Auditions

To submit a listing, fax to (847) 608-0849 or e-mail foxvalley@dailyherald.com.

To take the first leap onto the road to stardom, the Fox Valley can be a great place to step off. The following auditions have been set.

"Lost In Yonkers:" The Elgin Theatre Company is set to hold auditions for "Lost In Yonkers" as the first production of our 57th season.

Auditions will be held on from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 7 and 8, at First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave., Elgin. The church is on Highland (one way westbound), one block north of Route 19, 8-1/2 blocks west of Route 25 and two blocks east of the Fox River. Free parking is available in the lighted parking deck across from the church entrance.

Being cast are:

• Arthur (Artie) Kurnitz: age 13-1/2 - Loves his brother Jay very much and looks up to him; a quick witted and sensitive boy, a bit gullible.

* Jay Kurnitz: age 15, almost 16 - "15 going on 30", sarcastic, funny, well developed sense of humor that he often uses to cover confusion or pain, very quick witted bordering on cynicism.

• Eddie Kurnitz: early 40s. A sad man, but not a broken one, grieving the loss of his wife and the impending need to leave his children with his mother.

• Bella Kurnitz: 30s. Attractive woman with the mind of a child and the dreams of a woman with childlike sensibilities who sees a world where life and love are joyful experiences. She is as warm and congenial as she is emotionally arrested.

• Uncle Louie: mid 30s. A "mob henchman" who speaks in a tough, fast style, that reflects his gangster status and knowledge of street life. Despite his hard surface, a softer soul exists underneath.

• Aunt Gert: mid to late 30s. She has developed a breathing problem that causes her to start each sentence breathing out and to end the sentence sucking in - a problem that becomes even more pronounced when she is visiting her mother. She loves her family very much.

• Grandma Kurnitz: 70-plus. Either a big woman or simply one who conveys it, with a strong and erect body. Judgmental, authoritarian, disciplined, rigid, seemingly hard and completely uncaring, because she has experienced so much pain she has emotionally cut herself off from her family and the world around her.

All ages are stage ages, actual ages can vary.

Set during World War II, "Lost in Yonkers" tells the story of two brothers who are sent to live with their domineering grandmother after their mother's death. Strong as steel and twice as cold, Grandma Kurnitz rules her roost with an iron fist. And caught in her grasp is the boys' lovely Aunt Bella, who has the mind of a child and the dreams of a woman. But when Uncle Louie, a small-time gangster with plenty of "moxie" arrives, everyone gets a surprising second chance at happiness. This remarkable group of characters makes "Lost in Yonkers" a magical, must-see voyage of discovery.

The director for ETC's production of "Lost in Yonkers" will be Ken Walker.

"Lost in Yonkers" will be presented at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Nov. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. at Theatre 355, 355 E. Chicago St., Elgin.

Call Herb at (847) 695-1316 or e-mail hgross@pobox.com if you wish to audition but can't make these dates. Check out Web page, http://www. elgin-theatre.org, for more details.

Albright Theatre Company: The Albright Theatre Company will hold auditions for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16-17 at the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave., Batavia. Auditions will be for six male and six female rolls, age teens to 40s. It will consist of cold readings from the script. Show dates are Oct. 17-18 and 24-25. For details, call (630) 406-8838.