Open audition notice for Chancers by Robert Massey

Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, February 3 & 4 2025, starting at 7:00 pm both nights.
Production dates: March 28-April 13, 2025

Directed by Marjorie Strader
Produced by K.L.Storer

Chancers by Robert Massey is a dark comedy set in 2014 County Kildare, Ireland. The country is still reeling from the 2008 recession which followed the economic Celtic Tiger boom of the previous two decades. Aiden and Dee are married with kids and are barely scraping by, trying to keep their corner convenience store and their family from total bankruptcy. Their friend J.P . is in even worse shape, drifting from one get-rich scheme to the next. Gertie is a cranky, nosy older woman who has done quite well for herself financially through her miserly ways and cutthroat land deals. A winning lottery ticket in Gertie’s possession becomes the center of the plot and the central question of the play: When being a good person gets you nothing, how far will you go when your back is against the wall?

Casting Requirements:

• Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script
• A résumé and headshot are not required but are appreciated
• Please provide a list of all known conflicts between Feb 5 & Apr 13, 2025

  • Aiden: (mid to late-30’s) Owner of the corner store; Dee’s husband. Aiden sees himself as a good and steady person, and this is the central moral dilemma in the play. He is unwilling to recognize the severity of this financial situation and what it is doing to his marriage. His indecisiveness about going in on J.P .’s scheme is what drives much of the humor ‐‐ and the pathos ‐‐ of the play.
  • Dee: (mid-30’s) Co-owner of the store; Aiden’s wife. Much more of a realist than Aiden, Dee sees with total clarity the dire straits they are in. She, unlike Aiden, is willing to take drastic measures for the sake of their family
  • J.P.: (mid to late-30’s) Aiden and Dee’s long-time friend, and also Dee’s ex-fiancé J.P. is Aiden’s polar opposite ‐‐ impulsive, jaded, and willing to take huge risks. He is also extremely driven by retribution; in this case, to get revenge on Gertie who took him to the cleaners in a business deal a few years back
  • Gertie: (60’s) the town curmudgeon, whose relative wealth and reputation allows her to insult anyone and everyone in front of her. Her main pleasure is to see other people’s misery. After all, according to her, they brought it on themselves. That said, she is a hilarious character

For more information, please contact Marjorie Strader.

Dayton Theatre Guild is a community theatre that values community representation, and we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion on and off stage. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate and will be given full consideration in casting and all volunteer opportunities. Unless explicitly specified by the playwright in the text of the play, all roles will be open to all performers.

The show runs weekends March 28-April 13, 2025
First Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
Second & Third Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 3pm

Future Auditions

  • Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis – March 31 & April 1 (2025)