Descriptions of Roles and Tips for Try Outs
Jesse Aarons
This is the main role in the play. A very sensitive boy from a poor rural family whose passion is
art and drawing. Afraid of many things until he meets Leslie, who believes in him and teaches
him to take chances, which leads him to gain confidence. This role can be played by a boy who
looks as young as ten or as old as fourteen. The girl opposite him (Leslie) will need to look the
same age. I prefer a boy in this role, but would consider a slender girl who could pass for a boy
if she is a super talented actress. Must be free to attend ALL rehearsals. I am looking for a boy
who can be funny and endearing in Act 1, and absolutely crushingly believable in Act 2 when
Leslie dies. I am also looking for an actor who comes off as very fond of his little sister May
Belle even though he sometimes says teasing things to her. We should always like Jesse. He
should never seem mean or cold. So if you are asked to read with a Leslie or a May Belle, find a
way to really connect with them. Look at them, touch them if it seems motivated. Pretend the
scene is happening for the very first time and you don’t know what they will say back to you.
React to them in your own unique way based on the character.
Leslie Burke
The other main role in the play. Leslie is extremely adventurous and possesses a vivid
imagination. She loves to write poems and stories, and is very good at it. She is a huge risk
taker. She is a bit “quirky”...she dresses in her own unique way, has some hobbies not
traditionally “girly”, loves to be in the outdoors and explore new places. This role has the most
lines in the play so I am looking for a girl who will tackle her lines early and work hard on her
character. She can look as young as ten or as old as fourteen, and must match the Jesse we
cast. Must be free to attend ALL rehearsals. For tryouts, use the whole stage if you want to.
You may move as motivated, sit, stand, gesture, whatever feels right. I want to see a Leslie who
is lit up from within, she is that spirited. And be sure if asked to read with a Jesse that you are
really, truly connecting with him in an honest, interesting way. Don’t just look out at the
audience and read the lines. She is a kind and caring person, play those qualities. She also has a
great sense of humor. Find that in her lines whenever you can.
May Belle Aarons
Lead role. Lots of lines. Looking for a great little actress who can look six years old onstage.
High energy, very animated. I want a May Belle who can be a bit of a pest, but is always, always
adorable and loveable. We should never dislike her. She needs good comic timing for Act 1.
And at the end, when she tries to crawl over the log to find Jesse, she should break our hearts
with her helplessness and her genuine panic and cry for help. That line should be played for
real. If an actress trying out can actually cry doing that line, that would be a good sign that she
has the depth to play this role convincingly. If you want to try that last line, take your time with
it. Take pauses. You can huddle on the floor while you say it, or wrap your arms around a chair
to help you believe you are stuck on the log and can’t go further.
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Brenda and Ellie Aarons
These are great lead parts. These two teenage girls are spoiled rotten. All they care about is
boys, clothes, T.V., and makeup. Brenda, who should look 14 or 15, teases Jesse constantly.
Ellie, who should look 15 or 16, has a boyfriend and lords it over her sister. They have some of
the funniest lines in the show. If delivered well, the audience will applaud when they exit.
However, in Act 2, both need to bring a genuine grief to the scene in the kitchen where Jesse
walks in and learns that Leslie has drowned. So these are challenging roles, comic for part of
the time, believably dramatic for the ending. When you read, show attitude in your face and
body for the comic lines. And if you are asked to read a scene with another girl playing your
sister, really react to her and connect with her in a fun way.
Janice Avery
The school bully with a secret. Should appear a bit older than Leslie and Jesse ideally. Is mean
to Leslie and Jesse, and tortures May Belle by taking her dessert away and teasing her daily to
try to make her cry. In Act 1, she is constantly after other kids to try to get a reaction, and we
may not like her much. But in Act 2, we find out she has an alcoholic father who beats her, and
we see a sad, vulnerable teenager who is truly miserable and lashes out at others because she
hurts so much inside. This part is memorable. The girl who plays Janice needs to be an
incredible actress. If you want to read the emotional speech, do it for real. Remember, she is
baring her soul to Leslie, taking a chance and trusting her not to laugh at her, and it is very hard.
You are devastated, and you are crying, but you are trying very hard to control it. Take pauses.
Keep trying to get yourself under control. That will make the speech very interesting.
Gary Fulcher
Gary is the uncontested leader of the entire fifth grade. He is an excellent athlete and always
wins the race on the first day of school out on the playground. He is bossy, but likeable. He has
some funny lines. This is a good supporting role for a boy who can look between 10 and 14.
Willard Hughes
The heart throb of the seventh and eighth grade. Good looking. Very, very cool. Has the older
girls on campus wrapped around his little finger. They actually follow him around. Janice Avery
has such a bad crush on him she has written his name on her sneakers in Sharpie marker. This is
a comic role. The boy who plays this part should look between 13 and 15, and may be cast as
Leslie Burke’s father for a scene at the end of Act 2. (That part could also be played by an
adult.)
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Mr. Aarons
A tremendous role for a high school boy or adult. He is out of work, having to be up at the
crack of dawn to drive to the city to do odd jobs. He is desperately worried about supporting
his family. The stress is relentless. And Jesse is his only son, and he doesn’t know how to
connect with him. He wants a son he can play ball with, a son who loves to run the tractor and
do hard manual chores around the place with him. Instead, he has a boy who is dreamy and
sensitive and just loves to draw. He can’t relate to him. In Act 1, he is quick to anger, very
critical, and sometimes unkind. The huge contrast comes in Act 2, when Jesse, devastated by
Leslie’s death, has run out of the house and down the road to huddle, wet and miserable, under
a tree. Mr. Aarons finds him and comforts him, a real break through with the two of them. He
helps Jesse cope with his grief and find a way to move on. It’s a beautiful, memorable scene. If
you would like to read his speech, take your time with it. Be real. Be authentic. You are
searching for the words to help him. It is very obvious in a way it was not before that you love
him very much. If you are asked to read the speech with a Jesse, be there with him in a very
real way. Touch him if you feel that’s motivated. Find the connection.
Mrs. Aarons
This is Jesse’s mother. She is raising five kids on very little money in a run down house in the
Virginia countryside. She loves her kids, and is terribly worried about making ends meet,
especially when her husband has been laid off from his job. She wants her kids to be happy,
and goes without herself so her teenage daughters can buy new clothes at the mall. She wants
them to be popular and happy in a way she never was. This is a challenging role for an
excellent actress to portray. She could be as young as 14 or 15, but needs to be able to play a
convincing adult. This role could also be played by an adult.
Miss Edmunds
This is the school art and music teacher. She is beautiful, and all the boys in the school have a
crush on her, including Jesse. She is free-spirited and innovative in her teaching methods. She
takes a special interest in Jesse because she sees his artistic talent and wants to encourage him.
Looking for an actress who already plays guitar or would like to learn a bit. This part can be
played by a teen who can look mature ages 14 and up, or by an adult.
Miss Myers
Supporting role, the school Language Arts teacher. Has two scenes. Could also be cast as
Leslie’s mother, who appears only at the end, and would wear a different wig, makeup, and
costume for that. This role could be played by someone as young as 14 or 15, or by an adult.
Joyce Ann Aarons
The littlest Aarons child, should be able to look 4 or 5 in the right costume and with the right
hair style. Is on in all the family scenes, has two lines. May still suck her thumb when stressed.
A nice small part for a little girl.
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Girl
This is one example of an Ensemble character with lines in the School Kids group. This is the
typical “Teacher’s Pet”, always helpful to the teacher and trying to get the best grades. In
contrast, there are three “mean girls” who are fifth graders going on 25; they dress in a style
too grown up, wear makeup, and admired by other girls. They can be very mean to
newcomers. They always hang with each other. There are also good parts for Wilma Dean and
Bobby Sue Henshaw, eighth graders, very pretty and popular with the boys. To try out for one
of these parts, read Brenda or Ellie’s lines, or Janice’s comic Act 1 line.
Boy 1 and 2
These are examples of lines for Ensemble boys in the School Kids group. One third grade boy,
Timothy Jenkins, is a featured part. May Belle has a crush on him, and he hates girls. It’s comic.
He has the line about wanting to race. There are a few fifth grade boys with lines, and a few
seventh grade boys with lines as well. There is a school principal who could be played by a high
school boy who has two short scenes, one with Miss Edmunds, one with Jesse and Leslie.