Monday & Tuesday, July 15th & 16th
from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
at TheatreWorks

The Cripple Of Inishmann
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by Richard Pettibone

Rehearsals July 29 – Sept 19, Monday through Thursday
Performances Sept 20 – October 12

All characters must audition with an Irish accent. A dialect coach will be used during the rehearsal period. Please make your best attempt. Below are some references that will help you prepare.

How to speak with an Irish accent.

Also, a suggested movie to watch is THE QUIET MAN to get an ear for the dialogue.

THE STORY: Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN is a strange comic tale in the great tradition of Irish storytelling. It's 1934 and the sleepy island of Inishmaan is abuzz with the news that Hollywood has come to County Galway, as a famous director arrives on the neighboring island to film his movie “The Man of Aran.” Up until then, “Cripple Billy,” as he’s known on the little island of Inishmaan, has spent most of his days gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. Billy becomes determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank but the poverty-stricken, gossip-loving locals take a harder view of his gamble for fame and fortune. It is a play that is by turns eccentric, honest, and brilliantly funny.

BILLY, Age 18 – 30
A boy with physical deformities that render both his left arm and right leg useless. Over the course of the play, Billy attempts to achieve something, anything, by sailing to Inishmore to audition for a role in the film "The Man of Aran." His wistful attitude when considering life outside of the Aran islands, or the love he is not sure if he deserves, makes him an incredibly sympathetic character, anchoring both the play’s comedic style and it’s heart.

EILEEN, Age 45 – 60
Runs a small country shop with a tough, dry sense of humor. One of Billy’s two anxious, honest adoptive aunts, Eileen is just as aware of Billy’s troubles as her sister, but is a little easier on Billy when he goes off to stare at cows. She too worries constantly about Billy’s safety, and tries to forbid him from sailing to Inishmore. When she gets too anxious about Billy, she resorts to eating the store’s sparse supply of candy.

KATE, Age 45 – 60
Eileen’s slightly dotty sister. Kate often finds herself talking to stones when the going gets rough. Though she keeps busy tending to the homely but under stocked country store, she, like Eileen, spends most of her time worrying about Billy. She is resigned to the fact that Billy will never find love or peace, but still wishes that he would stop being such an idiot.

JOHNNY PATEENMIKE, Age 40 – 60
Inishmaan’s primary gossip, Johnnypateen embodies the Irish tradition of rich storytelling. Johnny brings the only kind of news available or interesting to Inishmaan’s inhabitants. He also acts as a comedic and dramatic antithesis to the play’s more pensive characters.

MAMMY, Age 60 – 90
Johnny's 90-yr old mother - heavy drinker and tough bird. Mammy is Johnnypateen’s alchoholic, foul-mouthed, ancient mother. It is, in fact, accepted on Inishmaan that Johnny would love nothing more than to have Mammy up and die. Thus, their banter is endearingly spiteful.

HELEN, Age 18 – 28
Local girl – tough, defensive and sassy. Fiery and haughty one moment, begrudgingly caring the next, Helen’s self-confidence is part of what makes her so attractive to Billy. She is also a brutally comedic character throughout the course of Cripple. Taking no prisoners, she pegs eggs at Priests, stomps on geese, and beheads a cat before the play is through.

BARTLEY, Age 18 – 26
Helen’s brother. Bartley is the epitome of the rural teenage boy, looking almost desperately for excitement. He loves sweets, really wants a telescope, is a bit afraid of the sea, asks too many questions, and is fascinated by the island’s few exotic or unusual qualities.

BABBYBOBBY, Age 30 – 60
A boatman and widower of few words who easily resorts to violence. His wife’s premature death at the hands of tuberculosis exhausted Babbybobby, creating an air of weathered sadness about him. He is the play’s only character that is able to truly sympathize with Billy.

DOCTOR McSHARRY, Age 30 – 60
Education makes him a bit of an outsider in long-suffering attempts to minister to the local population. Professional, yet exasperated, McSharry can oftentimes see the extent of the absurdity on the island. He/she is the one who diagnoses Billy with TB, and who Johnny uses to try and discover that same diagnosis.

IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU READ THE FULL PLAY IN ADVANCE!

It can be found on Amazon or at Dramatist Play Service

A reading copy of script is available online here: http://www.english.txstate.edu/cohen_p/irish/Cripple.html

Audition sides will be available here in early June.