Wheaton Drama, Inc. (WDI) in downtown Wheaton, IL announces auditions for Full Circle. This World War II drama by Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front) and Peter Stone (1776) has been forgotten since its original American production in the 1970s. Wheaton Drama is proud to present the revival of this gripping and moving story.

Set in Berlin at the end of World War II, a young woman and an escaped prisoner discover that sometimes there are more important things than just surviving. When a Gestapo Captain begins to suspect who they really are, the struggles between identity, love and responsibility threaten to overtake them all.

Full Circle is directed by Sean Ogren, assisted by Suzanne Ogren. The production manager is Amy Johnson. Elyse Willis is the stage manager.

Auditions are Sunday, January 27 and Monday, January 28 at 7pm at Wheaton Drama’s Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale, Wheaton, IL 60187. Callbacks, if necessary, will be Tuesday, January 29 at 7:30pm. The first read-through is scheduled for January 30.

Those auditioning should email the director at seanogren@gmail.com to receive an audition appointment and required materials.  

These are non-Equity auditions. There is no pay. All roles are open. Those cast will be required to pay a nominal fee for Wheaton Drama membership. Newcomers are welcomed and membership status does not affect casting.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Please note that character age will be a secondary choice when considered alongside acting choices. German and Russian dialects will be required.

ANNA - 28 and attractive, but run down by five years of life in war. Believes that surviving is everything. Wary...but very, very smart.

ERIC ROHDE - Around 30, an escapee from a German prison. The charm, courage, and attraction of this man have been seriously tampered with; that these qualities are still alive and in evidence speaks well for the degree to which they existed before.

SCHMIDT - Early 30s, a captain in the Gestapo. He is a man of intelligence, wit, and some attractiveness. He is educated and articulate, but he is neither an intellectual nor a fanatic—merely an opportunist.

GRETE - 22, blonde, abundantly put-together. Naive. Concerned more about appearances than actions. Provides a fair amount of the play’s lighter moments.

KOERNER - Past 50, the janitor who has suddenly been promoted to the position of Block Warden. His expression is habitually stern, abetted somewhat by the severe way he combs his hair and the sterility of the steel-rimmed glasses he wears. Also an opportunist, but his pedantry keeps him from achieving anything worthwhile.

KATZ - Middle 50s, an escaped prisoner, Jewish. Will require some stage combat.  

RUSSIAN CAPTAIN - 32, slim and fair. He is well educated, speaks fluent German, and is very good - and very smart - at what he does.

MACK - In his middle 20s, a Gestapo man. Has allowed his constant disapproval of most things to distort his face into a perpetual sneer.

MAURER - 30-ish, another Gestapo man. Large and stupid. He rarely, if ever, speaks, but the acts of inhuman brutality that constitute his duty and his pleasure form the great equalizer. NOTE: Stage combat experience a plus.

RUSSIAN SERGEANT & RUSSIAN SOLDIER - Very similar in age and build to MACK & MAURER. Want to work with two actors to portray all four roles (and both dialects) if possible.  

Full Circle is performed March 15-April 7, 2013. Performances are at 8pm Thursdays-Saturdays and 3pm Sundays. Tickets are $13 for Thursdays and $16 Fridays-Sundays.

Other shows in WDI’s season are Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure (January 25-February 17, 2013); and Into the Woods (May 17-June 9, 2013).

For show tickets and information, please visit http://www.wheatondrama.org, or call 630-260-1820. Follow on Twitter at WDIpublicity.