"Final Audition, Last Chance for the Role of a Lifetime,” an inspirational new comedy written and directed by Chicago author and playwright, John Ruane, presents the story of actress Sally Cochrane, who has worked for 30 years to land one big break to launch her career, but is ready to give it all up and go back to Normal (Illinois).

 

The play premiered at The Art Place Theatre in Marietta and proved to be a big hit with audiences ranging from high school students through seniors, all of whom loved the play, expressing their delight in the lobby after each performance. 

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Final Audition transports the audience back to 1993 in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, where they meet Sally, who manages the Wells Street Hotel to support herself. When she learns that famous director, Nick Michaels, is returning to his roots to cast his next Broadway play with Chicago actors, Sally is torn between doing one final audition or just going back to Normal.

 

The Wells Street Hotel is a unique establishment that mainly houses actors. Sally must keep order among the eccentric group of Broadway hopefuls, characters who reveal their quirks and foibles as they get to know each other preparing for the big audition.  The comedy arises from their anxieties, interactions and quest for respect. Real romance develops among one couple, while another is purely manipulative in pursuit of a leading role.

  

“The audience gets to know this hopeful group of actors and so much of the comedy comes out of their interactions,” said Ruane, an author of six books and former journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, who developed his theatrical skills at the famed Second City Theater in Chicago. “But it is Sally’s story that is the focus of the play, revealing the struggles she has faced and challenges she has overcome in a three-decade pursuit of her dream."

 

Given the incredibly positive response to the play, 3rd ACT Productions filmed the play and is seeking a distributor to place it on streaming channels, so a much larger audience can see this fun-filled and heart-felt story of a talented woman pursuing her life-long dream, while surrounded by a group of young acting hopefuls just beginning their quest. 

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Stay tuned for news about where this wonderful play can be seen next!

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