Frank Loesser’s brassy, immortal score makes Guys and Dolls SR. a crowd pleaser. The flexible cast size features both a variety of ensemble and star roles. This highly producible show is a treat for audiences and performers of any age.
Have you ever wanted to act, sing, and dance onstage but never had the time? Now is your chance thanks to Let’s Take The Stage, a new theatre program for adults 55 and over, offered by the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center. This initiative celebrates the creativity and vitality of seniors by providing a variety of opportunities to get involved in the performing arts.
The first production will be Guys & Dolls SR, scheduled for June 2026. Plans include a how-to audition workshop with an expanded rehearsal process for the production, one of five musicals in Music Theatre International’s new Broadway Senior collection. The new program adapts classic musicals to meet the needs and abilities of performers 55 and over, including accessible scripts and a 60 minute running time. There’s no fee to participate in the production, and everyone over 55 is invited to audition!
The Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center will hold auditions for Guys & Dolls Sr!, March 10th and 11th at 5 pm. Auditions will be held at the Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd Street in downtown Wilmington. The production, directed by Laurene Perry with choreography by Laurie Grace Wood, runs from June 5-7, 2026 at The Hannah Block Historic USO /Community Arts Center.
Please prepare 30 seconds (16 bars)of a musical theatre style song to sing. You may sing a Capella or use a karaoke track on your phone. Please dress comfortably and be prepared to dance and, in some cases, to read from a portion of the script that will be provided to you.
Audition sign-up will begin December 29th. PLEASE CALL 910-341-7860 TO SIGN UP!
Callbacks will be March 12 at the Community Arts Center.
Actors of all ethnicities over the age of 55 are welcome and encouraged to audition!
Synopsis:
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls SR. is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls SR. takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong – all in 60 minutes!
Sky Masterson: Sky Masterson is the quintessential, “smooth-as-velvet” Broadway gambler; he’s slick and charming. In today’s terms he would be called “a player.” Sky should have a strong voice capable of owning the stage when delivering “Luck Be a Lady.” He has a soft spot for Sarah Brown.
Nathan Detroit: Nathan Detroit is the heart and soul of Guys And Dolls JR. Your Nathan needn’t be a great singer but should be a very good actor with excellent comic timing and able to handle a sizable role. His presence must draw the focus in any scene. Cast an actor who can take positive risks with his acting and singing. Nathan’s big secret is that he wants to marry Adelaide; he just can’t bring himself to admit it.
Sarah Brown: Sarah Brown is the “girl next door” with an adventurous side that’s waiting to escape. She is gently authoritative, the mirror opposite of Sky. Sky is her weakness. Sarah is about substance as much as Sky is about style.
Miss Adelaide: Miss Adelaide is the classic “intellectually-challenged floozy.” This actress doesn’t need to be a strong singer, but she must have a good sense of pitch. Adelaide needs to be funny and able to do a convincingly thick New York City dialect.
Nicely-Nicely Johnson: Nicely – Nicely Johnson is walking, talking, Broadway comedy. Select a performer who has fantastic comic timing and is naturally funny. Cast an excellent musician and someone who isn’t afraid to take positive risks.
Rusty Charlie: Benny Southstreet and Rusty Charlie are the small-time gambler sidekicks of Nicely- Nicely Johnson. These are perfect roles for good actors who are naturally funny. They should be confident singers (they open the show with “The Fugue for Tin Horns”) and have a handle on comic timing.
Big Jule: Harry the Horse and Big Jule are colorful additions to the crapshooters crew. They should be strong and humorous characters.
Benny Southstreet: Benny Southstreet and Rusty Charlie are the small-time gambler sidekicks of Nicely- Nicely Johnson.
Harry The Horse: Harry the Horse and Big Jule are colorful additions to the crapshooters crew. They should be strong and humorous characters.
Lt. Brannigan: Lt. Brannigan is the police officer that always plays the patsy and is outwitted by the Gamblers. This is a non-singing role.
Master Of Ceremonies: The Master of Ceremonies is the host at the Hot Box Club.
Arvide Abernathy: Arvide Abernathy is Sarah Brown’s grandfather and the bass drum player in the Mission Band.
General Cartwright: General Cartwright is the formidable leader of the Save-a-Soul Mission organization.
Mission Band: The Mission Band is the tireless group that can be comprised of as many performers as you wish. They are more about persistence than precision. The Mission Band includes Agatha, Calvin, Martha, and Bertha.
Hot Box Girls: The Hot Box Girls work in the club and are in the act “A Bushel and a Peck” where Miss Adelaide is the headliner.
Gamblers/Guys: The Gamblers/Guys are the well-dressed “comic glue” of the show. They are the rest of your male ensemble (except for the Mission Band). A variety of gamblers, pedestrians, workers, NYC folks of all types will work perfectly for this group.
Dolls: The Dolls are other ensemble females that are not Hot Box girls or Mission Band members.
Audition & Performance Details:
Audition: Mar. 10 & 11, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, if needed callbacks will be March 12 at 5:00 pm
To sign up for auditions, please call 910.341.7860 starting January 19th, 2026
Show Dates and Times: June 5 – 7, 2026, Fri. – Sat. 7:30 pm, Sun. 3:00 pm
Location: 2nd Street Stage, HBHUSO/Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd Street
Tickets: Available at www.wilmingtoncommunityarts.org or 910-341-7860
Price: $15 plus preservation fee & tax
The Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center is owned by the City of Wilmington and
managed by Thalian Association Community Theatre. The building is a historic and cultural treasure and has been the center of recreation and art for generations of local children. Today the building continues to be the home for children, art and recreation while serving as a mini museum of the Wilmington and New Hanover County WWII home front. For information about the building history, special events and rentals, go to www.wilmingtoncommunityarts.org.
Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall and manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program offers training and performance opportunities for children ages seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Theater by the state legislature. For more information, go to www.thalian.org.
Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950. It received nearly unanimous positive reviews from critics and won a bevy of awards, including Tony Awards, Drama Desks and Oliviers. Frequently revived, the show has been done with numerous all-star casts, including productions/concerts featuring Ewan McGregor, Jane Krakowski, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jessica Biel. Performers 55+ can now join this illustrious group in Guys and Doll SR!
Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls SR. is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls SR. takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong – all in 60 minutes!