Auditions for Weiser Little Theater’s ‘Silent Sky’ is Aug. 20

The Weiser Little Theater is holding auditions for its upcoming play “Silent Sky” on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 All those interested in auditioning are asked to email info@weiserlittletheater.org to receive an audition time at the theater, located at 405 E. 2nd St. in Weiser.

 Although walk-ins are welcome, setting a time for your audition will help maintain flow during the process.

 Audition materials can be found at www.weiserlittletheater.com under the tab “Connect.” Actors/actresses should note that descriptions are what thry need to portray, “not actually be,” according to theater organizers.

 “Please familiarize yourself with the audition selections posted on the website. You will be asked to perform them for your audition,” a theater press release stated. “It does NOT need to be memorized. You may be asked to read other selections as well or demonstrate specific characteristics needed for the characters.”

 Here is a brief a brief rundown of the characters:

 Henrietta Leavitt: 30s, brilliant, meticulous, excited, almost always wearing a period hearing aid.

 Margaret Leavitt: 30s, homebody, creative, sweet, sister.

 Peter Shaw: 30s, the head astronomer’s apprentice … and the man.

 Annie Cannon: 40s, the leader, terse and sure, grows into the firebrand.

 Williamina Fleming: 50s, smart as a whip and fun, Scottish.

 Two decades before women’s suffrage, “Silent Sky”, written by playwright Lauren Gunderson in 2015, tells the true story of 19th century astronomer, Henrietta Leavitt, and her fellow female researchers at the Harvard University observatory, women who set the standard used today for measuring distances in space while discovering thousands of stars. 

 Gunderson is a playwright, screenwriter, and short story author from Atlanta, Ga. She received her BA in English/Creative Writing at Emory University, and her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She was named the most produced playwright in America by American Theatre Magazine in 2017 and 2019.

 The play was submitted to Weiser Little Theater for production by theater board member and city council member D. Sterling Blackwell.

 Blackwell, who will also direct the play and oversee auditions, holds a master’s in theater and has been a theater educator for the past 15 years, teaching at Treasure Valley Community College and Fruitland High School.

 He said that not every audition is identical.

 “Every director does something different and usually it’s tailored to the show,” he told the Weiser Signal American. “In this case, it’s such a small cast, I want as many people to audition as possible, and part of making sure that happens is to make the audition as stress-free as possible, so I’m not asking them to memorize anything, but I’ve already published the basic readings that I’ll have everyone do and they’ll take turns reading different parts.”

 “I’ll ask them to try reading it again, but maybe, ‘Do it like this, if you could’ and then, ‘Ok, try it again, but I want you to do this motion with it.’ You challenge them in other ways to see how they take direction and if they can portray the character in the way you are hoping they will be able to.”

 The play is set for Nov. 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 25, and 26. Tickets can be purchase by visiting www.weiserlittletheater.org or by calling the Weiser Chamber of Commerce at (208) 414-0452. You can also visit the Chamber in person during business hours.

 The Weiser Little Theater opens at 6 p.m. on performance dates, with curtain time at 7 p.m. Dessert will be served during intermission. Please bring your own appetizers and beverage to enjoy before the play.