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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

The Central Alabama Performing Arts Guild is looking for community members to join in an adventure through time to the “Golden Age of Radio.”

Auditions for this year’s spring radio play “The Maltese Falcon” will be held on Feb. 22 from 2-5 p.m. Audition opportunities are available for those 17 and older with a mix of male and female voices needed. Auditions will be held at 400 Eighth St. N in Clanton, the home of CAPA Guild President Mary Schiermann.

“We’re looking for local members of the community who just happen to have the right voice to play the hard-boiled private eye Sam Spade, the greedy playboy Joel Cairo, or the scheming veteran treasure-hunter Mr. Gutman,” producer Scott Michaels said in a press release.

The radio play has 10-12 characters.

“Sam’s secretary Effie is also an important part. There’s nothing romantic going on there,” Michaels said in the release. “But she thinks the world of him, and she’d do anything he asked her to do. And then there’s the part of Wilmer, the shallow young punk who tangles with Spade. Yes, there are some really fun roles in this one.”

Other characters include police detectives, Spade’s partner Miles, the district attorney and Miss Brigid O’Shaughnessy.

Each audition of potential voice actors reading the script will be recorded, so it can be listened to later as a final decision is made,

According to a press release from the Guild, “Coaching and direction will be provided.”

“This has become a tradition for us over the past several years, and we’ve had so many great experiences doing these annual radio plays. And we want to encourage everyone to come out and audition for a part,” Schiermann said.

Decisions on cast members will be made by Feb. 24. The list of cast members will be posted on the Central Alabama Performing Arts Guild Facebook page.

“Recording sessions will be scheduled between February 26 and March 14,” according to the release. “‘The Maltese Falcon’ will be heard locally on the radio in Clanton and Chilton County, but also on other stations in other cities. Broadcast dates and times will be announced.”

More information is available on the Guild website at capaguild.org or by calling 205-907-0008.