By Staff
Casting beginsfor May’s ‘Overtones’
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles &Features Editor
The Pamlico Playhouse Inc. is looking for a few good men and women.
The local community theater group is currently holding auditions for its upcoming production of “Overtones,” which will be staged at the historic Turnage Theater in late May. Seven principle roles — three men and four women — and up to 15 supporting roles are being cast.
Auditions will be held locally tonight and Tuesday night from 7 to 9 at the Washington Housing Authority, located at 809 Pennsylvania Avenue. Auditions were also held Saturday and Sunday in Greenville. Callbacks will be held this Wednesday in Greenville.
Inspired by the theories of Sigmund Freud, “Overtones” was written by Alice Gerstenberg and is set in the early 1900s. Prior to the first production of “Overtones,” Gerstenberg received critical acclaim for her adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s book, “Alice in Wonderland.”
In a more serious vein, “Overtones” focused on male and female relationships, as well as Freud’s thoughts on the various psychological forces that shape an individual.
Gerstenberg capitalized on Freud’s conclusions that there were three major parts to an individual’s psyche — the ego, the id and the superego. “Overtones” is considered to be the earliest example of a play dramatizing the unconscious mind on stage.
Gerstenberg’s play uses separate actors to portray the alter egos of her main characters: Margaret/Maggie and Harriet/Hettie, two decidedly different women — at least on the surface. Margaret and her artist husband, John, struggle to support themselves with limited funds; meanwhile, Harriet and her husband, William, live in the lap of luxury.
A chance encounter brings the characters together, changing their lives and relationships. “Overtones” has been called “insightful and witty,” and its truths and scandals make for an entertaining evening of theater.
The Pamlico Playhouse production of “Overtones” follows a successful holiday presentation of “The Magic Toyshop,” which was staged at the Turnage Theater in December.