Is He Dead?

by Mark Twain

adapted by David Ives

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Audition Dates

March 15 @ 6:30pm

March 16 @ 6:30pm

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Production Dates

May 14-17, 22-24, & 29-31, 2020

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Director: Tom Hayward

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CHARACTERS (4 female, 7 male, with some flexibility possible)

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Agamemnon Buckner (“Chicago”)

A young American artist.  Character role involving physical comedy and timing. Male 20-35.

Hans Von Bismarck (“Dutchy”): Pupil and fun-loving friend of Millet. German dialect, practical, physical comedy.  Male 20 -35.

Marie Leroux

Millet’s young sweetheart.  Free-spirit and confident.  Female 20 – 35.

Cecile Leroux

Marie’s older sister, in love with “Chicago.”  Jealous and suspicious of Widow Tillou, disguises herself as an inspector to investigate the “death” of Millet. Female 20 – 35.

Papa Leroux

Father to Marie and Cecile, falls in love with Widow Tillou.  Good at physical comedy. Male 45 – 60.

Jean-Francois Millet/Widow Tillou

Struggling free-spirited artist living in poverty.  Madly in love with Marie. He fakes his death and takes on the persona of his fictional widowed sister.

Madame Daisy Tillou

Physical comedy. (Lead) Male 30 – 50

Bastien Andre

Art dealer and villain trying to ruin Millet and the Leroux family by threatening them with financial ruin. Lusts after Widow Tillou. Male 40 – 60.

Madame Bathilde

Kindly benefactress to Millet, but a real busy-body. Female 40 – 60.

Madame Caron

Also benefactress to Millet, gossips with Madame Bathilde. Female 40 – 60.

Phelim O’Shaughnessy

Pupil and boisterous friend of Millet, Irish dialect. Mischevious. Physical comedy. Male 20 – 35.

“Clown” Character role-playing 4 parts

Basil Thorpe, a rich, fussy English buyer of art; Claude Riviere, a French reporter from Le Figaro; Charlie, a flunkey who is actually Inspector Monnet in disguise; The King of France.

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Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. A headshot/resume is appreciated, but not required

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​For questions please contact Tom Hayward: tom@nasbla.org      

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About The Play

A hilarious comedy that focuses on the real-life painter, Jean-Francois Millet. Though brilliant, he is in debt to a ruthless moneylender, and can’t sell a painting to save his life (literally). His cohort of bohemian friends convinces him to stage his own death to help boost sales. Authored by Twain in 1898, this play was recently discovered by Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin and adapted for today’s stage by one of America’s premier comedy playwrights, David Ives. Tartuffe meets Monty Python in this madcap 19th-century comedy!