Presenting:
The Harlequin Club Spring 2008 Play
I am pleased to announce auditions for the Middle School spring play, Nothing But the Truth. This thought-provoking play is an adaptation of the award winning documentary novel of the same name by Avi. This is a serious and challenging dramatic piece with a variety of roles that will inspire and stretch middle school actors.
Plot Synopsis:
Philip Malloy is a fourteen year old student at HarrisonHigh School. One day, Philip decides to hum along with The Star-Spangled Banner as the song is played over the public-address system during morning announcements. Margaret Narwin, Philip’s homeroom teacher, promptly sends him to the vice principal’s office for breaking a school rule requiring all students to stand at “respectful, silent attention” while the national anthem is playing. When multiple versions of what happened in the classroom are picked up by a candidate running for the school board, the host of a talk radio program, and a reporter for the local newspaper, what should have been just a simple, internal incident for the school turns into an unfortunate public crisis for both Philip Malloy and Margaret Narwin. The coverage—and increasing controversy—places Philip, his family, Harrison High and the entire community at the center of a national media event. But why do the versions differ? And who is telling the truth? There are no easy answers presented in the play, which is ultimately concerned with the critically important issues of respect, personal freedom and patriotism.
Cast of Characters:
Philip Malloy: a fourteen year old in ninth grade. He is the only child of Ben and Susan Malloy. He is a bit of a joker. Philip loves running and is hoping to get a place on the high school track team. He loves math, but finds English a bit of a challenge. This is a very large role requiring a lot of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Margaret Narwin: an English teacher at Harrison High. She is in her mid-to-late 50’s. She is single and has dedicated her professional life to teaching. She has a sister with whom she is very close, but they live at a distance from each other. They keep in close contact through letters. Miss Narwin believes in order, respect and hard work. She is a serious character who does not appear to have much of a sense of humor. She loves classic novels and hopes to inspire her students to appreciate them as well. She is frustrated by her students’ apparent lack of interest and initiative in their studies. This is a very large role requiring a lot of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Bernard Lunser: another teacher at Harrison High. He enjoys joking around with kids. This is a medium-sized role.
Dr. Gertrude Doane: the principal of Harrison High. She is a kind administrator who strives to meet the needs of her faculty and students. She tries to be fair and even-handed. She is busy in her job, but is helped by her assistant principal, Dr. Palleni. This is a moderately large role requiring a lot of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Allison Doresett: a ninth grade student at Harrison High, who may or may not have a crush on Philip. She seems to enjoy English class, and she likes Miss Narwin. She sometimes thinks Philip can be funny. This is a nice, medium-sized role.
Coach Earl Jamison: he is the track coach at school. He is an energetic, outgoing person. He plays by the rules and encourages his athlete/students to do the same. He is honest and forthright. This is a medium-sized role.
Ben Malloy: Philip’s father. Ben was a track star in high school and is anxious for his son to follow in his footsteps. He has bonded with his son around this common interest. Ben is having trouble at work and does not seem to be able to stand up for himself in the workplace. At times, this causes a strain in his marriage. He is quick to form opinions and judgments. Ben works hard to improve his relationship/rapport with his son. This is a large role requiring a lot of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Susan Malloy: Philip’s mother. She loves her son and husband and tries to help them as they face difficult obstacles. She wants Philip to be treated fairly and to have a happy, successful school experience. She is more likely to think things through and question facts than is her husband. This is a moderately large role.
Ken Barchet: Philip’s best friend and another ninth grade student at Harrison High. He has a good sense of humor and a fairly good grip on reality. This is a nice, medium sized role.
Lisa Gibbons: another ninth grade student at Harrison High. This is a small role.
Jacob Benison: another teacher at Harrison High. This is a small role.
Todd Becker: another ninth grade student at Harrison High. This is a small role.
Janet Barsky: another ninth grade student at Harrison High. This is a small role.
Student #1: a small role with a few speaking lines in a couple of different scenes.
Student #2: a small role with a few speaking lines in a couple of different scenes.
Student #3: a small role with a few speaking lines in a couple of different scenes.
Dr. Joseph Palleni: the assistant principal of the school. He is the school disciplinarian. He believes in following rules. His goal is to run a respectful, fair school. He tries hard to develop rapport with students and to give them chances to make up for mistakes. This is a large role with a good deal of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Ted Griffen: the Malloy’s next door neighbor who is running for the school board. He is anxious to be elected to the school board and seizes Philip’s problem at school as a way to promote his campaign. This is a moderately large role.
Jennifer Stewart: a reporter for the Manchester Record newspaper. She is in charge of the ‘school beat’ section. She works hard to uncover Philip’s story and report on it. This is a smaller role.
Dr. Albert Seymour: (Can be played as a girl) the school superintendent. This is a no-nonsense administrator. His biggest goal is to keep the image of the school squeaky-clean, no matter what. He is trying to get a large school budget passed in the next election. Since bad publicity for the school may jeopardize the budget, he is willing to bend some facts and make some deals in order to try to get the school budget passed. This is a large role with a good deal of line memorization and rehearsal time.
Jake Barlow: a talk show host who specializes in making provocative remarks and stirring up his viewers. He calls himself ‘a loud mouth’. He is a very energetic character. He is extremely patriotic. This is a medium-sized role.
Mrs. Gloria Harland: chairperson of the school board. This is a small role.
Caller #1, Steve: a concerned citizen who calls into the Jake Barlow show to discuss the controversy. This is a small role limited to the call itself.
Caller #2, Liz: a concerned citizen who calls into the Jake Barlow show to discuss the controversy. This is a small role limited to the call itself.
Robert Duval: reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who calls Margaret Narwin for details of the controversy. This is a small role limited to the call itself.
Caller #3, Roger: a concerned citizen who calls into the Jake Barlow show to discuss the controversy. This is a small role limited to the call itself.
Cynthia Gambia: another ninth grader at Harrison High. This is a small role.
Jessica Wittington: a telegram-writer to Margaret Narwin. This is a small role that is limited to the telegram.
Hank Morgan: a telegram-writer to Philip Malloy. This is a small role that is limited to the telegram.
Charles Elderson: a telegram-writer to Principal Doane. This is a small role that is limited to the telegram.
Carlton Haven: a letter-writer to Margaret Narwin. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
David Maik: a letter-writer to Margaret Narwin. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
Laura Jacobs: a letter-writer to Margaret Narwin. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
Rolando Merchaud: a letter-writer to Philip Malloy. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
Ms. Harbor: a letter-writer to Philip Malloy. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
American Legionnaire: a letter-writer to Philip Malloy. This is a small role that is limited to the letter.
George Brookover: the principal of WashingtonAcademy, a private school. This is a very small role.
Miss Rooney: a teacher at WashingtonAcademy, a private school. This is a very small role.