit.
CHARACTERS/CASTING NEEDS:
Boolie Werthan: Male, Caucasian male, 40-50 years old, Georgian accent a plus!
Boolie is Daisy’s son. He is forty years old when the play begins. He has taken over his father’s printing company, and, over the course of the play, he develops into one of the city’s leading business figures. Boolie takes good care of his mother, but he sometimes neglects her feelings and at times is exasperated by her stubbornness. When her opinion disagrees with his, he generally overrides her without thinking about what she really wants or why. However, he humors his mother rather than trying to understand. He decides to hire a driver for his mother after she is involved in an accident.
The roles of Hoke Colburn and Daisy Werthan have been cast.
AUDITION PROCEDURES:
Actors should present a headshot and resume, if available. All actors should be prepared to read from the script. Actors may be asked to attend a callback audition at the discretion of the director.
REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS:
Rehearsals and performances will be held at the Pearl Theater located at 14803 Park Almeda Dr. Houston, TX 77047. Any/all known conflicts should be disclosed prior to or at auditions and confirmed at the first read-through. Additional calls for the purposes of costume parade, Publicity photos, and other issues pertaining to production will be scheduled as needed by the Stage Management.
TENTATIVE REHEARSAL DAYS AND TIMES:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays @ 7-10:00 pm
Tech Week – Sunday-Thursday May 7 -11, 2023
COMPENSATION: This is a non-paying gig.
CONTACT: director@pearl-theater.com
