SEQUIM — Auditions for “The Nerd,” a show to run June 2-18, will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and at 11 a.m. Saturday at Olympic Theatre Arts.
Auditions at the theater at 414 N. Sequim Ave., will be cold readings of selected scenes from the script, with sides provided.
Most of the characters require either quick-paced movement or intensity during the show, and actors will be required to display that during auditions.
Rehearsals will follow a Monday, Wednesday, Friday pattern up until a week or two before preview night, generally from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Not all characters will be called every night.
The show, written by Larry Shue and directed by Ron Graham, tells of an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Ind., Willum Cubbert, who has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI who he has never met but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam.
He has written to Rick to say that, as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you” — so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his 34th birthday party.
But his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless “nerd” — a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. And Rick stays on and on, his continued presence among Willum and his friends leads to one uproarious incident after another.
Lead characters are:
• Willum Cubbert: Late 20s to early 40s. Willum is an architect who is dissatisfied with much of the work he is currently getting and longs to work on something that feeds his artistic soul. The house is his and he rents rooms to his good friends, Tansy and Axel. He is romantically attracted to Tansy. The ability to do pig impressions is a plus.
• Tansy McGinnis: Late 20s to early 40s. She is a meteorologist about to take a television weather job in Washington, D.C. She is romantically attracted to Willum, but doesn’t want to miss her big chance and resent Willum for it later if she stays in Terra Haute just for him.
• Axel Hammond: Late 20s to early 40s. The third roommate, Axel is a theater critic, and a very good friend of both Willum and Tansy. However, he has never done an anonymous favor for anyone because, well, what would be in it for him? He is seldom serious, often sarcastic, always funny.
• Rick Steadman: Late 20s to early 40s. A bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact… but his lack of social skills is sincere and he means well. The role requires a good deal of physical energy and intensity at times, as well as the ability to speak with different dialects or to modulate his voice to sound like different people at times.
The three friends know each other well, can finish each other’s sentences, and their dialog is quick, witty and frequently sarcastic. They, along with Rick, will engage in some very energetic movement at times during the show.
Supporting roles are the Waldgraves, who are featured as a family in Act I. Only Warnock Walgrave appears again, and that is in Act II, Scene 2.
• Warnock Waldgrave: 40s to 50. Willum’s client. A serious businessman, with little to no sense of humor or artistic sense. Dead pan most of the time and smiles very little.
• Clelia Waldgrave: A little younger than Warnock, she teaches “slow learners.” She generally speaks slowly and deliberately as if teaching her students and is wound pretty tight.
• Thor Waldgrave: Around 10. A brat. This actor should have a good scream without straining his voice, and capable of a good amount of running around.
