Character Breakdown PDF

We encourage actors of all genders, ethnicities, bodies, abilities, skill levels, etc. to audition and to be considered for any of the roles.

Character Breakdown

CAST SIZE: 18 -20

Alice Murphy – plays both 16-17 and 36-37. Alice at age 36-37 is an editor of a southern literary magazine; intelligent, attractive, professional – but with an air of melancholy. Young Alice at age 16-17 is rebellious, high-spirited, adventurous – looking to break out of small-town life and experience the world. She must be a very strong singer and comfortable in folk and bluegrass styles. Shares an intimacy scene and onstage kiss with Jimmy.

Billy Cane – a young soldier returning home from WWII; an aspiring young writer; fresh, open, optimistic, charming, and a little naïve. Shares an intimacy scene and onstage kiss with Lucy.

Daddy Cane – Billy’s father. A widower. Spry, good looking. Kindhearted, if a bit lonely.

Margo Crawford – a small-town bookstore owner; a childhood friend of Billy’s who now harbors romantic feelings towards him; a natural beauty with a keen intellect.

Max – a customer at Margo’s bookstore, at first, he has a crush on Margo, but later becomes Edna’s beau.

Florence – an employee at Margo’s bookstore and a childhood friend of both Billy and Margo. Edna – an employee at Margo’s bookstore.

Daryl Ames – An assistant at a literary magazine. Funny, with a dry and officious sense of humor. Insecure, and perhaps a bit socially awkward, but endearing and innately likeable.

Lucy Grant – A junior editor at a literary magazine. An ambitious, professional young “modern” career woman of the 1940’s. Strong, forthright and provocative with a sharp sense of humor. Shares and Intimacy scene and onstage kiss with Billy.

Mama Murphy – Alice’s mother. A caretaker to her family and her rural community. A warm, loving, sensible woman. Hardworking, with great inner strength and compassion.

Daddy Murphy – Alice’s father; an authoritative and a stern disciplinarian; devoutly religious, hard-working, a poor but proud farmer.

Mayor Josiah Dobbs – the Mayor of Zebulon; a political and financial powerbroker – distinguished, an imposing and controlling presence; has a genuine interest in protecting his son’s future and his family name, but in doing so, is ultimately pushed to a point of extreme and irrevocable cruelty.

Jimmy Ray Dobbs – plays both age 18-20 and 38-40. Jimmy Ray in his early 20s in flashbacks is Mayor Dobbs’ son and young Alice’s beau; handsome, boyishly charming, well-built and intelligent; from a family of wealth and power and is being groomed by his father for a similar future in the family business; an independent thinker who is not afraid to stand up to his father for what he believes in; he has a sense of personal responsibility and morality as well as a deep reserve of passion and emotion. The same actor will also play an adult Jimmy Ray at age 38-40. Shares an intimacy scene and onstage kiss with Alice.

Stanford – Loyal assistant to Mayor Josiah Dobbs

Dr. Norquist – The local family doctor in Zebulon

Government Clerk – A clerk at the Office of Records in Raleigh

Well-Dressed Woman – A woman (38-40) living in Raleigh.

BrighT Star Rehearsal Calendar PDF

View the content guide below.

Bright Star Preview Guide

The Summer Independent program is a professionally mentored program unique to Village Theatre. It the pinnacle experience for students who come with a background in live theatre, and it provides autonomy, resources, and mentorship to select, mount, and produce their own full-scale show from start to finish. Students take on every aspect of production, from performing, directing, and stage management, to designing and building sets, creating costumes, running sound and lights, marketing, production management, and more. Village Theatre’s entire professional staff—from the shops to the marketing office to the stage managers and beyond—are involved in mentoring the artistic team, all of whom are considered professional interns. The Summer Independent program is an entry point to professional theatre for the entire production team and Summer Independent performers are challenged with the goal of reaching the highest professional standards possible.

The program is a breeding ground for tomorrow’s top talents. In the last few years, many have gone on to work professionally both locally and nationally at venues such as Village Theatre Mainstage, Seattle Opera, The Paramount Theatre, ACT – A Contemporary Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and On and Off-Broadway.