For those who've been wondering what to do with the next eight weeks of their lives, Auburn Area Community Theatre has the answer: work with "On Golden Pond."
Director Steve Bice said most people are probably familiar with the movie featuring Katharine Hepburn and Henry and Jane Fonda.
"The play is very intimate," Bice said. "Basically, in a nutshell, it's a love story between two people."
Lori McCormack, artistic board member, described the show as "heartwarming."
"It is a happy ending, and you think maybe it's not going to be a happy ending, but it turns out that everybody learns how to get along and make things good again," McCormack said.
The play features a six-member cast, but Bice said he isn't just looking for six actors. The production also requires a stage manager and people to operate the lights, sell tickets and make contacts for publicity.
"There's no job that's unimportant," McCormack said. "Everything has a position."
Bice said finding actors isn't even always at the top of the priority list.
"What I'm looking for as a director is not only a cast, but team players: people who will want to come out and put on a show," Bice said.
Auditions are March 13-15 at 6 p.m. at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center. Acting roles to be cast are the main elderly characters Ethel and Norman Thayer, along with their daughter Chelsea, her boyfriend, their 13-year-old son and the mailman.
This show will end AACT's ninth year, and McCormack said the opportunities it provides to the community are what make community theatre valuable.
"It helps you socialize with a different group of people," McCormack said. "It helps you be artistic in a way that a lot of people don't get in contact with. Even if you're backstage, it's about helping to produce a great piece of work."
Bice described the main characters, the Thayers, as "full of vitality." He said he's been doing research in preparation for the production.
"I've been observing older people," Bice said. "I heard the other day that 80 is the new 60, and I believe it."
For auditions, Bice said people should just bring their enthusiasm.
"I am very low-key and laid-back when it comes to auditions," Bice said. "(Auditioning) can be really stressful, and I look for heart. I don't look for talent. I look for something that is innate in a person in their personality."
Bice said auditions will consist of introductions, a reading and maybe a few games. He said it's important to realize that auditions are not a competition.
"We try to paint pictures with people, and we are ultimately telling a story," Bice said. "That commitment is what I'm looking for more than anything else."
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