Audition Information
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Auditions for 4 shows will be held
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Concordia Lutheran Church
2300 E. Wilshire Road
Springfield, IL 62703
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Doors open at 8:30
Auditions at 9, 10 & 11 a.m.
Directed by Kim Shafer
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Note: Age/age ranges are for the character, not the actor. I'm looking for people who can play the character believably, regardless of their own age.
Adults in the family speak with an accent from the Old Country (Norway), so either be prepared to use one, open to trying one if prompted, and aware that - if cast - it'll be a part of your character by opening night. If it doesn't come naturally, we’ll get you there!
Characters
​Katrin Hanson: narrator, aspiring author; appears as both a teen and a young woman (mid teens/early-mid 20s)
Mama, Marta Hanson: the heart of the Hanson family; practical but kind (40+)
Papa, Lars Hanson: blue collar worker; reverent and principled but loving (40+)
Dagmar Hanson: the youngest Hanson; spirited and nurturing; loves animals (grade school age)
Christine Hanson: the middle Hanson daughter; straightforward and somewhat cynical, but loving and protective (mid teens)
Mr. Hyde: a boarder at the Hanson house; a bit of a mystery to the family, he entertains the family with classic stories (40+)
Nels Hanson: the eldest Hanson child; aspiring scholar and doctor; thoughtful and reliable (late teens)
Aunt Trina Halvorsen: Mama’s mousy sister; nervous, flighty, wants to get married (although she's an ‘old maid’) (40+)
Aunt Sigrid Solfeldt: Mama’s whiney sister; Arne’s mother; overly concerned with her inheritance (50+)
Aunt Jenny Stenborg: Mama’s bossy sister; she believes she can get anywhere or do anything if she is loud enough; not a fan of Uncle Chris (50+)
Uncle Chris Halvorsen: Mama’s uncle; loud and brash; walks with a limp and drinks to ease his pain; heart of gold (60+)
Jessie Brown: Uncle Chris's “housekeeper” and companion; quiet, loyal, personable when given a chance (40+)
Dr. Johnson: pays a house call for one of the children; professional, not prone to small talk; capable (30+)
Mr. Peter Thorkelson: Aunt Trina’s betrothed; likewise sheepish and nervous, he must find his voice to win her hand (40+)
Arne Solfeldt: Mama’s nephew; kind and energetic, but limited by childhood illness; idolizes Uncle Chris (grade school age)
Soda Clerk / Bell Boy: server at soda shop; later, works in lobby of hotel (mid teens +)
Madeline / A Nurse: school friend of Katrin; desk nurse at hospital (mid teens +)
Dorothy Schiller / Nurse: school friend of Katrin; desk nurse at hospital (mid teens +)
Florence Dana Moorehead: a famous writer visiting San Francisco; a grand dame type, she has a fondness for gastronomy (40+)
Pollyanna Staff
Director: Lora Beavers
Asst. Director: Tina Ludwig
Stage Manager: Lynette Riggs
Costumer: Stacy McIntyre
Makeup: Sarah Wagner
Hair: Carol Wagner
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Characters
Pollyanna: Female - needs to appear 10 years old; very optimistic (252 lines)
Miss Polly Harrington: Female - 30 to 50 years; very stern and set in her ways (146 lines)
Nancy: Female - teen to 30 years; befriends Pollyanna (80 lines)
Mr. Pendleton: Male - 30-50 years; bit of a hermit/alone (78 lines)
Dr. Chilton (43 lines) and Conductor (1 line): Male - 20+ years
Pastor: Male - 20+ years; fire and brim stone pastor ( 40 lines)
Jimmy Bean: Male - needs to appear 10 years old; orphan who is also the narrator (25 lines- several are paragraphs)
Mrs. Snow: Female - 60+ years; sickly and pessimistic lady (21 lines)
Loretta (6 lines) and Mrs. McCleary (4 lines): Female - age open; townswomen
Mrs. Benton (5 lines) and Monique (4 lines): Female - age open; townswomen
Old Tom: Male - 40+ years; handyman for Miss Harrington ( 9 lines)
Dr. Mead (5 lines) and Jack Payson ( 4 lines) and Winkle and Gilbert (no lines): Male - age open
Millie Snow: Female - 30-50 years; daughter of Mrs. Snow ( 7 lines)
Mrs. Payson: Female - age open; townslady, mother and wife (5 lines; one is a monologue)
Mrs. Durgen: Female - 50+ years; cook for Miss Harrington; worked with her for years
Joey: Male - age open; child of the Paysons (3 lines)
Emily: Female - age open; child of the Paysons (2 lines)
Staff
Director and Choreographer
Derry D. Dalby
Assistant Director
Katie Spoon
Musical Director
Theresa O'Hare
Show email
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​NOTE: Despite their colorful eccentricities and regional turns of phrase, the characters in our story are inspired by very real people. They should not be played broadly, or with an implied "wink." Rather, they should be acted with integrity, with full regard for their ardent hopes, heart-breaking foibles and core decency.
Cast List
The Contestants:
JD DREW: Male, 60 (Range: Baritone, G2-D4) A “good old boy” with pomaded gray hair and a high wattage grin.
KELLI MANGRUM: Female, 22 (Range: Mezzo-Soprano, A3-E5) A pretty brunette with steel ambition.
BENNY PERKINS: Male, Mid 40’s (Range: Tenor, C#3-G#4) Lanky frame, weatherbeaten face, ingratiating grin and lots of homespun philosophy.
GREG WILHOTE: Male, Early 20’s (Range: Tenor, D3-B4) A freckled white kid in a baseball cap.
JESUS PENA: Male, 20’s (Range: Tenor, E3-B4) A driven Mexican kid.
CHRIS ALVARO: Male, 20’s (Range: Tenor, Ab2-Ab4) Well-built under his hoodie, a pair of aviator glasses conceal his eyes. RONALD MCCOWAN: Male, 35 (Range: Tenor, F3-B4) A good-natured African-American with a slight Louisiana accent.
HEATHER STOVALL: Female, 29 (Range: Mezzo-Soprano, A3-D#5) A flirtatious blonde restaurant hostess.
NORMA VALVERDE: Female, 35-45 (Range: Low Mezzo, D3-G5) A stout Latina woman in tennis shoes and a floral applique t-shirt. JANIS CURTIS: Female, Mid 60’s (Range: Low Mezzo, D3-Bb4) A tough old bird with sun-burnished skin and missing teeth.
Floyd King Nissan Staff/Other Parts:
MIKE FERRIS: Male, Late 30’s (Range: Tenor, Eb3-Bb4) Boyishly handsome, wears a cheap tie with a Nascar clip.
CINDY BARNES: Female, 34-50 (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible) Former Miss Gregg County, still fond of pageant hair and pastels.
FRANK NUGENT: Male, Mid 50’s (Range: Bari-Tenor, Eb3-Gb4) Disc Jockey, a diehard good ole boy dressed in a Stetson.
DON CURTIS: Male, Mid 60’s (Range: Baritone, A2-Bb3) Wears a cardboard sign on his head that proclaims “I LOVE YOU JANIS, GO BABY GO!"
VIRGINIA DREW: Female, Mid 50’s (Range: Mezzo-Soprano, G3-C5) A one-time beauty settling into middle-age.
DOCTOR STOKES: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible) A professor from LeTourneau University. (Usually doubled with Don)
Directed by Mark Buckholz
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CAST: With doubling, 6 men and 2 women; without doubling, 15 men, 6 women. Doubling will depend on available actors after auditions.
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Rumble Fish is a kind of Morality Play, in that its characters and actions personify behavioral qualities (such as empathy or responsibility) and abstractions (such as idealism or tranquility) to teach moral lessons.
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Characters
RUSTY-JAMES: Appears late teens—the play's main character--a bad boy and juvenile delinquent (but wounded physically and emotionally). He drinks, smokes, fights and gambles, all of which can be considered normal in his Tulsa neighborhood. He believes he and his older brother, Motorcycle Boy, look alike (something with which no one else who knows them both would agree). Finally, Rusty-James appears to suffer from a kind of PTSD and has difficulty recognizing his friends.
MOTORCYLE BOY: Appears twenties—Rusty-James's charismatic, well-regarded older brother, a sometime wanderer, obsessed with motorcycles, and away from Tulsa for long periods of time. On a trip to California, Motorcycle Boy locates the mother who abandoned the brothers when they were younger; after which he decides to return to Tulsa. Rusty-James believes that strangers "look at the Motorcycle Boy, stop, and then look again." Near the play's end, the brothers break into a pet store to visit the Betta fish, the "Rumble Fish" of the title. Motorcycle Boy's given legal name is never mentioned.
STEVE HAYS: Appears older teen (draft age)—Rusty-James's best friend. Steve looks younger than Rusty-James, but both are considered to be similar in age. Steve's family is intact, unlike that of Rusty-James. Steve doesn't smoke, drink or fight. His future will be different from the brothers’.
PATTY: Appears late teens—Rusty-James's girlfriend--They're going steady. Patty breaks up with Rusty-James when she learns he was with another girl at a party. She and Rusty-James's acquaintance, Smokey Bennet, later date and become a couple. Smokey admits that he made sure Patty found out about Rusty-James and the girl at the party. (The actor cast as PATTY may also double as GIRL.)
CASSANDRA: Appears twenties—a young high school teacher, who experiments with drugs, and has a long-standing crush on the Motorcycle Boy. She was born and raised in Tulsa. (Actor cast as CASSANDRA may also double as MOM, ANITA, and WOMAN.)
SMOKEY BENNET: Appears older teen—Rusty-James's acquaintance and rival for PATTY's affections. SMOKEY becomes PATTY's steady boyfriend after she breaks up with RUSTY-JAMES. (Actor cast as SMOKEY BENNET may also double as MUGGER 2.)
BIFF WILCOX: Appears older teen, twenties—Rusty-James's rival, introduced early in the play when Rusty is told that Wilcox "wants to kill him." Rusty-James and Wilcox have a knife-fight in which Rusty is distracted by the return to Tulsa of his brother, Motorcycle Boy. When Rusty-James hails his brother, Wilcox wounds Rusty, leaving a long gash on his side. Rusty-James is later suspended from school and then relegated to Wilcox's school. (Actor cast as BIFF WILCOX may also double as BJ JACKSON and MUGGER 1.)
DAD: Appears forties—Rusty-James's and Motorcycle Boy's father. He's an alcoholic, but educated man and former practicing attorney. Although he lives with his sons, he's an absent parent in both his habits and emotional distance. This distance is particularly destructive to Rusty-James. Rusty-James learns from his brother that, when their family dissolved, their mother took Motorcycle Boy with her, but left Rusty-James with his father. When that took place, Dad went on a three-day drunk leaving toddler Rusty-James to fend for himself. (Actor cast as DAD may also double as BENNY, COACH, HARRIGAN, and PATTERSON.)