Auditions for the historic drama, The Last Lifeboat, will be held Monday, August 12th and Tuesday, August 13th.

J. Bruce Ismay was an upper-crust Englishman who always did what was expected of him. He went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else), and vowed to his staunch, unfeeling father on his deathbed that he would take over the family shipping business and build the biggest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen: the RMS Titanic. What an accomplishment! We all know the story of how the ship sank…or do we? Ismay saved as many people he could on that fateful night, and finally, with no women and children in sight, he stepped onto the last lifeboat…and was branded a coward and a traitor forever. The world needed a scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic and Ismay became the perfect target. He had a powerful enemy in the United States–newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst condemned Ismay nationwide before the rescue ship Carpathia even landed in New York. Hearst’s cause was aided by William Alden Smith, a ruthless senator with presidential aspirations, who led a “witch-hunt” investigation into this high-profile disaster. Although there was no solid evidence against Ismay, Senator Smith managed to drag the hearings on for months. More than 3,000 passengers brought lawsuits against the White Star Line for his loss of life and property, which only fueled Ismay’s intense survivor’s guilt. When he was forced to resign from the White Star Line, he spent the rest of his days as a recluse at his estate in Ireland, haunted by the ghosts of that fateful night to the point of near insanity. THE LAST LIFEBOAT is the story of the Titanic that has never been told. This epic tale explores not only the tragedy itself, but the sensationalized trials and the aftermath of the night that changed the world forever.

AUDITION INFORMATION FROM THE DIRECTORS:

Auditions for The Last Lifeboat will be held on Monday, August 12th and Tuesday, August 13th from 6:00-8:00 at the Ouachita Little Theatre. Callbacks are not planned, but please tentatively keep Thursday, August 15th open just in case. Performances will run October 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, and 20th. The regular rehearsal schedule will be Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-8:00 (sometimes 8:30.) Rehearsals will begin Monday, August 19th.

This will be an open call audition. You will be asked to cold read a scene or two from the play with other auditioners.

Character Information:

We are looking for about 15 to 17 strong actors. This cast will include many roles which are double-cast in a meaningful way. Most actors will play two or more roles, with the exceptions of Ismay, Florence, Vivian, and Mrs. Ryerson. With this in mind, we are looking for about 10 people to play male roles and 7 people to play female roles. The ages of these roles range from about 14 to 70, depending on which track one is cast in. We are also looking for a child actor, aged about 6-7, to double as Young Angela and George Ismay.