Play name
Admissions
By Joshua Harmon
Director
Julie Binysh
juliebinysh@bromleylittletheatre.org
Playing dates
Wednesday 21st – Sunday 25th April, including matinee on Saturday 24th April
Get-in and Strike
Get-in Sunday 18th April; Strike Monday 26th April
Venue
In the Bar
Audition
Sunday, 8th November at 4.00 pm
About the play
Sherri Rosen-Mason is head of the admissions department at a New England prep school, fighting to diversify the student body. Alongside her husband, the school’s headmaster, they’ve largely succeeded in bringing a stodgy institution into the twenty-first century. But when their only son sets his sights on an Ivy League university, personal ambition collides with progressive values, with convulsive results… a no-holds barred look at privilege, power and the perils of hypocrisy.
The play was written in 2019, at a time when wealthy Americans were accused of buying places for their kids at elite universities.
The New York Times described the play as ‘Astonishing and daring. An extraordinarily useful and excruciating satire – of the left, by the left, for the left – for today.’
Characters
SHERRI-ROSEN-MASON – Large role – early 50s, very liberal secular Jewish woman and Head of Admissions for Hillcrest
BILL MASON – Large role early 50s, very liberal WASP, Sherri’s husband, Head of the School at Hillcrest
CHARLIE LUTHER MASON – Large role 17, Bill and Sherri’s son, a senior at Hillcrest
GINNIE PETERS – Medium role – 50s, very liberal WASP, stay-at-home Mom; good friend to Sherri and her son Perry is Charlie’s best friend. Ginnie’s husband Bill is black.
ROBERTA – Medium role – 60s to 70s, white, works in development at Hillcrest
All characters need really good General American accents. Joshua Harmon loves a monologue, so good line learning essential
We plan to start rehearsing in late January.
Audition pieces
Sherri and Roberta
Top of p. 10
From Sherri “Let Me Finish” to top of p. 12 Roberta “I just don’t understand that”
Sherri and Ginnie
Top of p. 46, from Ginnie “You don’t know what Perry checked” to p. 47 Ginnie “That’s what we’re trying to work out in my house. Excuse me”
Bill and Charlie
Top of p. 28 from Charlie “Why are we all pretending Olive…” to p. 29 Charlie “No, that’s a fact”
Charlie
p. 30 from “I am drowning over here, OK?” to “YOU’RE WHITE JOANNA. So what are you talking about?”
Bill
p. 33 from Bill, “If you could see what I see…” to “He’s going to have to settle for duck confit”
Sherri and Charlie
p. 58 Charlie “Mom! WE BREAK OUT WINE” … to p. 59 Sherri “Some of my best friends are white men”