Audtions for Red Hot Mamas
Studio at the Edward King House to Perform Comedy by Local Playwright
The Studio at the Edward King House today announced that the Fall production for 2017 will feature the comedy “Red Hot Mamas” written by local playwright David W. Christner and directed by Rob Reimer. Open auditions will be conducted on Monday, August 21st and Tuesday, August 22nd at 7pm at the Edward King House, 35 King Street in Newport. The play features 4 male characters and 3 female characters ranging in age from 40 to 60-something. Character descriptions and more information about the show can found at www.edwardkinghouse.org or by calling 401-846-7426 ext. 1. The show will run on November 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12th.
About the Play: The show centers around Abby Adams and Dan Casey, a couple of middle-aged empty nesters, looking forward to enjoying the first period of solitude they’ve had in years; however, their plans change abruptly when Abby invites her newly widowed mother-in-law, Sarah, to move in. Sarah immediately phones Claudia, Abby’s mother, to tell her the “wonderful” news. Playing her trump card of guilt, Claudia masterfully maneuvers herself in the household as well, and by week’s end both mothers-in-law have packed their belongings and are descending on their besieged offspring. Act I delights the audience with the difficulties that ensue once the widows stake claim in the children’s nest. After a rough beginning, the mothers-in-law bond in Act II and let their spirits soar, taking up drinking, smoking, ignoring curfews and flaunting “parental” control. But is it the mothers who are out of control?
The play initially received a workshop production at New Gate Theatre in Providence, RI as part of a new plays festival. It was subsequently produced in Canberra, Australia as part of a national “Year of the Older Person” celebration. Since then the play has had a number of sold out extended runs in theaters in the US, India, Canada and a protracted professional run at Detroit Repertory Theatre. Translations of the play are scheduled for production in Tula, Russia and Rovereto, Italy in 2016.
About the Author: The author, David W. Christner, was born in Sweetwater, TN and raised in a small farming community in southwestern Oklahoma. After a stint with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and Norfolk, VA, he settled permanently in South County, RI, just across the bay from Newport where he had attended Officer Candidate School. His stage plays The Wall, Bui-Doi: The Dust of Life, Thy Brother’s Wife, Red Hot Mamas, The Babe, The Bard and the Baron, The Bitch of Baily’s Beach, Ezra and Evil, What About Mimi?, and This Blood’s For You have been finalists or winners in national/international playwriting competitions. Speculations on the cosmos, sex, war, religion, injustice, environmental exploitation, aging, women’s issues, the homeless and capital punishment have formed the thematic content of the plays and novels he has written so far. In addition to the U.S., his plays have been produced in Australia, Japan, Belgium, India, Ghana, Singapore, Great Britain and Canada. His comedy Red Hot Mamas is currently running in Russian and Italy. Christner is theater critic for the Newport Mercury in Newport, RI.
