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| Flowers for Algernon
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 | Charlie Good-looking young man of 25-32; mentally retarded/genius; has to be able to demonstrate a mentally retarded individual who morphs into a genius, develops from awkward and lovable to a vulnerable and sensitive genius, must be able to play Charlie at all the various points along the way from mentally retarded to genius and back; as the mentally retarded Charlie, he is good-natured, interested, and eager to please; as the genius Charlie, he is sensitive, scared, edgy, impatient, arrogant, and mocking. |
| Teen-Age Charlie Plays mentally retarded Charlie in his teen years |
| Little Charlie Plays mentally retarded Charlie as a boy |
| Alice Attractive, youngish, serious teacher, devoted to her mentally-challenged pupils, compassionate, sensitive, sometimes edgy, develops from Charlie’s teacher and mentor to his girlfriend, has real concerns for the ruthlessness of scientific types |
| Burt Laboratory technician; conducts testing on Charlie; should be smart, clinical, and compassionate; really supports using Charlie in experimental surgery |
| Professor Nemur Very proper, wary, testy, authoritarian, controlling, patronizing |
| Dr. Strauss Neurosurgeon, somewhat ruthless, condescending, self-confident |
| Mother Fragile, emotionally unstable, insecure, capricious, has to age approx. 20 years; attitude toward Charlie changes completely after birth of sister, Norma |
| Father Compassionate, sympathetic, concerned about his son, also has to age 20 years |
| Norma Charlie’s sister, adult, worn out from taking care of her aged mother, concerned for Charlie, regrets her attitude toward Charlie when she was young |
| Child Norma Angry, mean to Charlie, spoiled by mother, feels Charlie has ruined her life |
| Joe and Frank Both work at Donner’s bakery; like to make fun of Charlie, Frank especially is a smart-ass; he can also be a slacker when it comes to work, plays tricks on Charlie |
| Gina Salesgirl at bakery, lots of makeup, wild hairdo, definitely lower-middle class, not too bright |
| Ellen Pretty young girl, friend of Gina’s, also lower middle class |
| Mrs. Donner Owner of bakery, motherly middle-aged Jewish lady, sympathetic, very caring of Charlie |
| Mrs. Mooney Charlie’s landlady, simple, uneducated, full of life, takes a real liking to Charlie |
| Mrs. Nemur, Jackie Welberg, Anne Welberg Rich, older women who will be played by Gina, Ellen, and Mrs. Donner; they support the research and experimental surgery |
| Chairman and Mr. Harvey Older prosperous men who will be played by Joe and Frank |
Synopsis:
A story of a young mentally-retarded man who undergoes an experimental operation and becomes a genius; Charlie is a happy 25-35 year-old man with an 8 year-old mind who tragically realizes that his accelerated IQ will not last and he will return to the child-like mind he had before the operation. Charlie is played at all the levels in between the 8 year-old and the genius; this is a tour de force role for an actor; anyone who has ever played this role has won awards including an Oscar for Cliff Robertson for the movie Charly. Surrounding this role is an ensemble of actors who contribute revealing slices of this tale of science vs. nature. Each of these characters exposes a necessary part of the story; each is important and meaningful. There are roles for very young and teen-age actors, middle-aged and older women and men and young actors in their 20s and 30s. This is an opportunity for a large cast to present a significant play of the 70s.
About the Director: Gloria DuGan has directed
over forty productions in the DC area since 1980. Her credits include many
award-winning productions, as well as awards and nominations for her direction.
Her recent productions at Elden Street Players include W;t*, Passion,
Doubt*, Blood Brothers* and Art.
(* ESP production received WATCH
Nominations and/or Awards)
Performance Dates: June 8 - 30, 2012
All roles are volunteer
positions.
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