Announcing Auditions for Bare Bear Bones!
UPDATE: DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, SUNDAY’S AUDITIONS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28
Auditions:
Sunday, January 25 – 7 to 9 pm
Monday, January 26 – 7 to 9 pm
Wednesday January 28 – 7 to 9pm
(come either day during this time frame, no appointment necessary)
For auditions prepare a comedic monologue that is roughly 1 minute in length. For more information feel free to reach out tkbarebearbones@gmail.com.
St. Andrew’s Church Fellowship Hall
85 William St. S., Chatham
(please use side William Street door)
Callbacks will be:
Wednesday, January 28 – 7 to 9 pm
We encourage everyone to try out, even if you have little or no previous acting experience. Everyone has to start somewhere… why not with Theatre Kent?
Role breakdown:
Norman: Male. 50-60. A quick-witted but conservative empty nester. He is married to Ruth and is the father of two children, but he has no grandchildren. He is reluctantly attending a marriage counsellor because Ruth feels they have “lost the spark.” He loves Ruth but has a hard time showing his feelings.
Ruth: Female. 50-60. A religious and conservative empty nester married to Norman. She raised 2 children as a stay-at-home mom. Lately with the children grown, she feels her marriage has no spark and is desperate to rekindle the relationship so it can be the magical night in the pickup.
Frank: Male. 50-60. Nudist. A widower who has found a more liberal side to life. After losing his wife to cancer, he was deeply depressed, but accidentally discovered a new way of life. The Bare Bones Alternative Lifestyle Campground was created from his failing family campground. He is the father of Libby and Annie. He is a long friend of Norman and Ruth but they haven’t seen each other in 15 years.
Annie: Female. 20s. Nudist. She is attempting a career as an actress. She lives at home with her father and helps him at the campground. She is energetic and always interested in having fun. She is more care-free than her sister.
Libby: Female. 20s or early 30s. Nudist. She studies medicine at university and is in her final year. During the summer she helps her father around the campground. She is more conservative than her younger sister.
Lenny: Male. 20s or early 30s. Nudist. The ultimate “party dude.” on the other hand. There may be a more professional side to him too, as he works at a talent agency in the city.
Bruce: Male. 50s. Nudist. Regional manager for a linen company who spends much of his time on the road. He has the typical travelling salesman stories but is happily married to Doris.
Doris: Female. 50s. Nudist. She is married to Bruce and they have raised two boys together. She and Bruce decided after the kids left home that they would do something outside their comfort zone at least once a year.
Please note: All the nude characters will be covered. This play aims to make it seem like everyone is unclothed much like the gags used in the Austin Powers movies. There are hedges and blankets to hide actors so mostly they will have exposed shoulders. When actors enter the campside they will be covered by towels and other props.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
May 8 & 9, 2026
Kiwanis Theatre
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Bare Bear Bones by Michael Grant
Directed by Brock MacKenzie
At the instruction of their marriage counsellor, empty nesters Norm and Ruth book a trip to a place where they remember being in love, the Bear Bones Family Campground, in order to rekindle their spark. After arriving late in the night, the conservative couple wakes to discover that their once familiar spot has become the Bare Bones Alternative Lifestyle Campground, and that nobody else is wearing any clothes!
Besides figuring out which side of the clothesline they’re on, Norm and Ruth have to work on their communication, whether it’s blindly directing one another to the washroom or re-establishing their goals in life. With the help of guests and staff, the couple starts to open their eyes and find their way back to their happy place.
“A delight . . . you will laugh out loud.”
– Laurel Beechey, The Tillsonburg News
