Performance Dates: May 16-18 and 23-25
Synopsis: Follow half-orphan Pip Bin’s remarkable adventures with sisters Pippa and Poppy and best friend Harry Biscuit, as they attempt to escape the scheming clutches of Mr. Gently Benevolent and defeat the irrepressible Hardthrasher siblings. Can they avert disaster at every turn? Will evil be vanquished by virtue? Can love triumph over hate? Bleak Expectations is a hilarious, chaotic caper, featuring dastardly villains, preposterous names, pulse-quickening romances, heart-rending death scenes, and, of course, a happy ending.
Audition Date: February 26th and 27th
Audition Location: Tremper Studio Theatre (Room 120); Enter Tremper through Door 27 which
is closest to 30th Avenue and 85th Street. Park in the west parking lot, on the north end
(closest to 85th)
Audition Times: 5:50-8:00
Audition Sign Up: 10 minute time slots will be posted outside of the Tremper Studio Theatre;
students who are unable to get to Tremper before the audition day are welcome to
audition without signing up, and will be able to perform at the closest available time
Audition Details: Auditioners will be asked to do two possible tasks during the audition
- Side Reading – Students are asked to perform one reading from the provided stories. These do not need to be fully memorized, but the performer should be quite familiar with them.
- Jokes – Students are asked to prepare two jokes to tell
Characters*:
Sir Philip Bin – A celebrated author and the narrator
Thomas Bin – Father of the Bin family; a clumsy man who is treasured dearly by his family
Agnes Bin – Mother of the Bin family; fiercely devoted to her husband
Pip Bin – Young man and the hero of the story – he fights to protect those he loves and discovers himself along the way
Pippa Bin – Pip’s sister who is determined to fight the typical female archetype
Poppy Bin – Pip and Pippa’s younger sister who gets caught in Benevolent’s scheming.
Gently Benevolent – Pip’s guardian and his personal nemesis
Skinflint Parsimonious – An extremely generous and giving soul who is Thomas Bin’s friend and business advisor
Harry Biscuit – Pip’s best friend, and, later, brother-in-law; a cheerful, hopeful sort who is not afraid to show his emotions
Bakewell Havertwitch – A prisoner who Pip saves – he later returns the favor
Headmaster Wackwell Hardthrasher/Reverend Praygood Hardthrasher/Miss Chastity Hardthrasher/Jude Solomon Hardthrasher – Evil family members who are accomplices of the evil Mr. Benevolent. Usually get bumped off in a gruesome way
*There are several other smaller roles throughout the script. Additionally, several roles may be played by the same actor, known as “doubling” depending on audition results.
Rehearsal Information: Rehearsals will officially begin in March. Rehearsals will typically occur after school from 5:30 until 8:00. Rehearsals are currently planned to occur on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. A complete rehearsal calendar will be shared through KUSD Google Drive once the cast list is posted. Cast members are not permitted to miss more than three rehearsals, unless absences were already scheduled, so please list all conflicts on your audition form. No absences will be allowed during tech rehearsals.