page 1 of 4
Told with spirit, heart and humor, this is the amazing true story of two remarkable
woman; Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan.
Helen is a bright, strong, energetic child -- but left both blind and deaf in the wake
of an illness as a baby. She is also a feral, frustrated mystery to her exhausted
family. Her heartbroken mother Kate is Helen’s best protector, while her halfbrother James wants to send Helen to an institution, and her father Arthur Keller, a
former Captain in the Confederate Army, is worried for the safety of their new
baby.
As a last resort, the Kellers send for a governess from the prestigious Perkins
Institute for the Blind, and get Annie Sullivan, a lively and stubborn Yankee girl,
barely out of school herself, and an unlikely "Miracle Worker". And that is what
she will need to be- a miracle worker.
“The Miracle Worker”
Auditions Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
Registration 6:00 pm, Auditions 6:30 pm
ROLES to be filled
4 women - 20s thru senior
3 men - 20s thru senior
2 girls - 8 years thru 13 years
1 boy - 12 years thru 16 years
AUDITION INFORMATION
SHOWDATES: AUG 24 thru SEPT 4 (excluding Mondays and Tuesdays). We may hold the
show over to SEPT 5 depending on ticket sales. (All shows begin at 7:30 pm except for
Sundays. Sundays the show begins at 2:00 pm)
STANDARD REHEARSAL SCHEDULE: Three to four nights/week plus weekends (varies
depending upon how often each character is required and cast members prior commitments) Rehearsals may begin as early as JULY 13th.
Specific rehearsal schedule will be decided after casting is complete.
GENERAL AUDITION GUIDELINES:
- Auditions are open to everyone.
-No appointments are necessary, auditions are conducted on a first-come first
served basis.
-If the audition date does not suit you please call 239-4600 to make alternate
arrangements for an audition.
page 2 of 4
-Casting can take up to two weeks. You will be notified if your presence is
required at a call back audition.
-Auditioners will be asked to read from the play - it will be a "cold reading".
-Please take note of performance dates and standard REHEARSAL SCHEDULE.
Bring any conflicts to note on your audition form.
-We are a community theatre. All actors are volunteers, but because everyone
will need to travel out to the Barn for all rehearsals we try to help out with the
cost of fuel. Should you be cast in a roll you will be asked to keep track of the
kilometers your vehicle has accumulated driving out to the Barn and will be
reimbursed 10 cents per kilometer. There is also a $50 honorarium.
Synopsis of "The Miracle Worker"
The story is set in the Keller family home in Tuscumbia, Alabama at the turn of the century. In
the opening scene, the family learns that baby Helen will survive a life-threatening fever. Her
mother Kate, however, discovers the terrible price of Helen’s survival when she realizes that the
baby cannot see or hear. When Helen is six, her father is inclined to institutionalize her, but Kate
wishes to search for better medical care. Finally, the Kellers contact the Perkins Institute for the
Blind in Boston; the director sends Annie Sullivan to them.
When Annie first encounters Helen, the child has never been disciplined. Isolated in silence and
darkness, Helen wanders the house and is prone to tantrums. Annie has herself been
institutionalized, so she sympathizes with the urgency Kate feels about Helen. Annie is also
partially blind, so she knows something of what Helen’s world is like. She knows that the key to
Helen’s transformation is language. Annie succeeds in teaching Helen to finger-spell several
words, realizing that her pupil understands this activity only as a memorization game—Helen
does not understand that the sequences of letters have meaning. Meanwhile, Annie begins the
task of teaching Helen manners. Lacking words, Helen expresses her emotions through actions,
smashing objects when she is angry and striking people when frustrated. Annie responds with
patience and determination.
There are some lovely, entertaining and light-hearted scenes where the brilliant, Helen, in her
own way tries to be rid of this annoying teacher. These humorous episodes between Helen and
Annie cause a lot of difficulty for Annie with Helen's family.
The Keller family must also be taught to help Helen. Out of pity and guilt, they have allowed the
child to rule the household, as Annie observes. To avoid enraged outbursts, family members
indulge Helen’s misbehavior. With difficulty, Annie persuades the Kellers to give her two weeks
of isolation with Helen in the garden house. During this time, she makes progress only to see it
erode upon returning to the main house; family members are unwilling to enforce the new rules.
In a crucial encounter, Helen pours out a pitcher of water in rage; Annie takes her forcibly to the
pump to refill it and out of habit finger-spells “water” as Helen feels liquid gush over her hand.
Suddenly, in a very emotional scene, Helen understands that things have names. She realizes
that she can learn these names through this new game and thus, can communicate her inner
world to others. Helen will no longer be isolated.
page 3 of 4
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS: (*are small roles)
Annie Sullivan (20 thu 35)
Annie Sullivan, the teacher of the deaf and blind child Helen Keller. Annie, herself blind during
her childhood years, comes to the Keller household at the age of twenty to attempt to teach
language to seven-year-old Helen. Her brash self-confidence is a pose covering her deep fear of
possible failure in her first position. The clashes of wills between herself and Helen and between
herself and the child’s father pique her Irish temper enough to help her through the difficult first
months as she attempts merely to discipline Helen into obedience and calm. With tireless
perseverance, she repeats the manual alphabet into Helen’s hand, spelling out the name of every
object the child can touch and hoping that the child’s keen mind will somehow make the
connection between the words spelled and the objects felt.
Captain Arthur Keller (50s and 60s)
Captain Arthur Keller, a retired Civil War officer who edits a town newspaper in Tuscumbia,
Alabama. He is a haughty man in his mid-fifties, apparently accustomed during his military
career to instant and unquestioning obedience to his every whim. Disappointment at the seeming
cowardice of his teenage son and the terrible physical affliction of his small daughter gnaw at his
heart, causing him to be irascible and sharply demanding at times with his family. Underneath,
he is a concerned and loving father and husband. He is especially frustrated in his efforts to
dominate Annie Sullivan, Helen’s teacher, finding her persistence and inner courage more than a
match for his chauvinism.
Kate Keller (30s and 40s)
Kate Keller, the young second wife of Captain Keller and mother of Helen. For more than five
years, she has tried unsuccessfully to cope with Helen’s random destructive movements and
angry tantrums. With a new baby in the family, she realizes the desperate need to teach Helen
self-control. With gentle persuasion and a sure instinct for her husband’s temperament, Kate
manages to persuade her husband to hire Annie as a teacher and to let her have her way with
Helen.
Helen Keller (8 thru 14)
Helen Keller, a child who lost both sight and hearing as a result of high fever during a babyhood
illness. Locked inside the dark cage of her body, she is unable to communicate her simplest
wants and needs to others except through violent tantrums and howls resembling those of a hurt
animal. She has become a tyrant in her home and a menace to her infant sister. As a last effort to
control her, Captain Keller hires a young governess, Annie Sullivan, to teach her simple human
conduct. Helen’s yearning for knowledge leads her far beyond behavior control to the discovery
of language and all that this discovery opens to her in terms of life and love.
James Keller (20s and 30s)
James Keller, Helen’s teenage half brother. Living in awe of his domineering father, James has
grown resentful of his stepmother, Kate, and of Helen, who demands so much attention and care
that he feels cheated out of the family love he desires. With the arrival of Annie, he is able to see
a model of brave resistance to circumstances and to his father’s demanding ways. Through her
influence, he begins to grow toward asserting his own personhood.
page 4 of 4
Aunt Ev (50s and 60s)
Aunt Ev, Captain Keller’s sister. As a kindly and concerned aunt, Ev spoils Helen with small
treats and supports Kate in her efforts to get help for the child.
Viney (30s and 40s)
Viney, the Keller family servant. Amid the turmoil of a household that revolves around the
whims and temper of a handicapped child, Viney manages to keep a stable and good-humored
manner. Her children, Martha and Percy, are playmates for Helen.
*Martha (10 thru 13)
Viney's daughter and playmate to Helen. Martha has been taught to be kind to Helen. But
experience has taught her to be wary of Helen.
*Percy (12 thru 15)
Viney's son and playmate to Helen and his sister Martha. Percy has been taught to be careful and
kind to Helen. But experience has taught him that he must be wary of Helen and protective of
his sister.
*Mr. Anagnos / Doctor in opening scene (40 thru senior)
Mr. Anagnos, the headmaster of the Perkins Institute for the Blind, the school where Annie was
trained. It is Mr. Anagnos who chooses Annie for the difficult assignment of teaching Helen.