Lafayette College Theater announces
Open Auditions for the play
A Thousand Cranes
By Kathryn Schultz Miller
Directed by Professor Mary Jo Lodge
To be performed at 8:00p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30th – Saturday, Oct. 2nd on the
main stage at the Williams Center for the Arts
Auditions will be held on Monday, Aug. 30th in the Black Box Theatre in the
Williams Center for the Arts beginning at 7:00p.m.
(Please contact Prof. Lodge if you wish to audition but are unavailable on the 30th,
or if you are available, but later than 7:00p.m.)
NOTE THAT A THOUSAND CRANES WILL NOT CONFLICT WITH AN ENEMY OF
THE PEOPLE – IT IS POSSIBLE TO PERFORM IN BOTH SHOWS.
To audition, come to the Black Box Theatre at 7:00p.m. Also, pick up an audition form (located
outside Pardee 120), fill it out completely and bring it with you to your initial audition. A callback
sheet will be posted on the callboard outside Pardee 120 on Tuesday morning, August 31st. Callbacks
will be held on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 31st and will include readings from the script. We are
casting 4 women and 3 men for this production, set in Japan during the 1950s. The play is short (@45
minutes) and most actors play multiple roles (most roles are of similar size). Note that while all
characters in the play are Japanese, we will be considering actors of all backgrounds and ethnicities for
all roles. Also, note that we are looking for very young looking actresses to play the main role of
Sadako Soseki, who is 12 years old in the play. The story is similar to that of the popular children’s
book “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” by Eleanor Coerr. The role breakdown is as follows:
Women: Sadako Soseki - athletic 12 year old in Hiroshima, Japan
Grandmother – Sadako’s deceased grandmother, guides Sadako through her leukemia battle
Mother/Mrs. Watanabe – Sadako’s mother/a victim of the Hiroshima bombing
Actor 2/Voice/Daisuke – Sadako’s doctor/narrator/victim of the Hiroshima bombing
Men: Kenji - Sadako’s best friend, also a runner, a little older than Sadako
Father/Mr. Araki - Sadako’s fatther/a victim of the Hiroshima bombing
Actor 1 – Sadako’s doctor & the narrator
For your audition, you may either perform a one-minute dramatic monologue you already know, OR
you may read a short selection from the script. (Don’t worry about preparing something on short
notice – readings from the script are fine!) Readings will be available at the audition. If possible,
please read the script or otherwise familiarize yourself with the story before auditioning. Scripts
will be available to check out for 24-hour perusal from Williams Center for the Arts, room 132,
beginning during Orientation.
This show has a very short rehearsal period, (just 4 weeks) and while the typical rehearsal schedule is
Sunday through Thursday evenings from @7-10, because the play is short, rehearsals will not be held
every night, nor will they last the full three hours until shortly before the production. Rehearsals will
begin on Wednesday, Sept.1st. Please be sure to list all conflicts on your audition form. All cast and
crew positions are open, except for the stage manager, and academic credit can be earned for major
roles onstage and off (additional work is required to earn credit). Night classes can sometimes be
accommodated until the week prior to the production.
With questions or for more information, contact Prof. Mary Jo Lodge
(x5662 or via e-mail at lodgem@lafayette.edu).