Gus and Alice, an elderly retired couple, have an established routine of togetherness and good-natured bickering. One night at dinner, Alice takes Gus by surprise when she suggests they consider selling their house and moving into a retirement community. Game nights, "tea" dates between longtime friends, talks about gluten and cats, bad singing, the merits of wearing pants, and most of all, laughs galore are at the heart of "Gus and Alice"!

"Gus and Alice" is a new comedy by writer/director Mike Rago. Gus and Alice has been chosen for a one night performance at a theatre festival in New York for the week of April 13th-19th. Auditions and rehearsals will be in the Chicago area.

Character descriptions:
GUS (60s -80s) is, quite frankly, a curmudgeon. He is married to Alice for 50+ years and is Jim's father. He deliberately forgets people's names, argues, complains, and remains stubborn. Yet there must be something likable about Gus. He is not cruel or belittling, just lazy and cranky. Gus is observant and some of his criticisms are spot-on. He has some sweet moments with both Alice and little Kate, which make him endearing despite his gruffness.

ALICE (60s-80s) is Gus's wife and Jim's mother. She must obviously possess saint-like patience to put up with the strong and crabby personality of Gus. But she is not a doormat; she does not let Gus push her around. She speaks up when she's had enough, engages in playful banter with Gus, and energetically enjoys the company of her family and her best friend Betty. Alice feels concerned about her and Gus's future, and her desire to decide where they will live out their lives is the driving force of the plot.

JIM (mid-late 40s) is Gus and Alice's son, and husband to Kim. Jim is a loyal son who spends regular social time with Gus and Alice; he is also Gus's main confidante. Although he loves his parents, Jim's biggest fear is that he will turn out to be like his father as he gets older. He is kind to Kim and handles his parents with as much grace as he can, but he has his limits, too, just like Alice.

KIM (mid-late 40s) is Jim's wife, and Gus and Alice's daughter-in-law. She's like a daughter to them; she has a gentleness and familiarity that allow people to be themselves around her. Kim can be comically uncomfortable when left alone with Gus; his bluntness intimidates her.

BETTY (60s-80s) is Alice's best friend. She and Alice are always accompanied by booze of some sort. Betty is a feisty firecracker who speaks her mind. She is Alice's confidante and a good listener, but adds her two cents as often as she can. Betty is a character that lets us see Alice in a different light apart from Gus.

KYLE (20s) is a hardworking, hapless young man with several jobs that bring him into contact with Gus and Alice; he is a waiter at a restaurant, an attendant at Shady Pastures retirement home, and a pizza delivery boy. He tries very hard to remain professional and pleasant, but must face unreasonable and sometimes off-the-wall questioning from Gus. He deserves a raise, or at least a healthy gratuity for dealing with Gus.

TIFFANY (20s) is everything that Gus is not. She's a young, energetic, perpetually cheerful attendant at Babbling Brooks retirement home. She seems largely unbothered by Gus's grumpiness and plows ahead with her own agenda, which takes both Gus and Alice by surprise. Tiffany can be sweetly and cluelessly patronizing ("I just love old people!") without being unlikable to the audience. She is later revealed to be Kate's older sister.

SLAVA (40s or older) is the director of operations at Shady Pastures retirement home. He has an eastern European name that Gus butchers mercilessly, and an eastern European gravity and seriousness to go along with it. He is not gloomy, just deadpan. Slava clearly has a lot of experience dealing with cranky people and is able to keep 90% of his composure even after Gus refers to him as "Saliva."

KATE (8-12) is a young girl who spends time every week visiting her grandmother at Shady Pastures. She's a clever, happy child who has a strong ability to talk to adults. Kate takes Gus by surprise with her honesty and reminders for him to remember her name. She has some very Alice-like characteristics, which makes her appealing to Gus. Kate's interactions with Gus make him a much more likable character.

Auditions will be individually scheduled.

Rehearsals will start end of February, days/nights and times tba.

Travel stipend to be provided.