MTA Auditions for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"
 
The Monticello Theatre Association (MTA) will have open auditions for our upcoming play “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”. Auditions will be held at the Monticello Theater, 1406 N. Market St. in Monticello, Illinois
 
Sunday, October 6, 2018 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Monday, October 7, 2018, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. 
 
Synopsis - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tells the story of the Herdmans, six delinquent children who go to church for the first time (for snacks) and become involved with the annual Christmas play there. It is a great "feel good" show with some hilarious moments.
 
The Cast of Characters
 
The Bradley Family

• Imogene - loud, bossy   13-15 year old
• Ralph - scroungy, slouchy 13-15 year old
• Leroy - tough, sure of himself 11-13 year old
• Claude - tough, a fighter 10-12 year old
• Ollie - the partner in crime 9-11 year old
• Gladys - fiesty, quick 8-10 year old

• Mrs. Armstrong - bossy, loud woman
• Mrs. Slocum - pleasant, motherly woman
• Mrs. Clark 
• Mrs. Clausing
• Mrs. McCarthy
• Rev. Hopkins
• 2 Firemen

• Alice  -  13-15 year old
• Maxine - 11-13 year old
• Elmer - 11-13 year old 
• Hobie - 10-12 year old
• David - 9-10 year old
• Doris - 9-10 year old
• Beverly - 8-10 year old
• Shirley - 7-9 year old
• Juanita - 6-8 year old

3-5 Additional kids aged 5-15 for one line or no speaking parts 
 
Right now the planned rehearsal times are between 4 pm - 8 pm (averaging 2 hours a day), up to 4 days a week (perhaps three days a week) beginning on Oct. 11. THIS WILL BE DETERMINED BY CAST AVAILABILITY AFTER AUDITIONS.  There are three performances planned for Dec. 1-2.  The week of Nov. 26-30 is tech week and everyone will be required to attend all rehearsals that week. 
 
The auditions will be on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 6-8 pm and Monday, Oct. 8 from 5 - 7 pm at the theatre. No memorized scripts are necessary, but please see the following monologues if interested in a specific role. If you need to schedule an earlier time/day for an audition, please contact Carrie Brocksmith via call or text at  217-840-2081, email carriebrocksmith@yahoo.com or message her on fb @ Carrie Brocksmith. 
 
For those interested in the part of Beth:
"Revenge at Bethelem! The Herdmans thought the Christmas Story came right out of the FBI files! At least they picked out the right villain - it was Herod they wanted to gang up on and not the baby Jesus. But the baby Jesus quit the Pageant anyway. It was supposed to be Eugene Slocum, but Mrs. Slocum said she wasn't going to let Imogene get her hands on him. So we didn't have a baby Jesus, and that bothered my mother. She kept trying to scratch up a baby...even at the last rehearsal."
 
For those interested in a speaking part - boy or girl:
"I didn't dare raise my hand.  Imogene would have killed me! She said, "I'm going to be Mary in this play, and if you open your mouth or raise your hand you'll wish you didn't." And I said, "I'm always Mary in the Christmas Pageant." And she said, "go ahead then, and next spring when the pussywillows come out I'll stick one so far down your ear that nobody can reach it...and it'll sprout there and grow and grow, and you'll spend the rest of your life with that pussywillow growing out of your ear!!" "