Shelton State Community College: Shelton State Community College Theatre Department To Hold Auditions For “The Diviners”

Press release from the Shelton State Community College:

January 5, 2022

January 5, 2022 – Shelton State Community College is holding auditions for the theatre department’s upcoming production of The Diviners on January 20, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. and January 21, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in the Wilson Carr Rehearsal Hall on the Martin Campus of Shelton State Community College (9500 Old Greensboro Road, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405).

The Diviners, written by Jim Leonard, Jr., is the story of a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in southern Indiana in the early 1930s. When the boy was young, he almost drowned. This trauma, and the loss of his mother in the same accident, has left him deathly afraid of water. The preacher, set on breaking away from a long line of Kentucky family preachers, is determined not to do what he does best. He works as a mechanic for the boy’s father. The town doesn’t have a preacher and the townspeople try to persuade him to preach – while he tries to persuade the child to wash. When the preacher finally gets the boy in the river and is washing him, the townspeople mistake the scene for a baptism. They descend on the event, and, in the confusion, the boy drowns.

Roles are available to current full and/or part time Shelton State students, former Shelton State students, current or former Shelton State employees, and if needed, invited community members. All ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, are invited to audition. Roles include the young man, Buddy Layman, his sister Jennie Mae Layman, and their father Ferris Layman, the preacher C. C. Showers, and various townspeople.

Directed by Theatre Tuscaloosa’s Executive Producer and Shelton State Theatre Department Head, Tina Turley, The Diviners will be performed April 8-10, 2022, in the Bean-Brown Theatre. Those interested in auditioning should be prepared to participate in cold readings from the script and bring a completed calendar of potential conflicts. A perusal script is available for review in the ticket office of Theatre Tuscaloosa during normal office hours; however, scripts may not leave the premises. The Ticket Office is open Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

For additional information, contact Kiera Gillock, Project Coordinator, at 205.391.2925 or kgillock@sheltonstate.edu.

A vital member of the Alabama Community College System, Shelton State Community College is committed to creating new opportunities for West Alabama.  “With a renewed focus on meeting the needs of its customers, the College offers innovative solutions and an enhanced approach to customized education, training, and community impact,” states President Brad Newman.  “Collectively, we will be excellent in each!”

Be part of the new vision for our shared community.  Visit sheltonstate.edu to learn more or apply.

This press release was produced by the Shelton State Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.