Auditions for The Boys Next Door will be held Sunday & Monday, August 25 & 26, 2008 at 7 PM at the Tallahassee Little Theatre. Call backs will be Tuesday, August 27, 2008 at 7 PM. There will be cold readings from the play.

Q. Why audition at the end of August for a play that doesn't open until January?

A. Since at least part of the playwright's purpose in creating The Boys Next Door was to foster a deeper understanding of the mentally challenged, we plan to follow each performance with a discussion on mental health with the cast and audience joined by a panel of local mental health professionals. To accomplish this, we plan to include these dedicated professionals in the rehearsal process.

We will rehearse:
      Once a week for the 4 weeks of September.
      Twice a week in October.
      Three times per week in November and the first 2 weeks of December.
      Take a holiday break.
      And a normal rehearsal schedule for the final weeks.

The early rehearsals would not only include work on the script, but participation by mental health professionals and visits to mental health sites. From experience with longer, more relaxed rehearsals, we can report that this gradual immersion in the world of the play provides the actors with a deeper understanding of their characters. It invariably results in richer, more nuanced performances.