Night after night, the Fisherman can be seen traveling up and down the Tippecanoe, searching for the one he loved and lost, a woman called Tippy. So Kirk tells his young niece and nephew one fateful summer, like he's done every summer as long as they can remember. Now grown, Ella and her family-her brother Terrence, her mother Lori, her father Brady, and her aunt Joan-reflect back on the stories Kirk told and the ones they've told themselves. As Kirk's tales flood above the line between fable and reality, Ella and her loved ones reconcile with the past, the present, and the unknown.

Stepping into the shoes of characters from Kirk's lore and the surrounding riverside community, the family breathes life into fiction, coloring the nuances of their inner lives in broad strokes. Throughout their storytelling, the elusive Tippy slips just out of reach.

Fed by dozens of natural lakes, the Tippecanoe is known as the river of lakes. Our favorite stories are fed by our fears. This is a story fed by stories, by fears, and by the river.

Written by Kayla Belec
Directed by Stefan Roseen

Character Breakdown:

The Impostors Theatre Company has a desire to work with all kinds of artists. We encourage people of all backgrounds, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and religions to submit for consideration!

Kirk, Ranger Rick (25-35, Male identifying)
The favorite uncle, even if he is the only uncle. Kirk always knows what to say. He is the master of putting a fantastic spin on anything mundane and deeply in love with the art of storytelling. All Kirk wants is to make a lasting impact on those he loves. The actor that plays Kirk will also play Ranger Rick, a slow-talking, empathetic figment of Kirk's lore who leaps most freely between realty and fiction.

Ella, Perry (20-30, Female identifying)
The little sister who doubles as your shadow. She is impressionable and inquisitive. Her dying words would be a question. If Ella isn't listening to one of Kirk's scary stories, she's making one up in her head that's twice as terrifying. The actor that plays Ella will also play Scout Perry, a leader who just wants some respect already.

Terrence, Jonsi (20-30, Male identifying)
The big brother you wish you had. Terrence takes risks first, apologizes later, but privately dwells on his missteps. As an adolescent, he carries a lot of pent-up emotion with him. As a young man, he still carries it. Above all else, Terrence must learn how to forgive himself. The actor that plays Terrence will also play Scout Jonsi, a renowned bugle player.

Joan, The Crone (25-35, Female identifying)
Joan has a wit sharp as a knife. She never misses a beat. She hates birds, loves beer, and rolls with the punches. She has to, as Kirk's wife. Joan never feels entirely secure in her relationship with Kirk, as long as his first loves are his stories. The actor that plays Joan will also play The Crone, a character concocted from one of Joan's and Kirk's forgotten stories, who is lost amidst the items in which she buries herself to hide from her fears.

Lori, Stan, Lana (25-35, Female identifying)
The caring, anxious mother of Ella and Terrence. There's nothing that she loves more than her children, probably to a fault. Lori has given all of herself to her family, to the point where she wonders what's left of her. The actor that plays Lori will also play Scout Stan, a bewildered soul, and Lana, a woman concealing her fears in sharp edges.

Brady, Owen, Reggie (25-35, Male identifying)
Brady is a good father, but feels he often has to take the "bad cop" stance in his relationship with his family. He may be more naturally fun-loving if he didn't have to balance out the levels of drama Kirk brings to the table. The actor that plays Brady will also play Scout Owen, a bit of a know-it-all, and Reggie, a man who sees the past in rosy hues and the present in gray ones.

Tippy (Female identifying, Dance and Movement experience a plus)
At the heart of Kirk's most prized story and the family's fears, Tippy is an elusive shadow that appears throughout the play as a constant reminder of the unknown. In a way, she has the most power over each character's narrative, despite hardly uttering a word. Tippy is fear and the river personified, and each appearance she makes reveals a more eerie, water-bound being.

Gale the Fisherman (Male identifying, Dance and Movement experience a plus)
Also appearing throughout the show is Gale, who rows each evening in a slow journey up and down the river. A real person who inspires Kirk's prized story, Gale's true motives are unknown. In Kirk's story, he is a man compelled by a desperate, almost possessive need to find the love he lost. His presence marks a sense of ritual and routine- comforting to some characters, sinister to others.

Audition: Saturday, June 29: 10:30AM - 5PM
Callback: Sunday, June 30: 1PM - 5:30PM (Actor must be available for part of one of the callback time slots. Your callback time preference will be asked at auditions. Time slots will be 1:10-2:30, 2:40-4:00, 4:10-5:30)

Pay: There is a $130 stipend