The Sweet Daliah Swim Club (formerly The Dixie Swim Club)
By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten
Directed by Deborah Wren
Open Auditions: deadline Nov. 24
Rehearsal Timeframe: Early Dec. and Early Jan.
Performances: Streams Jan. 30, 31
Audition videos must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Nov. 24th.
The Majestic Theatre (a division of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation department) is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a safe place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. We are particularly eager to work with artists of color and other artists from marginalized communities. All auditions are free and open to the public. This audition is for an amateur, volunteer production. The Majestic Theatre staff and volunteers do not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, gender, ethnic background, disability, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.
SHOW TYPE
Majestic Readers’ Theatre Company - This show will be primarily rehearsed via Zoom but will include in-person tech rehearsals and filming dates on the Majestic Theatre mainstage in-person with COVID-19 precautions over a one week period. Participants will be required to come to the theater for the filming unless arrangements are made. The performances will be presented via Vimeo and will utilize the Pick What You Pay $10-20 online ticket system.
SHOW SYNOPSIS
THE SWEET DELILAH SWIM CLUB was previously published under the title THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB.
THE STORY:
Five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team, set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from husbands, kids, and jobs, they meet at the same beach cottage, the “Sweet Delilah” on North Carolina’s Outer Banks to catch up, laugh, and meddle in each other’s lives. THE SWEET DELILAH SWIM CLUB focuses on four of those weekends and spans a period of thirty-three years. Sheree, the spunky team captain, desperately tries to maintain her organized and “perfect” life, and continues to be the group’s leader. Dinah, the wisecracking overachiever, is a career dynamo. But her victories in the courtroom are in stark contrast to the frustrations of her personal life. Lexie, pampered and outspoken, is determined to hold on to her looks and youth as long as possible. She enjoys being married—over and over and over again. The self-deprecating and acerbic Vernadette, acutely aware of the dark cloud that hovers over her life, has decided to just give in and embrace the chaos. And sweet, eager-to-please Jeri Neal experiences a late entry into motherhood that takes them all by surprise. As their lives unfold and the years pass, these women increasingly rely on one another, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, aging) that life flings at them. And when fate throws a wrench into one of their lives in the second act, these friends, proving the enduring power of “teamwork” rally ’round their own with the strength and love that takes this comedy in a poignant and surprising direction. THE SWEET DELILAH SWIM CLUB is the story of these five unforgettable women—a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever…
FROM THE DIRECTOR - Deborah Wren
Please pick one of the two sides below, record it with your cellphone or webcam and email it to deborahwren@hotmail.com. I am looking for five female presenting actors who can age through the play from their 40’s to their 70’s. Audition videos must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Nov. 24th.
Rehearsals will be Dec. 1, 3, 8, 10 Jan 5, 7. Tech will take place on Jan 11, 12, and the show ill be filmed on stage Jan. 13, 14. To be streamed on Jan. 30, 31.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
All characters do not have a specific race or ethnic background; we're excited to see a diverse pool of actors audition for all roles.
SHEREE HOLLINGER
Character Age: Ages 40 - 70 throughout the course of the show.
Desired Actor Gender: Female presenting
No specific ability needs for this character
Character Description: The perennial team captain, is practical, supportive, and a fount of boundless energy. Never without her todo lists or Pocket Scheduler, her tendency to be hyper-organized occasionally drives her friends a bit crazy. She's the eternal tomboy, a health nut, and an all-American mom who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her family.
DINAH GRAYSON
Character Age: Ages 40 - 70 throughout the course of the show.
Desired Actor Gender: Female presenting
No specific ability needs for this character
Character Description: The wise-cracking cynic Of the group, has fought her way to the top and relishes the view. A lawyer in the biggest and most prestigious law firm in Atlanta, Dinah excels at everything except romance. Armed with a dry martini and an even drier sense of humor, Dinah seldom reveals her softer side as she tackles life head-on.
LEXIE RICHARDS
Character Age: Ages 40 - 70 throughout the course of the show.
Desired Actor Gender: Female presenting
No specific ability needs for this character
Character Description: A true Southern belle who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the vain, youth-obsessed event planner for a chain of four-star hotels. She has never shied away from the occasional nip or tuck and keeps her cosmetic surgeon on speed dial. Always one to revel in her status as a man-magnet, Lexie can be counted on to share wild and hilarious tales of her romantic exploits.
JERI NEAL MCFEELEY
Character Age: Ages 40 - 70 throughout the course of the show.
Desired Actor Gender: Female presenting
No specific ability needs for this character
Character Description: Is the ditzy ray of sunshine of the group. She's perky and naive and always sees the positive side of everything. Having been a nun for many years, Jeri Neal has been protected from life's seamier side. Even though she appears to be predictable on the surface, Jeri Neal, recently relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, continually makes life choices that surprise and amaze her friends.
VERNADETTE SIMMS
Character Age: Ages 40-70 throughout the course of the show.
Desired Actor Gender: Female presenting
No specific ability needs for this character
Character Description: Is a hard luck case if there ever was one. Marriage and motherhood came shortly after college, a dark cloud has hovered above her ever since. A public school teacher, with limited finances and a problematic home life in Spivey's Corner, North Carolina, Vernadette is self-deprecating by necessity. She faces her tribulations with gallows humor and the unwavering support of these lifelong friends.
SIDES
DINAH: This is more like me than I've been in a long time. See, when Randall died, I put in hundreds of hours of overtime, took cases I had no interest in just so I wouldn't have to think about my life. Then two weeks ago, I was cross-examining a witness and raised my hand to make a point, and somehow my watchband got tangled in my pearls. The ones I bought when I was in Malaysia. Anyhow, the strand broke and all I remember is watching the pearls drop to the floor one by one. I couldn't speak or think, I just watched. It was like everything was happening in slow motion.
LEXIE: Okay. I have news, too. (Dramatically.) And I don't mean to darken the mood, but I wanted to tell you in person. I'm getting a divorce. I've given y'all some very important, life-altering news and I want to talk about it. I have been holding onto this news for weeks so I could turn to my closest friends to help me work through the pain. After all, aren't we supposed to be here for one another? Vernadette, don't we get you through every disaster that comes up?
Dinah, we helped you with the decision to switch law firms ten years ago. And Sheree. Well, if there ever was anything you couldn't figure out in your perfect life, we'd talk you through that, too. I mean, why else do we come here if it isn't to give each other advice and not wear bras for three days? Where's the hand-holding? Where's the shoulder to cry on? Don’t you understand? I gave that man the thinnest years of my life.
Submit your auditions today!