Casting Call: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Fearless Productions will hold auditions for "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird" depicts a racially charged time in the fictional town of Maycomb, Ala., through the eyes of a young girl and her slightly older brother. In the course of the story the girl's father, Atticus Finch, is called upon to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

Auditions will be from 7 to 10 p.m. May 12 and May 14 at the Union County Performing Arts Center, 1601 Irving St, Rahway. Only adult parts are being auditioned at this time.

Prospective actors should complete an audition form.

Adult roles are:

Part	Age	Description
Jean Louise Finch Adult "Scout"	Mid-30s	The narrator of the play. She speaks directly to the audience often setting the scenes. She should appear to have a connection with the younger Scout.
Atticus Finch	40-50 years old	Atticus is Scout and Jem's father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. A widower with a dry sense of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. Genteel, reserved, honorable and quietly strong, Atticus is well-respected in the community. He is a loving father, but somewhat of a mystery to his children, and a part of their journey is a growing understanding and appreciation of him.
Calpurnia	50-60 years old	An African-American housekeeper and surrogate parent to Scout and Jem. She is strong, compassionate and proud. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children's bridge between the white world and her own black community.
Maude Atkinson	40-45 years old	The Finches' neighbor, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family. She shares Atticus's passion for justice and is the children's best friend among Maycomb's adults. She is a pleasant and genteel single woman.
Stephanie Crawford	55-65 years old	A spinster neighbor of the Finch family. She is opinionated and unpleasant. She's a neighborhood gossip, and she enjoys it to the hilt.
Mrs. Dubose	60-80 years old	An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Finches. She walks with difficulty, her pain making her biting and bitter.
Arthur "Boo" Radley	40-50 years old	A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and emerging at an opportune moment to save the children.
Sheriff Heck Tate	45-50 years old	The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness at Tom Robinson's trial. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the innocent from danger. He is down to earth and steady.
Judge Taylor	55-70 years old	The smart, no-nonsense judge. He is a wintry man of the South who does what he can within the context of his time to see justice done in his court.
The Rev. Sykes	55-65 years old	A minister to the local African-American congregation who knows the town and its people well. He is an imposing man with a strong stage presence. He should have a strong minister's voice.
Mayella Ewell	18-22 years old	Bob Ewell's abused, lonely, eldest and unhappy daughter. She is ignorant, isolated and in total fear of her father.
Bob Ewell	45-50 years old	A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb's poorest family. Ewell represents the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial prejudice. He is mean, dumb and extremely racist.
Walter Cunningham	45-50 years old	A poor hard-up farmer who shares the prejudices of this time and place but who is nevertheless a man who can be reached as a human being.
Mr. Gilmer	30-50 years old	He is a public prosecutor who is doing his job in trying to convict Tom Robinson. In many ways, his manner is cruel and hurtful. And yet under all this, he too has unexpressed doubts as to Tom's guilt, and his heart isn't really in this conviction.
Tom Robinson	25-35 years old	A strong and compassionate African-American man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Tom is handsome and vital, but with a left hand crippled by a childhood accident and held against his chest. There's an undercurrent in him of kindness, sensitivity, and consideration.
Helen Robinson	Mid-20s to early 30s	Tom Robinson's wife, dignified and fragile.
Nathan Radley	50-60 years old	Father of Boo Bradley, leathery and laconic. May be dubbed as Boo.
Extras	18 and older	Court spectators, Sykes' congregation members.

Performances will take place at the Hamilton Stage in the Union County Performing Arts Center, 360 Hamilton St., Rahway. Performances will begin at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 19 to Oct. 5.

The show will be directed by Steve Lemenille and produced by Jessica Foerst.