11/26/2025
Some stories can only be told from beneath the surface.
REMINDER: Join us for auditions for Main Street Productions’ spring thriller, THE DROWNING GIRLS. Directed by Molly Bellner.
Audition for THE DROWNING GIRLS this January at MSP!
📅 January 4 & 5 | 7-9PM
📍 Basile Westfield Playhouse (220 N. Union St., Westfield)
Enter through the right-side doors at the front of the building. Auditions will be held upstairs.
🫧 WHAT TO EXPECT
Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Please bring a theatrical résumé and list of all conflicts from January 8 - March 29.
NOTE: Those cast must be comfortable getting wet on stage - head to toe, but clothed. Actors will be required to be barefoot, submerged in a few inches of water, have water poured over their heads, move in and out of clawfoot bathtubs, and move quickly around a wet stage, all while wearing Victorian wedding gowns. This is a physically demanding show.
REHEARSALS
Primarily Saturdays (4-hour daytime blocks), and 1–2 weekday evenings. Due to the nature of the play, all actors will be called to most rehearsals.
Questions? Contact director Molly Bellner at [email protected] prior to auditions.
💦 SHOW SYNOPSIS
THE DROWNING GIRLS recounts the story of Bessie, Alice, and Margaret, three of the many wives of George Joseph Smith, an Edwardian opportunist who made a living marrying women, taking out life insurance policies for them and subsequently drowning them in their baths. Three ghostly brides surface from bathtubs to gather evidence against their womanizing, murderous, husband by reliving the shocking events leading up to their deaths. As they make their case, they discover how they have been victimized not only by George Joseph Smith, but also by society at large. Full of rich images, a myriad of characters, a quirky sense of humor, and lyrical language, THE DROWNING GIRLS is both breathtaking fantasia and social critique.
ROLES TO BE CAST
All roles are open. Ages listed are character ages, but actors in a broad age range should feel comfortable auditioning.
The 3 main characters are women, but actors of any female-presenting gender are welcome to audition.
Dialect Note: Bessie, Alice, and Margaret will use neutral (Generican) dialects. Other characters will use various British dialects.
BESSIE – 33, any race or ethnicity
(also plays: George, Caroline, John, Dr. Billings, Mrs. Rapley, Amelia, Marks, Sgt. Page)
ALICE – 26, any race or ethnicity
(also plays: John, George, Henry, Mrs. Tuckett, Mrs. Crossley, Jane, Inspector Neil, Mr. Bodkin)
MARGARET – 38, any race or ethnicity
(also plays: Henry, The Conductor, Alice’s Mother, Mrs. Blatch, Sgt. Reid, Knowles, Miss Brighton)
