IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Audition Dates: March 8, 9 and 10 from 7 - 9 p.m.
Tech Week: May 17 - 20
Performances: May 22, 23, 24, 29, and 30

Director: Novis Fuller
Stage Manager: Sara Harrington
Producers: Emily Harrington and Autumn Rae

SHOW SYNOPSIS

Dr. Lynn Cummings, an astrophysicist, tries to bring science and faith into balance while grappling with personal questions, reconnecting with her daughter, and mourning the loss of her husband. When an unidentified object is discovered heading toward Earth, a less-than-reputable online magazine misquotes her, casting doubt on her credibility. The two-time Nobel Prize nominee and the ambitious journalist monitor the mysterious object. Dr. Cummings hopes to witness nothing remarkable and thus save her reputation, but there is no telling what she will discover beyond the stars.

SIDES

For audition sides, click here.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

DR. LYNN CUMMINGS (female presenting, late 50s - 60s) - An astrophysicist, professor. She is very intelligent, somewhat sardonic, a believer in facts. She can be terse and dismissive. She was widowed two years ago and is still in mourning. She has a daughter, Olive. Dr. Cummings receives a diagnosis of early-onset dementia but shows only slight signs of it during the play.

OLIVE CUMMINGS (female presenting, late 20s - 30s) - Dr. Cummings’s daughter. Smart, self-possessed, caring. A positive, attractive person, she believes in more than she can see or, unlike her mother, is at least open to the possibility. She is a doctoral candidate in English literature. Also a bit terse at times. They clash over this and other things. Still, she loves her mother very much. She and Jason are a possible fit.

JASON HARPER (male presenting, 30s) - A journalist, he is “floating through life” somewhat. He works for an online magazine he doesn’t respect, has recently broken up with a girlfriend, and isn’t sure what he believes about the greater questions. He does want there to be more than this. He wants there to be order and meaning. Ethical, intelligent, searching.

TOM CUMMINGS (male presenting, 60s) - Dr. Cummings’s husband who died two years earlier. Kind, matter-of-fact, an “average Joe” who loved and supported his wife and daughter unconditionall; offstage voice / recorded voice.

MESSENGER (any gender, any age) - May be an alien, may not be an alien. May be real, may not be real. VERY high energy but controlled. Unpredictable. Kind but with a fundamental lack of understanding of “normal” human interaction. Sometimes “channels” a rapid series of humans with distinct personalities.

HALEY (any gender, age flexible) - A teaching assistant who works for Dr. Cummings. Believes they are the obvious choice to succeed Dr. Cummings. A bit superior and distracted.

DOCTOR CASEY (any gender, age flexible) - The specialist who Dr. Cummings sees. Good bedside manner but entirely unfamiliar with Dr. Cummings as a person.

TAYLOR (any gender, age flexible) - Jason’s boss at the online magazine. A bit of the class clown . Privileged enough to not take much seriously that does not personally affect them.

CHANCELLOR CAREY (any gender, age flexible) - Head of the university. A friend to Dr. Cummings, but also her boss. Stressed and harried by work, and deeply concerned about Dr. Cummings’s welfare.