Saturday, February 21, 2026   2:00-3:30 pm (by appointment)

Please note: at this time we are only auditioning boys ages 9-12

Audition Information - Man or Mouse by Lawrence Thelen

All Auditions, rehearsals and performances: 4 Market Street, Collinsville, CT  06019 (Canton Town Hall Auditorium)

Directed by: Rosemarie Beskind

Produced b: Doreen Cohn

Questions:  info@fvstage.org

Checklist:

1. Complete audition information form

please print and note any potential conflicts on the conflict calendar

attach headshot/photo

2. sign up for an audition time slot

3. Prepare the attached monologue

4. Read the attached code of conduct.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Connecticut Premiere

Man or Mouse is a contemporary comedy set on the Fourth of July in a Long Island home. Charlie Bump is so disillusioned with modern-day America (with its mass shootings, corporate greed, conspiracy theories, and governmental dysfunction) that he decides to leave the only home he’s ever known and emigrate to another country in hopes of finding a better future for himself and his son. When he finally announces his planned move, his family and girlfriend spend the day trying—desperately and hilariously—to change his mind. The play balances sharp comedy with emotional depth, exploring family, patriotism, grief, and what it means to belong.

LAWRENCE THELEN (playwright). Thelen's  latest comedy Man or Mouse won the Arts Fort Worth New Works Festival and premiered there in March, 2025. Other works include the comedies Higgins in Harlem (which premiered at Playhouse on Park), and Eating Rhode Island (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), both of which are published by Dramatic; the musical Star of Freedom (Ivoryton Playhouse); the Noël Coward musical comedy Mad Dogs and Englishmen; and the WWI Christmas Day Truce musical Khaki Chums. His one-man comic play Ichabod Crane Tells All is featured in the anthologies Best American Short Plays, 2011-2012 and Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays (both published by Applause). His comic opera Pyramus and Thisbe premiered in New York at the 92ND Street Y, and his musical The Third Wave premiered at the Columbia Entertainment Company where it received the Jackie White Memorial Playwriting Award. In addition to numerous articles on the musical theatre, he’s the author of the book The Show Makers: Great Directors of the American Musical Theatre (published by Routledge). He is the former Literary Manager and Producing Associate for Goodspeed Musicals and was most recently the Playwright-in-Residence at the Ivoryton Playhouse.

ROLES

The cast includes 7 roles (4 men, 2 women, 1 boy)

CHARLIE BUMP (40s)
Male. The protagonist. A widowed doctor and devoted single father who is deeply disillusioned with modern America and determined to emigrate for his son’s future. Intelligent, articulate, stubborn, and emotionally guarded. Strong comedic timing required, with the ability to deliver extended dramatic monologues. Lead role.

JIMMY (10)

Male. Charlie’s son. Sensitive, perceptive, and quietly afraid of change. Requires a natural, authentic child actor with strong listening skills.

DEWEY (late 60s–70s)
Male. Charlie’s father. A blunt, patriotic veteran who believes fiercely in the American Dream. Combative, funny, and emotionally raw beneath the surface. Requires commanding presence and strong verbal delivery. Supporting lead.

MIDGE (late 60s–70s)
Female. Charlie’s mother. Talkative, guilt-wielding, loving, and terrified of abandonment. Broad comedy with genuine emotional stakes. Excellent timing and warmth essential. Supporting lead.

RUSSELL (mid-30s–40s)

Male. Charlie’s younger brother. Socially inappropriate, opportunistic, and shamelessly self-interested, but not unintelligent. Provides much of the physical and situational comedy. Must be comfortable playing messy behavior without losing likability. Supporting.

LINDSEY (40s)
Female. Charlie’s girlfriend. Grounded, pragmatic, and emotionally honest. A divorced mother who wants stability rather than escape. Dry humor and strong emotional truth required. Supporting.

BURT KURKLE (40s–60s)
Male. A homeless veteran hired to help move furniture. Calm, observant, and quietly wise.  Requires restraint, subtlety, and depth. Supporting

AUDITION MONOLOGUE (can be read or memorized)

REHEARSALS

Rehearsals begin Sunday, March 22, 2026

Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 7-9:30

Note: the role of JImmy does not require coming to all rehearsals. When scheduled we will keep the rehearsal times to 7:00-8:00 (except during Tech week below and our first rehearsal on Sunday March 22nd 7:00)

 rehearsal schedule/conflict calendar is attached here.

​Mandatory Tech Week: May 13-15, 2026

Mandatory Pick up: Thursday, May 21, 2026 7-9:30

PERFORMANCE DATES

May16, 22, 23, 2026 at 7:30 pm

May 17, 24, 2026 at 2:30 pm  (talk back with playwright may be included following one or both of these performances)