A Case of Libel is based on attorney Louis Nizer's account of the famous legal battle between two friends whose friendship turned venomous. One
is a celebrated war correspondent; the other, a widely syndicated newspaper columnist who has methodically and systematically attacked the correspondent in the press. This drama is full of tension, and a gives close look at how "justice" works.

March 1, 2, 8 & 9, 2013 @ 8:00 PM
March 3 & 9, 2013 @ 2:00 PM

Sunday March 10 @ 2:00 PM is CANCELLED due to circumstances beyond our control. A Saturday, March 9, 2:00 PM show has been added.

Performed in the Impulse Gallery and Theatre - Downtown Pittsburg.

Written by Henry Denker

Directed by Kris Neely

Monday and Tuesday - December 16 & 17
With callbacks on Wednesday December 18 if necessary
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Pittsburg Presbyterian Church
200 E Leland, Pittsburg

Auditions entail an interview with the director and cold read

Characters: 8 Female, 8 Male, 2 Male or Female.

Timeline Announcer: (F) Age: 30-40. Must have good vocal quality, will be announcing historical timeline information between acts/scenes. May be two people, if available.

Claire Marshall: (F) Age: 25-50. Private secretary to Robert Sloane, attorney. Classy. Has a bit of a crush on Mr. Sloane, but knows he's married. Elegant, provocative dresser. Not afraid to show copious cleavage. Smart, sharp, totally professional.

Abner Coles: (M) Age: 40-60. Lawyer. Smart, fast thinker. Middle-aged attorney who, for various reasons, has never been all he could have been. Conflicted. Has secrets. trusted adviser to Robert Sloane.

Deanne Strong: (F) Age: 28-33. Legal Assistant to Robert Sloane. Graduated first in her class. Smart. Quick thinker. Observant. Well dressed. Fashion forward. Not shy. Lauren Bacall as a lawyer with an IQ of 145.

Robert Sloane: (M) Age: 50ish. Not only one of his generation's best legal minds, but a brilliant trial lawyer, and leading writer on all things legal. Shoo-in for the Federal Bench, maybe even the Supreme Court. Surrounds himself with smart men and women who know what they are doing.

Anita Corcoran: (F) Age: 40-55. Wife of Dennis Corcoran. Hopelessly devoted to her husband. Has a bit of a blind spot for him. Wears her heart on her sleeve. Worries she's maybe losing his eye for her.

Dennis Corcoran: (M) Age: 45-59. War correspondent, writer, author, journalist. Has his own secrets to hide. Smart, professional, but despite making tons of money hasn't made the kind of reputation/name for himself he's wanted to.

James Baldwin: (M) Age: 30-45. Partner in Robert Sloane's law firm. Bit of a smarty-pants. In it for the money. Good lawyer, but not a great one. Sloane likes him because he's so devoted to the money, he does meticulous work with every i dotted and t crossed.

Rebecca Brand: (F) Age: 21-29. Steno-typist. Totally professional steno-typist. Grew-up poor, made it to the Big Time working as a steno-typist for Robert Sloan. Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Has cleavage and figure to die for, and shows it while remaining iron-clad professional. She wants to marry a lawyer of Sloane's or Paul Cleary's caliber and it kills the men around her that she won't ever settle for less. They can look, but not touch.

Paul Cleary: (M) Age: 40ish. Smart, fast, quick on his feet. No one, not even Sloane, does better jury summations. A showman. Slick, smooth operator -- but not a crook. Just very competent, he's beaten Sloane in court a few times, and been bested by Slaone a few times as well. A walking legal dictionary.

Cleary's Associate Lawyer: (F) Age 30-45. A shark who walks on land. As professional --- and as cold -- as it gets. Out for blood. Dressed to kill. Tosses men away like yesterday's newspaper. Devoted to Paul Cleary. The rumors of their having an affair... are true. But, as an associate council she'll throw Cleary under a train if she has to to make full partner status.

Boyd Bendix: (M) Age: 45-55. One of the country's most read journalists. Flashy. Well dressed, well fed, well bred. Has the world on a string -- and knows it. Clever, fast thinker, great Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. Smooth. Shark.

'Sleeping' Judge Kingston: (M) 45-55. A veteran judge, he does NOT suffer fool's, or weak arguments, lightly. Has served on the bench when Sloane and Cleary have tangled before. Earned his nick-name by 'pretending' to fall asleep in court. But looks can be deceiving.

Colonel Douglas: (M) Age: 45-55. Scottish. A professional soldier. Man's man. Shoot first and ask questions later. Professional soldier of fortune. Hates all this courtroom blather. Loyal to those he has served with -- to a fault.

Gwen Alston: (F) Age: 35-45. Madly in love with Dennis Corcoran. Are the rumors of an affair between them true? She'll never tell. Drinks; a lot. Spends a lot of time looking in the mirror, adjusting her obvious, and very well endowed, figure. Smart. Graduated 2nd in her journalism class at Harvard. Editor at magazine "Monitor" (think Newsweek or Time). Professional. Would shove Mrs. Corcoran under a bus if it meant she could get near Dennis. Harbors dark secrets about her failure to protect...... Dennis.

Court Stenographer: (F) Age: 25-35. A hard-working lady. Doesn't say much but loves the intrigue of the court. very competent. Lives to get the dirt on people in court.

Court Clerk: (F or M) Age. 50+. Been in the court system a long, long time. Has seen it all. Prim. Proper. Never a hair out of place. Seen but rarely if ever heard.

Foreman of the Jury: (F or M) Age: 25-45. Fish out of water. Has to pronounce a verdict about a trial (s)he knew nothing about just days before. Nervous, but trying to do a great job under the circumstances