Farce of Habit 2025
Farce of Habit, by Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten
Directed by Ed Sanders
Audition dates: August 4 & 5, 2025
Performance dates: October 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 2025
Comic fireworks explode in FARCE OF HABIT, an absurdly funny Southern-fried romp that takes us back to the Reel 'Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. The proprietor, D. Gene Wilburn, is looking forward to a peaceful weekend on the lake. But there are only two chances of that happening: slim and none. Why, for example, has his wife, Wanelle, picked these three days to white-knuckle her way through caffeine withdrawal? Why is his son Ty's marriage to Jenna falling apart so fast? Could it have something to do with the French can-can costume Ty is wearing? How on earth would D. Gene's feisty sister, Maxie, allow herself to get caught up in such a bizarre undercover police assignment? And that's just his family. If this isn't enough to thwart D. Gene's weekend plans, he's got a gaggle of nuns who've converged on the Inn, hell-bent on experiencing a nature retreat - which might be tolerable if D. Gene didn't have a chronic fear of anything in a habit. Add to this the presence of Jock McNair, a nationally known relationship guru whose colossal ego threatens everyone's sanity; a shy retiree anxious to cut loose and embrace his "inner caveman" and a couple of wild women who may or may not be who they claim to be. Throw in the storm of the century that's fast bearing down on Mayhew, Arkansas and D. Gene has no prayer of baiting a hook any time soon. Oh, and did we mention there's an axe murderer on the loose?
If you enjoy gloriously preposterous hilarity, then laughing your way through the take-no-prisoners lunacy of a Jones Hope Wooten Comedy is one habit you'll never want to break!
Characters:
- Wanelle Wilburn, 50-60ss, a determined ball of fire, addicted to caffeine
- D. Gene Wilburn, 50-60s, good-hearted guy, loves to fish, owns the Reel 'Em Inn with Wanelle
- Maxie Wilburn Suggs, 50-60s, hearty no-nonsense country woman
- Jock McNair, late 40s, handsome, macho, self-centered womanizer
- Ty Wilburn, 30s, handsome, charming son of Wanelle and D. Gene
- Jenna Sealy Wilburn, 30s, sweet, fresh-faced wife of Ty
- Huddle Fisk, 50s, a kind, meek man in a plaid suit and bowtie
- Sister Myrtle Agnes, 60s, stern, sarcastic nun
- Barbara Stratton, late 40s, red-haired, determined bundle of nerves from California
How auditions work:
We skip straight to what other theatres do as callbacks. No appointment is necessary. Come to either group audition time and plan to read snippets from the script with other actors. Generally, it's good to audition for any/all roles in a play.
Before you audition
- Gather a list of ALL schedule conflicts between the audition date and final performance date. This is important. The director will cast the show and create a rehearsal schedule based on provided conflicts. If you (or your child) are cast, it is your obligation to adhere to the rehearsal schedule once it is set.
- If you have never auditioned with us, and/or if you have a lot of theatre credits, we encourage you to bring a photo headshot and/or theatre résumé with you to auditions. We've put together a basic theatre résumé template in Google Docs that you can copy and use as a guide. This is a generic guide only. A résumé is optional for most directors and does not have to look like this!
Rehearsal Information
- Specific rehearsal schedules will depend on the people cast, as well as other things that are happening at the theatre.
- IN GENERAL, we try to rehearse three or four weeknights (often Mon, Tues, & Thurs with occasional Wed or Fri), 6:30-8:30-ish, and Saturday mornings 9:30-noon-ish. But again, there are multiple factors that will affect your rehearsal schedule if cast.
- Actors are only called to rehearsal when their specific parts are being rehearsed, and directors do their best to work with reasonable schedule conflicts.
- Information about the first read-through will be given at auditions.
- If cast, you will receive a rehearsal schedule at (or sometimes before) the first read-through.
- If you (or your child) are called to rehearsal, the director is counting on your presence unless it was already on your conflict sheet.
More information
The theatre is located at 500 S Bosque (Hwy 22), Whitney, TX, 76692. It's next door to Whitney Elementary School's athletic fields, directly across from the cemetery. Parking is at the rear of the building. For more info, call the theatre at 254-694-5105.