New auditions announced for VTG's “Superior Donuts”

“Pulitzer prize winning playwright Tracy Letts set ‘Superior Donuts' in the Uptown area of Chicago, and that has led to casting challenges for a community theatre in the western suburbs,” confided VTG director Judy DiVita, as she searches for the right ethnic mix.

Added auditions are set for 2 p.m. Sunday, January 5, at Panera Bread, 25 Rice Lake Square, Wheaton, IL 60187, located on Butterfield Rd. just east of Naperville Rd. “We will be looking for 7 men, ages 21-59, and 2 women, one in her 40s and the other 60-80,” DiVita said.

The play will be staged at the Village Theatre Guild in Glen Ellyn on weekends from March 21 through April 12, with rehearsals beginning in mid-January. This is a non-equity, non-paid production, open to anyone with a desire to have fun putting on good plays.

A character breakdown and dialogues to be used in auditions are posted at http://www.villagetheatreguild.org/auditions/auditiondetail.asp?prodno=51.3

In the story, Arthur, a holdover from the 1960s, operates a rundown donut shop in the city. Franco, a young, African-American assistant, is writing his own great American novel. Despite a contentious relationship, they build an unlikely friendship. The young Franco is eager to add healthy foods, music and a trendier atmosphere to the shop. Arthur wants to keep everything as is. At times in the play, Arthur reminisces in humorous and poignant ways about his city, his family and his past.

“Superior Donuts” debuted at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago before opening on Broadway in 2009 to much acclaim.