A Sanders Family Christmas
by Playhouse 2000

Oct. 16 - Oct. 17 (2022)

In A Sanders Family Christmas, a family of talented bluegrass musicians has returned to the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church to offer their unique talents to the annual Christmas Eve service in 1941. They share uplifting stories and more than 20 foot-stomping bluegrass arrangements of classic Christmas carols, songs and hymns in a show that will leave your toes tapping and your heart filled with the spirit of the season.

In this sequel to the ever-popular New York hit Smoke on the Mountain, the Sanders family returns to Mount Pleasant, NC, home of the Mount Pleasant Pickle Factory. It’s Christmas Eve, 1941, and Dennis Sanders is playing his last “gig” with the family before reporting for duty as an enlisted man heading out to face World War II.  Meanwhile, Pastor Oglethorpe may just be proposing marriage to sister June!

 

Next P2K AUDITIONS: A Sanders Family Christmas

Bluegrass Musical Celebrates the Christmas Season

 

 

We're excited to invite you to the final auditions for Season 2022!

The "orchestra" for A Sanders Family Christmas is actually a bluegrass band - with guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo, etc (really whatever we want - so we can expand at will.) We're looking to hire four or more musicians to rehearse along with the cast and create the final "sound" of the show. 
 
We admit, we don't pay a lot, but it is paid - and we promise it'll be a lot of fun!
 
Are you interested - or know someone who is? Please reply to this email, or call Jeffrey Brown at (830) 896-9393 and we'll talk about it!


We'll be looking for four men and three women playing ages 20's to 50's (plus the fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass and mandolin players) at auditions on Sunday and Monday, October 16 (at 2:30) and 17 (at 6:30) in the  in Werlein Annex, VK Garage Theater.


For auditions, please be prepared to sing a short song in any style you prefer. Bring sheet music if you want to use the provided accompanist, or feel free to accompany yourself on the instrument of your choice. There won't be any dance audition, but we may do some cold-reading of lines from the script.


Rehearsals will begin on Monday, October 24. We take off Wednesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week, and Tech Week starts November 27. Performances are December 2 through 18, with matinees on December 11 and 18.

 
 

 

 

 

 

Roles Available Include:

 

  • Mervin Oglethorpe – Pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
  • Burl Sanders – Head of the Sanders Family
  • Vera Sanders – Burl’s strong right hand, matriarch of the family
  • Stanley – Vera’s brother, uncle to Dennis and Denise
  • Dennis Sanders – one of the talented Sanders twins – on his way to serve his country
  • Denise Sanders – the other half of the Sanders twins
  • June Sanders, the eldest Sanders daughter known for her signing (note – “sign” – not “sing”) abilities.

 

Other than “June” all of the Sanders will sing, and – we hope – play instruments along with the band.  All are good, salt-of-the-earth people who love each other, love making gospel music, and love Christmas.

 

The show will be very “environmental,” with the audience seated on at least three sides of the stage, which will represent the simple sanctuary of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina.

 

There are more than 20 songs in the show, which are the primary focus of the book. They are joined together by short scenes.