Potato Gumbo
by Boerne Community Theatre

Sep. 17 - Sep. 18 (2017)

“You don’t quit having dreams because you get old.”

A touchingly honest and, at times, zany look at the potentially brutal challenges of aging, "Potato Gumbo" tells the poignant story of Gretchen and Thomas, her dream, an ill-gotten pair of handcuffs, a diagnosis, and the adult children who must walk the delicate line of parenting their parents. It is the story of so many of our lives – past, present or the future we must inevitably face.

Gretchen Nelson could create the ideal gumbo recipe utilizing the unlikely ingredient of potato if she could only get from her Central Texas retirement community to the famed School of Cooking in New Orleans. Fellow retiree Thomas Trahan, already caught by her whimsical charms and light-fingered ways, is soon drawn into Gretchen’s off-beat schemes. Their initial plan, a late night, impromptu road trip to the Big Easy, has been aborted with their unfortunate return back home under police escort.

As a result, more darkly serious issues begin to quickly bubble up. Is Gretchen’s “whimsy,” in fact, a looming cloud of declining mental faculties or worse? How much can one old heart endure? And when must elderly care end and control begin?

Throw in an overbearing daughter hell-bent on saving Gretchen from herself, Thomas’s supportive son, a couple of helpful and hilarious friends and a dictatorial manageress, and you have, in short, a recipe for a very real and gently comic serving of the daunting challenges of getting older.

Auditions

Jerry Watson will hold auditions for Potato Gumbo, a poignant comedy by Texas playwright Jean Ciampi, on Sunday and Monday, Sept. 17 and 18, 2017. Both nights will be at 7 pm.

Roles are available for 4 women and 3 men, ages 40's to 70's. Performances are Nov. 3-18.

 

 

Gretchen Nelson could create the ideal gumbo recipe utilizing the unlikely ingredient of potato if she could only get from her Central Texas retirement community to the famed School of Cooking in New Orleans. Fellow retiree Thomas Trahan, already caught by her whimsical charms and light-fingered ways, is soon drawn into Gretchen’s off-beat schemes.  Throw in an overbearing daughter hell-bent on saving Gretchen from herself, Thomas’s supportive son, a couple of helpful and hilarious friends and a dictatorial manageress, and you have, in short, a recipe for a very real and gently comic serving of the daunting challenges of getting older.  Written by Texas playwright, Jean Ciampi

 

Characters Needed: 

Gretchen Nelson - older woman with a propensity to acquire things that don't actually belong to her (60's-70's)
Thomas Trahan - an active, older widower who's not quite ready to give in to just being old (60's-70's)
Barbara Winter - Gretchen's responsible adult daughter who is trying to balance the challenges of becoming a parent to her parent (40's-50's)
Jack Trahan - Thomas's easy-going and supportive adult son (40's-50's)
Jim Cappazolli -older gentleman with a cane, a slightly outrageous wardrobe and the recipe for an assortment of cocktails (60's-70's)
Gail Johnson - older woman, a true lady and the friend we all wish we had (60's-70's)
Donna Holbrook - administrator at Casa della Vecchia.  A middle-aged woman who can be rather two-faced - and neither face is pretty (40's-50's)

 
Location: 907 E. Blanco Rd., Boerne, Texas, 78006
Our Website: www.boernetheatre.org

Contact/More Information: For more information, contact the director, Jerry Watson, at jerryface51@gvtc.com or 830-446-9642.

 

 

[image from www.thewriterjean.com, the author's website]