By Gore Vidal
Presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
Director: Neil Hollands
From November 3 to November 19, 2016

Auditions to be held at 7 pm. Sunday, September 18th and Monday, September 19th at the James-York Playhouse (Williamsburg Players), 200 Hubbard Lane. A callback will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, September 21st if required.
Rehearsals will be held Sunday through Thursday evenings, with Friday and Saturday possible immediately before the show opens. Production is scheduled November 3rd through 19th with call times at 7 pm, Thursday through Saturday and a second performance with call time of 1 pm on Saturdays.
Auditions will consist of reading sides from the script. No advance preparation is required.

THE STORY: William Russell, the ex-Secretary of State, is a wit and scholar with high principles, but doubted by practical politicians. Joseph Cantwell is his energetic and ruthless younger opponent, a man for whom the means justify the ends. Arthur Hockstader is an ex-President who loves the rough-and-tumble battle of politics, determined despite serious illness to have the final say in the selection of his party's candidate. Cantwell has papers indicating that Russell once suffered from a mental crackup, which he is all set to use, but when Russell' lead aide Jensen finds incriminating evidence about Cantwell, Russell is left to decide whether to use it. Meanwhile the candidates wives are waging their own kind of battle, with Alice Russell uncomfortable in the spotlight and unsure about her husband while Mabel Cantwell loves to preen for the press and has ambition equal her husband's. Ex-President Hockstader and national committee woman Sue-Ellen Gamadge enjoy trying to manipulate the campaign in scene-stealing parts.

"Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN makes you wish that Vidal were writing the dialogue for the presidential debates. It brings to the backstabbing world of campaigning the bright verbal fire that All About Eve and Sweet Smell of Success brought to the backstabbing worlds of show business and journalism." -NY Times. "A sophisticated, elegant and damnably entertaining play!" -The New Yorker. "Gore Vidal's best play! Well-crafted and witty with surprises, reversals, pungent character sketches, satire, worldly wisdom and juicy roles for all concerned." -NY Magazine."Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN is a winner! Extraordinarily fresh, witty, sharp and relevant." -NY Daily News. "Vidal's story is a corker! Suspenseful, funny, surprisingly fresh!" -Associated Press.

THE PARTS:
William Russell M 40-60 High ideals, a sharp wit, intelligent, believable as a ladies' man
(ex-Sec. of State and candidate)

Alice Russell F 40-60 Tartly funny, uncomfortable in the spotlight, inner toughness
(Russell's wife)

Jensen M or F 30+ Professional but professorial, more pragmatic than his candidate
(Russell's lead campaign aide)

Sue-Ellen Gamadge F 60+ A grande dame of politics for traditional Junior League types
(national committee woman)

Arthur Hockstader M 65+ A country politician, man of the people, ailing but still feisty
(ex-President)

Joe Cantwell M 35-45 Earnest, telegenic, ruthless, overconfident but still charismatic
(Senator and candidate)

Mabel Cantwell F 30-45 Pretty, energetic, feminine, southern, knows how to present herself to media
(Cantwell's wife)

Don Blades M 30+ A veteran behind-the-scenes political operator
(Cantwell's lead campaign aide)

Senator Carlin M-F 30+ A career politican trying to profiteer by playing both sides

Dr. Artinian M-F 40-70 A psychiatrist-professionally impressive

Sheldon Marcus M 35-55 A source of political dirt, nervous, a bit odd, out of his league

Campaign Aide M-F 20-40 An aide to Russell

Smaller parts will double as reporters, campaign aides, convention delegates and television commentators