Adults may audition for a production of Brian Friel's “Dancing at Lughnasa” on Tuesday, Nov. 28 in the Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy from 5 to 7:30 p.m. This winner of the 1991 Tony Award for Best Play is set in Ballybeg, a fictional town in County Donegal, Ireland, during the late summer of 1936. The play focuses on the five Mundy sisters, who live with a seven-year-old boy, Michael, the son of one of the sisters. Michael narrates the memory, as an adult. The sister's older brother Jack, a recently  repatriated African missionary failing in mind and body, complicates the daily lives of the sisters, as does Gerry, the young boy's father who makes a brief visit, stirring the family dynamics.

The play is considered Friel's most famous and often compared to the work of Anton Chekov. Five women and three men make up the cast. Actors will be reading from the script at the audition. Performances for “Dancing at Lughnasa” are scheduled for the end of June, 2024. To arrange a time to audition or discuss the process, contact Artistic Director Griff Braley at braley@lincolnacademy.org 

For young actors, Heartwood will audition 5th through 8th grade students for “The Jungle Book.” Students will perform daytime school shows for surrounding schools and evening performances for the public Jan. 25-27. Directors Griff Braley and Heidi Kopishke will audition students on Tuesday, Dec. 5, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy at 81 Academy Hill Road in Newcastle.  

A final rehearsal schedule, scripts and details will be available at the auditions. Rehearsals begin Jan. 3, with students memorized and ready to stage the play.  “The Jungle Book” features a wide array of familiar roles found in Rudyard Kipling's 1894 collection of stories. Students will focus their work on mask and movement, to create the jungle creatures. The play provides opportunities for music by students, along with a wide range of creative acting roles.  More detailed information can be found at www.heartwoodtheater.org (Education Tab). Parents may contact Artistic Director Griff Braley for more information at braley@lincolnacademy.org.