Hobnob Theatre holds auditions for ‘Earnest’
Butler’s Hobnob Theatre broke in its brand-new studio space on South Main Street by holding auditions Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20 and 21, for its upcoming production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
The play, written by Oscar Wilde in 1895, is a comedy about people taking on fictitious identities to escape social norms in Victorian England. According to Hobnob co-founder Ken Smith, this marks the third time that the troupe has taken on Wilde’s work.
"Ten years ago, we did ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ and about five years ago, we did ‘Lady Windemere’s Fan,’“ Smith said. ”We want to do all four of his ‘drawing room comedies,’ and this is the third one.“
Directing the Hobnob performance is Duane Peters, who has experience directing with theaters across Pennsylvania, including a stint with the Butler Little Theatre.
On Sunday afternoon, potential cast members read for five different scenes scattered throughout the play, featuring six different characters: Jack, Gwendolen, Cecily, Algernon, Lady Bracknell and Chasuble.
Over the weekend, 17 potential cast members signed up to audition for only nine speaking parts, so it was destined that some would come away empty-handed. According to the Hobnob website, there will be five or six roles for men and three or four roles for women.
Auditioning for one of those female roles was Deanna Sparrow, who went for the part of Gwendolen. Sparrow, 40, is a Hobnob regular who not only starred in but also co-wrote their last show, “Mr. Bob Cratchit’s Merry Christmas Carol.“
“This has been one of my favorite plays since I was a college student,” Sparrow said. “I think Gwendolen matches my personality and my age.”
Sparrow, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in acting, works regularly as a substitute teacher when she isn’t with the Hobnob Theatre.
"Usually, the first two-thirds of the rehearsal process is learning your lines, figuring out your relationships with the other characters,“ Sparrow said. ”Then in the last weeks you add the technical elements, the lights, the costumes. And then it’s opening night.“
According to Smith, the actors who audition for Hobnob shows vary widely in acting experience, from those with past professional experience to those who seek it out as a hobby.
“The theater is less about individual shows, and more about a community that gets built around something that people love doing together,” Smith said, “and what we're really trying to build is that community.”
Smith says that it will take about a week for Peters to decide on the final cast.
Hobnob’s production of “Earnest” runs March 15 to 17 and 21 to 24, and the play will be the first show on Hobnob’s 2024 schedule. Other shows scheduled include Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” as well as a “brand new musical” which will be performed for the holiday season. Hobnob will also host improv events on the first Friday of every month.
“Earnest“ will be performed for the public at the troupe’s new studio space, which has just enough room to fit 49 people. For Smith, the small footprint is a feature, not a bug.
“It’s called a ‘black box’ theater,” Smith said. “The scenery and set pieces are pretty minimal, and it’s a very intimate experience where the audience almost feels like they’re part of the show because they’re sitting just inches away from the performance.”
However, the theater is hoping to hold the next Christmas show at a larger space, as they did last month with “Mr. Bob Cratchit’s Merry Christmas Carol,” staged last Dec. 22 and 23 at the newly-renovated Penn Theater.
“We just did a show at the Penn and that was fantastic, and we hope to go back there,” said Hobnob co-founder Elizabeth Smith.
