🎭 AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT 🎭
The Creative Response to the Potential of Light - A 2025 Conversation with Corning Women: Past, Present, Future
A new play by Meghan O’Toole
Casting: 8 Women — Playing ages 20–65
Includes Stipend
📅 Audition Date:
Saturday, October 11
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location:
Schuyler Theatre
Corning Community College
1 Academic Dr. Corning, NY
Auditions will consist of group readings from the script.
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Performance Dates:
• December 11, 12, 13 at 7:00 PM
• December 13 at 2:00 PM
📍 Corning Community College
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✨ Come be part of this exciting new work!
Characters:
Rose Backus Ecker, 1843-1919: age mid 60’s in the show, a teacher, founder of the Clionian Circle, a women's literary club in 1881 that still exists today. Rose is a woman of her era, devout Christian, wife of a tin smith who then owned a local hardware store, which puts her in the merchant class. Proud member of 1st Presbyterian Church, Corning and Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) She is kind, energetic, gracious, extremely intelligent with a commanding presence.
Katherine (Kit) Houghton Hepburn, 1878-1951: age mid 50’s in the show, Sister of Edith Houghton Hooker, mother to award winning actress Katherine Hepburn, women’s suffrage and birth control pioneer. Co-founder of the American Birth Control League with Margaret Sanger. Dramatic, feminine, charming but guarded, a fierce debater. Self described Marxist socialist.
Edith Houghton Hooker, 1879-1948: age mid 50’s in the show, Sister of Kit Houghton, Woman’s rights pioneer, suffragist, and pioneering advocate for women’s sexual health laws. Went to John Hopkins for medical school when they first started accepting women. Left just before graduating to pursue social reform work regarding sexual hygiene laws and rights. Also dramatic and theatrical, especially with her sister. She was her niece’s (Katherine Hepburn) inspiration for style and many of her characters. Masculine in comparison to her sister, and unbothered by fashion. Equally fierce debater.
Margaret Sanger, 1879-1966: age mid 50’s in the show, born very poor in Corning, NY, birth control pioneer, founder of the American Birth Control League with Kit Houghton, what we now know as Planned Parenthood. Helped develop the first birth control pill. Dogged in her pursuit of women’s rights to body autonomy. Controversial today due to her alignment with eugenics supporters to further her cause at whatever cost. Complex person and personality. Charming, vain, competitive and opportunistic. Said to have embellished many of her personal stories…maybe a trait shared with her Irish storyteller father.
Amanda Giles, 1827-1875: age mid 40’s in the show, “Suckerville Mandy,” infamous Corning prostitute, delinquent and alcoholic who was notorious from Buffalo to Elmira. Her murder was covered up and no one was prosecuted. Her family was living in Gibson. She is buried in Corning.
PUF, born Jemimah Wilkinson in Rhode Island, 1752-1819: age 50 to 60 in the show, Fourth generation American, the self proclaimed genderless evangelist and prophet was reborn as The Publick Universal Friend (PUF) when they were 24 and excommunicated from their Quaker parish. Their followers created one of the first settlements in what we now know at Yates County, “New Jerusalem” close to Penn Yan. They are buried in a secret location in Yates County.
Irene Kent Phillips, 1893-1983: age 30’s in the show, first licensed female mortician in NYS (1912) owner of Kent Phillips Funeral Home still in business today on Pulteney St, Corning NY. Helped form and was President of the Business Professional Women’s Club of Corning 1943-45. One of the founders of Corning Civic Music with her second husband. Astute business woman, proper and formal, highly fashionable and known for her hats. Active member and donor to her church, 1st Congregational Church of Corning. Worked hard to advocate and improve Corning’s Northside neighborhoods.
Lou Nell McGrady, 1935-2008: age late 40’s in the show, Born in Mt Kisko, near Westchester NY. Married a Corning native while attending Keuka College. She obtained her Masters of Science in Education from Elmira College in June of 1969. First African American woman to head The School of Nursing at Arnot Ogden and first to be elected to CPP School Board. Treasurer of her church, Friendship Baptist. She was regal, extremely intelligent, educated, articulate, And poised. Energetic and influential in her work and in her community. A commanding presence. Had an excellent vocabulary. Did not tolerate nonsense.
Addison (she/they): Local, current day, 20 yr old young woman (POC actor preferred): Arrives to deliver Aniellos and thinks a book club is having a themed character party. She is cool, confident, dressed in the fashion of today, midriff showing, possibly tattoos and piercings and Politically ambivalent.
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