Note: Bill Hand is also an editor and writer with New Bern Live.
Tryouts are announced for “The Devil’s Disciple,” a famous drama/comedy about the American Revolution, that will tour New Bern, Washington, NC, and Oriental in September. The dates for the show are September 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 with a total of 7 performances.
Tryouts will be held in the O Marks Building at 233 Middle Street, in the lobby by the escalator, on April 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. If you cannot make that date, a reading can be set by contacting Bill Hand at 252-229-4977 or e-mailing CarolinaHeritageTheater@gmail.com.
“The Devil’s Disciple” was playwright George Bernard Shaw’s first American hit in 1893: A respected New England man has been hanged as an example by the British and now they are closing in on the town of Westerbridge. Sure enough, a minister is arrested to meet the same fate… but a sharp-witted outcast turns the town on its head and shows up his hypocritical relatives when he convinces the British that he, himself, is the minister, intending to die in his stead.
As in every Shaw play, the dialogue is bright and witty, the parts are challenging for actors, and Shaw’s sharp eye catches the foibles and hypocrisies of society at large.
The troupe is called Carolina Heritage Theater and is the second production by North Carolina History Theater founder Bill Hand and partner Ken Harper. “This is my passion,” Hand said, “to present the great classics and my own plays about North Carolina history to Eastern Carolina, and not just to New Bern.”
Hand said that New Bern has strong talent in its current theater companies and has no wish to compete against them. In fact, he said, he wants to share the city’s talent with other towns. “This is our first real outside venture,” he said. “The idea is to present the show locally, and briefly, for one weekend, then go on the road.” While “Disciple” will play to three venues, he hopes to expand the audience to more towns in the future.
The company’s first production was a one-man show on Saint Patrick, written and performed by Hand, and performed in New Bern and Maysville. In the past, his original musicals, “Honour,” about a New Bern duel, “Flight,” the story of the Wright Brothers, and a true story of the Civil War in the North Carolina mountains, titled “Bushwhackers,” ran under the NCHT title. Honour was first performed as a fundraiser for the New Bern Historical Society. The first two shows featured music by Simon Spalding while Bushwhackers was composed by Jimmy Merritt.
The 11-person cast calls for men and women ranging from teens to seniors.
Information on the characters and readings for “The Devil’s Disciple” tryouts is available by request by contacting director Bill Hand at bill.hand.newbern@gmail.com. You can preview the play by following this link: HERE https://www.sandroid.org/GutenMark/wasftp.GutenMark/MarkedTexts/tdvld10.pdf
Visit the company website here:
https://billhandnewbern.wixsite.com/carolina-heritage-th