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Experience stories come alive this season as the Black Mountain Center for the Arts proudly introduces the Encore Players, a brand-new senior readers theatre program dedicated to the craft of script-in-hand performance. This inaugural season celebrates the power of the actor's voice to ignite the imagination without the pressure of memorization. Participants will enjoy a collaborative environment that fosters social connection and lifelong learning. Whether you are a veteran of the stage or a curious newcomer, the Encore Players offer an accessible way to dive deep into character development and share the joy of storytelling through public performances. Join us as we launch this vibrant new chapter in the Swannanoa Valley, proving that the magic of theatre is an enduring spirit that only grows richer with time.
Join the Encore Players for Blithe Spirit
Experience stories come alive this season as the Black Mountain Center for the Arts proudly introduces the Encore Players, a brand-new senior readers' theatre program dedicated to the craft of script-in-hand performance. We invite you to be part of our inaugural production: Noël Coward’s "improbable farce," Blithe Spirit.
Audition Information
About The Play
When novelist Charles Condomine invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati for a séance to research his new book, he gets more than he bargained for. He accidentally summons the ghost of his temperamental first wife, Elvira, who soon finds herself in a hilarious, supernatural tug-of-war with Charles’s very living second wife, Ruth.
A Stage For Everyone
The Encore Players celebrate the power of the actor’s voice to ignite the imagination without the pressure of memorization. Our casting philosophy is inclusive and community-focused:
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Ages: Listed script ages are not relevant; we want your spirit, not your birth date!
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Gender: Roles may be adapted or gender-swapped based on participant interest.
Whether you are a veteran of the stage or a curious newcomer, this program offers an accessible way to dive deep into character development and share the joy of storytelling
Audition Details
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Location: The Gale Jackson Theatre at Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
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Thursday, February 12th
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11:00 - 1:00​
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Friday, February 13th
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11:00 - 1:00​
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The Roles
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Charles Condomine: A suave novelist. Intelligent, dryly funny, and increasingly overwhelmed.
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Ruth Condomine: Charles’s second wife. Smart, poised, and social. She is the practical "straight man" to the chaos.
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Elvira: The ghost of Charles's first wife. Flirtatious, mischievous, and delightfully wicked.
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Madame Arcati: An eccentric local medium. Enthusiastic, athletic in spirit, and utterly professional about the occult.
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Dr. & Mrs. Bradman: The Condomines' skeptical and social neighbors.
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Edith: The nervous, high-speed maid who accidentally bridges the gap between worlds.
Rehearsal Details
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Rehearsal Location: The Gale Jackson Theatre at Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
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Schedule: Two 3-hour rehearsals per week (Mondays and Thursdays).
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Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
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Commitment: 8 sessions total, beginning Monday, March 2.
About The Director
GLenna Grant
Glenna Grant is an actor, director, and teacher currently based in her hometown of Asheville, NC.
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An Asheville native, Glenna landed in New York after attending the conservatory at Purchase College, where she earned her B.F.A in Acting. In over a decade as an NYC based actor, Glenna performed with such companies as The Public, LAByrinth Theatre, The Riot Group, and as a member of "The Bats" at the Flea Theater.
In Asheville, she has appeared at NC Stage Company in The Revolutionists, Antigone, and As You Like It, and has played several iterations of Kitty Dayle in Immediate Theatre Projects beloved WVL Radio Theatre series.
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Offstage, Glenna can be seen on OWN’s Queen Sugar, Fox's The Following, & Identification Discovery's Swamp Murders, among others. Her voice work can be heard in GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned, Lucky 420, and Red Dead Redemption.
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As playwright and teaching artist, Glenna traveled through rural Ecuador & Tanzania with Dramatic Adventure Theatre Co, and all across WNC with NC Stage’s Community Tour. From 2018 to 2022, she designed and directed the acting program at Virginia's Governor's School for Visual & Performing Arts.
A lifelong lover of Shakespeare, Glenna maintains a focus on work that bridges the classical and the modern.
