The Town Players of Newtown have announced a new event for this season-that-wasn’t. The local theater has also announced its August virtual offerings.

Video auditions for a virtual holiday fundraiser are being accepted through September 20. The special event, planned for the weekend before Christmas, will include Always, Anastasia, a one-act play written and directed by Michele Leigh, to be followed by an old-fashioned carol sing.

The play — about a disillusioned cop on the verge of a nervous breakdown who believes he is being tormented by a narcissistic psychopath — calls for one male and two female actors.

The cast breakdown is as follows:

*Nick is a disillusioned cop in his mid-30s. He fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a NYC police officer but feels disappointed by the reality of it. His only family is his wife Grace, whom he adores. He is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for nine years. He is obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, and has difficulty sleeping.

*Danni is Nick’s partner. In her mid-20s, Danni is an overachiever who is a good cop, but always feels the need to prove herself. She is optimistic, ambitious, and eager to learn from Nick’s experience. She is a tomboy, yet still feminine, who is likable to both men and women.

*Grace is Nick’s wife. A vocalist now in her mid-30s, Grace began singing at an early age and throughout her life used music as a means of escaping the world around her. She is extremely talented but not at all ambitious. She sings with a local chamber choir but prefers to spend time at home with her husband and their cat, Felix.

Copies of the script are available at newtownplayers.org; click on Virtual Auditions. Those interested in auditioning should download the script, pick a scene, and record themselves. Visit the Town Players website for additional details.

Michele Leigh is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University, where she earned a liberal arts degree.

Always, Anastasia was first performed at Riant Theater’s 2008 Strawberry Festival in New York City. It was selected to participate in the Wild Night series, with Armin Parsanejad in the role of Nick, Chiara Montalto as Danni, and Jennie West as Grace.

The script was subsequently selected for publication in The Best Plays from the Strawberry Festival, Volume Five.

The previous year, her Psychobiology of Marilyn Monroe was published in the WCSU Honors Journal. The playwright is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and the Dramatist Guild.

Town Players are also seeking 12 carolers to sing holiday songs from the public domain: “Joy to The World,” “Jingle Bells,” “12 Days of Christmas,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Auld Lang Syne.”

Those who would like to audition should pick a song and record themselves singing it. Again, visit the Town Players website and click on Virtual Auditions for full details.

The event — including rehearsals — will be an all-virtual experience. Auditions, table reads, rehearsals, tech week, and the final performance will all be done online.

Each performer, therefore, will need to have a reliable internet connection, own a computer with a camera and mic, designate a quiet place to rehearse, and be somewhat familiar with Zoom.

The table read is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at 2 pm,

Rehearsals will be Tuesdays evenings (carolers), Thursday evenings (actors), and Sunday afternoon (full cast).

Tech week will run December 14-18, with the performance planned for the afternoon of Sunday, December 20, at 2 pm.

The public will be invited to enjoy the performances through donations. Those who donate $10 or more to the theater will receive a link to watch the show online.

August Virtual Theater

For the safety of the audience, actors, and community, Town Players of Newtown in May announced the suspension of its 2020 season, instead presenting monthly Virtual Theater events.

The offering for August is a scene from The Foreigner, from the theater’s 2016 season.

Written by Larry Shue and directed by Timothy Huebenthal, the production featured Bob Filipowich as Charlie Baker, Nick Kaye (Froggy), Jennifer Weiss (Betty Meeks), Bryn Berg (Catherine Simms), Tony Benedetti (Ellard Simms), Rick Haylon (Reverend David Marshall Lee) and Frank Arnon (Owen Musser).

In her review of the show, Newtown Bee theater reviewer Elizabeth Young said the “tried and true staple of theater is under the direction of the multi-talented Tim Hubenthal, who also designed the perfectly appointed fishing lodge.”

Calling it a “wonderful cast,” she highlighted “the very talented and animated Bob Filipowich, who manages an all-knowing innocence with his portrayal of an outsider who becomes the ultimate insider.”

The cast earned its “robust round of applause” during the opening weekend performance Young attended, she further stated.

To view the August offering — and the three previous Virtual Theater scenes — visit the Town Players website and click on Virtual Theater.