For Halloween 2023, the Post Meridian Radio Players are proud to present two radio plays, each tying in with a classic part of the English-language horror tradition!

In Hannah Baker and Pooja Usgaonkar’s original horror-comedy The King in Yellow, a local community theater comes together to put on The King in Yellow, a notorious play of mysterious provenance that is rumored to drive its readers mad. As production continues, mishaps pile up, and tensions among the cast and crew come to a boil, but is it just bad luck, or something more sinister? The eponymous play was imagined by horror writer Robert W. Chambers in the 1890s for his book of short stories of the same title, and then incorporated by later writers into the Cthulhu Mythos.

And in our reprise of Jay Sekora’s radio-drama adaptation of the classic George A. Romero film Night of the Living Dead, a group of people try to survive, and struggle to cooperate, as they are besieged in a remote farmhouse by living corpses that have risen from the grave. The original film — in the public domain due to accidents and quirks of the law at the time of its release — created the modern zombie genre in Western filmmaking almost single-handedly. Our adaptation was originally presented in 2013 along with “Ghost Hunt”, and we are happy to be able to bring it to audiences again.

Read on for information about auditions and the form to sign up for an audition slot!

Auditions will be Tuesday, August 22, and Thursday, August 24, 2023 at Guild Church in Somerville. Scroll down to learn how to sign up for a slot and audition.

Parts will be available for both voice and Foley roles.

There will be six performances October 20-29, 2023.

IMPORTANT: Since performers will be in close proximity on stage and at rehearsals, we are requiring performers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

PLEASE NOTE: The Post-Meridian Radio Players is a community theater group and is run by volunteers. Our performers are not paid.

How to Audition

Now

1. Go to our Audition Documents folder on Google Drive and read over the synopses and character descriptions for both plays and think a little bit about what you’re interested in — the voice roles listed there are available, but there also positions for sound-effects performance, tech crew, and various other things.
2. Then, click here to sign up for an audition appointment, fill out the form, and submit it.
3. If you have submitted the form correctly and one of the time slots you requested is still available, you will get email confirming your audition appointment. (This is sent by a human being who has a day job, so don't worry if it doesn't come right away. But if it doesn’t come within a day or so, contact us at auditions@pmrp.org. You can also use that address to contact us if you have trouble submitting the form.)

Before your audition

There will be a bunch of documents posted in our Audition Documents folder on Google Drive. All of the following have now been posted:

• a paper audition form (different from the online signup form!), and
• a schedule grid,

both of which you should print out and fill out before your rehearsal slot if possible, and

• synopses and character descriptions for
  • The King in Yellow and
  • Night of the Living Dead

  for you to peruse and refer to as you fill out your forms, and

• audition sides for each of the two segments

which you'll probably want to print out and practice before your audition.

Some Things to Know

• For this show, voice rehearsals will generally be on Thursdays, with some Foley rehearsals and the initial readthrough on Tuesdays.
• The audition process involves one form that you fill out online (the appointment form) and two paper forms which you should print out, complete, and bring with you to the audition. They’re not interchangeable. (The paper forms are on Google Drive.)
• If you show up for an audition without the paper forms (or the sides), we’ll probably have a few extra copies printed out and you can fill out the forms there. However, it saves time and trouble and makes the process go more smoothly if you can bring completed forms with you. (It also helps demonstrate to the directors how responsible and resourceful you are!)
• Walk-ins are welcome, but people with appointments will take priority. If there are no-shows during a given hour, we will fill those slots with walk-ins. Any remaining walk-ins will be auditioned at 10pm. It helps the directors tremendously if you sign up in advance, though.

Location