CALAIS – The New Calais Theatre has announced tryouts for roles and sign-up for backstage positions for the group’s fall production of “A Perfect Ganesh,” by Terrence McNally, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Oct. 11. The tryouts and sign-ups will be in the Calais High School cafeteria. Performance dates of the play are Dec. 6-7, and 13-14.

McNally is one of America’s most influential living playwrights, whose writing offers an unflinching view of life marked by the surprising ways comedy morphs into tragedy and back again in a single beat.

There are parts for two women. There’s Margaret Civil, age range 45-60, and quite the control freak. There’s Katherine Brynne, 50-65, much more of a risk-taker, and a bit more free-spirited. There are parts for two men. The men play several characters like a Japanese tourist, an unsympathetic Air India ticket clerk and an out and out hostile hotel employee (who, thankfully, is mistranslated by the gracious Ganesha who speaks the play’s first line, “I am happy”). Ganesha plays many parts, too. After all, God is everywhere.

In addition to performers, the New Calais Theatre will need help backstage – stage, costumers, mask makers and prop artists, craftspeople, publicists, friendly faces to greet the audience.

For more information, call Jay Skriletz at 726-4670.