OVER THE RIVER

Directed by jACKI MAENIUS

Synopsis: Nick is a single, Italian-American guy from New Jersey. His parents retired and moved to Florida. That doesn’t mean his family isn’t still in Jersey. In fact, he sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. This is routine until he has to tell them that he’s been offered a dream job. The job he’s been waiting for—marketing executive—would take him away from his beloved, but annoying, grandparents. He tells them. The news doesn’t sit so well. Thus begins a series of schemes to keep Nick around. How could he betray his family’s love to move to Seattle, for a job, wonder his grandparents? Well, Frank, Aida, Nunzio and Emma do their level best, and that includes bringing to dinner the lovely—and single—Caitlin O’Hare as bait…we won’t give the ending away here.

(Rated PG)

The audition will consist of monologues and cold readings from the script. This is a non-musical.

Please look over the provided paragraphs for each character.

Auditions: February 1st and 2nd, 6:00 PM

Call Backs: ALL parts are open.
What We Need:

NICK- Nick Cristano is a 29-year-old Italian-American man navigating the pull between his close-knit New Jersey family and his career ambitions. He is intelligent, earnest, and well-meaning, with a deep love for his grandparents, who raised him.

FRANK –The patriarch of the family, Frank firmly believes in tradition and routine. He is true to his word, stubborn, and boisterous with a flair for drama. He is an Italian immigrant who is responsible for his family finding their way in America. He is married to Aida. (Male, 50+)

AIDA – The youngest of 7 sisters, Aida is a kind, soft spoken, and surprisingly stubborn woman who knows that the answer to any problem is food. She is always working on a task and has the biggest heart anyone could imagine. She is married to Frank. (Female, 50+)

NUNZIO – A loud and creative Italian man. He is dry, sarcastic and opinionated, but truly a sensitive romantic at heart. He is quite the story teller, and always loudly enough that everyone can get the details, especially his wife Emma. (Male, 50+)

EMMA- Nick’s Italian grandmother. Warm, nurturing, and emotionally expressive. A classic grandmother who shows love through food and gentle (sometimes not-so-gentle) persuasion. (Female, 50+)

CAITLIN – The grand-daughter of Emma’s canasta partner, Caitlin is a nurse with a kind heart and a sharp wit. The perfect dinner guest! (Female, 20s- 30s)

Rehearsal Period:

February 18th  -April 3rd, 2026

Monday-Friday Evenings: 6:00pm-9:00pm

*all dates and times subject to change

Don’t hesitate to contact Courtney with any questions:

courtney@fredericksburgtheater.org