Click here to see the selections we will use for auditions. 

Synopsis:
Set on Chicago’s South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans, however: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.

Cast of Characters:
Ruth Younger: The thirtyish wife of Walter Lee Younger and the mother of Travis, their ten year old son. Ruth acts a peacemaker in most of the explosive family situations. Very low key, Ruth reveals her strongest emotions only when she learns the possibility of their moving to a better neighborhood.

Travis Younger: The ten year old son of Walter and Ruth Younger. Living in a household with three generations in conflict, Travis skillfully plays each adult against the other and is, as a result, somewhat “spoiled.” In spite of this, he is a likeable child

Walter Lee Younger: In his middle thirties, he is the husband of Ruth, father of Travis, brother of Beneatha, and son of Lena (Mama) Younger. Walter works as a chauffeur and drinks a bit too much at times. When he discovers that his mother will receive a $10,000 check from his father’s insurance, he becomes obsessed with his dreams of a business venture which will give him financial independence and, in his mind, will make him a more valuable human being.

Beneatha Younger: The twentyish sister of Walter Lee and the daughter of Lena Younger. She is a college student planning to go to medical school. The only member privileged to have the opportunity for a higher education; she is sometimes a little overbearing in the pride she takes in being an “intellectual.”

Lena Younger (Mama): The sixtyish mother of Walter Lee and Beneatha, mother-in-law of Ruth, and grandmother of Travis. Mama’s every action is borne out of her abiding love for her family, her deep religious convictions, and her strong will that is surpassed only by her compassion, Mama’s selfless spirit is shown in her plans to use her $10,000 insurance check for the good of her family, part of which includes plans to purchase a house in a middle-class white  neighborhood.

Joseph Asagai: An African college student from Nigeria, Asagai is one of Beneatha’s suitors. Mannerly, good looking, and personable, he is well liked by all members of the Younger household.

George Murchison: Beneatha’s other boyfriend, he too is a college student. His wealthy background alienates him from the poverty of the Youngers. Easily impressed, Ruth is the only member of the Younger household who naively overlooks George’s offensive snobbishness.

Mrs. Johnson: Brash and abrasive neighbor of the Youngers, she insensitively points out to the Youngers all the negative repercussions that await them should they decide to move into a white neighborhood.

Karl Linder: A middle-aged white man, Linder is the spokesman for the white community into which the Youngers plan to move. He has been sent to persuade the Youngers not to move into the white neighborhood. In fact, he has been authorized by the white community to offer the Youngers a monetary incentive not to move in.

Bobo: The somewhat dimwitted friend of Walter Lee who, along with another friend, Willy, plans to invest in Walter Lee’s business scheme.

Two Moving Men: Having no speaking parts, they enter at the end of the play to help the Youngers move to their new neighborhood.

Cast: 3 men, 1 woman

About the show:
Don’t Cry for Me Margaret Mitchell
by Duke Ernsberger and Virginia Cate
Hilarious, irreverent, and mostly true! It is 1939, and David O. Selznick has already begun filming Gone with the Wind, but he needs a new script. There is only one writer up to the task, the legendary Ben Hecht. The only problem, Hecht has never read the book, and they have only a week to write a new script. So Selznick locks himself, Hecht and director Victor Flemming in his office with the mission to write a screenplay for Gone With the Wind in one week, the book that took Margaret Mitchell ten years to write. You will laugh until you are out of breath at the antics which produce one of the classic movies of all time.

Thank you to the cast and crew for creating such a wonderful show. Thank you to our community for making this show such a success.

Story: Mrs Johnstone is working as a cleaner for Mrs Lyons when she becomes pregnant with twins. The financial burden of two children is too much for her and Mrs Lyons is longing for a child of her own, so Mrs Johnstone keeps Mickey and gives the other boy, Edward, to Mrs Lyons. Though the blood brothers are never told they are related and their mothers try their best to keep them apart, their paths do cross later in life and all hell breaks loose.

Contest rules and submission forms are available on our website.  Best of luck to the playwrights!

Blood Brothers, by Willy Russell
Tony Award Winning Musical
February 22, 23, 24, 28, March 1, 2, 7, 8, 9

Don’t Cry For Me, Margaret Mitchell, by Duke Ernsberger & Virginia Cate
A Gone With The Wind comedy
June 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22

Ten Minute Play Contest Finale
Staged Readings of the top five plays in the contest – You choose the winner!
July, dates TBA

A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry
A drama about the power of family
August 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10

Showtimes are 7:30 on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday; 2:00 Sunday matinee
Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at door

Greenville Ghost Walk
Tour historic and spooky sites in
Uptown Greenville
October, dates TBA

On October 26th & 27th, MAC will host a Ghost Walk around Uptown Greenville. Storytellers will entertain you with the history and mystery of Greenville’s past. The walking tours leave from the Chamber of Commerce every 20 minutes starting at 7:00 pm and last about 1 hour. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the event. Advance tickets are available at Jefferson’s, ReMax, Chamber of Commerce, and online.

Join us for our final summer production – Second Samuel by Pamela Parker
August 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18
Performances at Music Academy of Eastern Carolina, 1400 Red Banks Rd., Greenville
Show times are at 7:30 p.m. except Sunday, August 12th at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at door
Purchase tickets in advance by calling 888-622-3868 or purchase online by clicking here.

Take a look at two great articles about the show: Daily Reflector and The Greenville Guardian

Special Preview Performance on Thursday, August 9 to benefit Equality NC.  Tickets for this performance are available at ReMax on Charles Blvd.

This comical and touching story of life and friendships is  set in the fictitious small town of Second Samuel, Georgia in 1949, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, or so it seems.  The recent death of the town’s matriarch, Miss Gertrude, impacts the lives of the citizens and reveals their assorted eccentricities, relationships, and secrets…often in the most outrageously comical ways.