Auditions

When shy and socially anxious Charlie Baker arrives at a Georgia lodge, his friend Froggy convinces the locals that Charlie is a foreigner who doesn’t understand English. Believing he can’t comprehend them, the townspeople openly share secrets, scandals, and a dangerous conspiracy in front of him. As Charlie listens, he unexpectedly becomes a hero, using his assumed ignorance to outsmart the villains and help his newfound friends.

Character Descriptions

Charlie Baker: (male, 30-early 50s) A painfully shy, dull proofreader from England. He is deposited at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia by his good friend Froggy. Due to his current marital situation and his fear of conversation, Froggy tells everyone that Charlie is a foreigner who speaks no English. During the course of his three-day visit, Charlie not only discovers that he does have a personality, but endears himself to all in the process. MUST do a British accent and the have the ability to come up with a “fake” foreign accent.

Froggy LeSueur: (male, 30-early 50s) A demolitions expert from the British Army. A frequent visitor to the armed forces in the U.S., Froggy has formed a relationship with the owner of the fishing lodge, Betty Meeks. Froggy has brought Charlie along with him for what he feels should be some good old R&R, but Charlie’s fear of conversation coupled with Betty’s depression about her current situation creates the idea of leaving a foreigner in her lodge. MUST be able to do a heavy cockney accent.

Betty Meeks: (female, 50s+) A widow and owner of the fishing lodge. Betty has dreamed of traveling outside her Georgia home, but never has. Struggling to keep her inn from outside forces, the foreigner’s arrival is a welcome distraction that gives Betty renewed spirit. With her heavy southern accent, Betty’s idea of communicating with “the foreigner” is shouting.

Rev. David Marshall Lee: (male, mid 20s-30s) Good looking, sincere, charming and confident. Engaged to Catherine. Must appear to be a genuinely decent person. However, David is one of the villains in the play, as he uses his position and the people around him to orchestrate a plot to take over Betty’s lodge for nefarious purposes. Should speak with a smooth southern drawl.

Catherine Simms: (female, 18-early 20s) A former debutante, Catherine is living at the lodge with her younger brother, Ellard. Engaged to the Reverend Lee and the heiress to a fortune, she is bored with life, restless, and uncertain of what she wants when confronted with an unplanned-for surprise. At first viewed as spoiled and somewhat unpleasant, Catherine transforms as she pours her heart out to Charlie (who, she assumes, understands nothing she says) and finds him a kind and wonderful friend. Should speak with a southern drawl.

Ellard Simms: (male, 18-mid 20s) The younger brother of Catherine. Considered by most to be mentally defective, he is a sweet, overgrown, backward youth who we see blossom with Charlie’s help. MUST be able to use a thick southern accent.

Owen Musser: (male, mid 20s-50s) A local redneck, and the other villain in the play. Owen has gotten himself into a position of power as the property inspector for the county. In cahoots with the Reverend Lee, Owen is a threat to Betty’s livelihood. Owen is a textbook bigot, prejudiced against any and all who don’t fit his idea of White, Christian, America. MUST do heavy southern accent.