AUDITION NOTICE:
The Rose To Host Auditions On October 20
for Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band and Zen Ties
The Rose Theater will host an audition for adult roles in its 2014-
2015 productions Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band and Zen Ties on Monday, October 20 at
6 pm. Callbacks for all roles in Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band and Zen Ties will be held on
Tuesday, October, 21 at 6 pm. This is a paid position. Actors of all types are welcome to
audition and must come to The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska.
Minority actors are wanted for lead roles in both productions. Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band
auditions will consist of a prepared song actors should bring, as well as cold readings
from the script. Zen Ties auditionees should prepare a one-minute monologue.
Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band actors must be available for weekday and weekend
rehearsals and performances between December 15, 2014 - February 8, 2015. There will
be no rehearsals December 20, 2014 - January 4, 2015. Performances run January 23 -
February 8, 2015.
Zen Ties actors must be available for weeknight/weekend rehearsals between January 27
- February 20, 2015 and weekday/weekend performances between February 20 - March
8, 2015.
Auditions by appointment only. Email auditions@rosetheater.org for an appointment.
About Buffalo Bill’s Cowboy Band
Written by Omaha playwright Max Sparber and directed by Amy Lane.
Buffalo Bill was an adventurer, a cowboy, a buffalo hunter, a Pony Express rider, and a
showman. At the turn of the 20th century, thanks to his outrageous Wild West traveling
shows, he was the most famous man on earth. He was a man so famous that he had a
city named after him: Cody, Wyoming. And in the center of that town was a hotel named
after one of the people he loved most in the world: his daughter Irma. One week, on a
long train trip from Omaha, where his Wild West show started, to the Irma Hotel, Buffalo
Bill looks out on a West very different than the one from his childhood, and he tells his
daughter his story.
Buffalo Bill Casting Breakdown
BUFFALO BILL, M (30-60)
The man who created a singular image of American identity. His Wild West show
introduced people around the world to images of cowboys and an untamed
wilderness west of the Mississippi. A doting father and epic storyteller.
IRMA CODY (20-40)
Daughter of Buffalo Bill, known to her simply as “pa”. Curious about the man who
is her father.
CONDUCTOR (20-60)
A dynamic presence who plays multiple characters from Buffalo Bill’s stories
throughout the play.
MALE COWBOY (20-60)
A member of Buffalo Bill’s Band, a storyteller, a cowboy-song singer, and
a fellow traveler.
FEMALE COWBOY (20-60)
A member of Buffalo Bill’s Band, a storyteller, a cowboy-song singer, and
a fellow traveler
About Zen Ties
Adapted by legendary playwright Y York and directed by Jesse Jou, who returns to Omaha
after his triumphant Narnia at The Rose last season.
When Koo the Panda visits her uncle, Stillwater, he offers her a special challenge: LISTEN.
In the quiet, they discover people are not always what they seem. With Stillwater’s
positive influence, children in his neighborhood learn there may be more to mean old Mrs.
Whittaker’s story than they thought. A gentle tale about patience and compassion, Zen
Ties will make you remember how much wisdom can come of simple mindfulness.
Zen Ties Casting Breakdown
STILLWATER, M (30-50)
An adult male giant Panda, indeterminate age. Although he knows more about this-and-that than the kids, he is still farblonjet (thrown for a loop) by life’s dilemmas. Warm, well intentioned, and sometimes silly, he tries his best to bring people together, not always with success.
KOO, F (18-30)
Stillwater’s niece, A female Panda, eight. Although her mind works fast, she still
revels, if briefly, in each new discovery. Enthusiastic and thoughtful, Koo can fill a
room with her energy and perceptiveness—which can be exhausting for adults.
KARL, M (18-30)
A male human, eight. Karl has the practical moral view of a young child: mean
people deserve meanness back. Protective of his friends and prone to mischief,
Karl can be cunning and would seek revenge against anyone whom he believes has
wronged him.
ADDY, F (18-30)
A female human, ten. Addy is a “take-charge” girl, who thrives in leading, which the
boys see as “bossiness.” She has a big heart, but also has a vulnerability when it
comes to her secret desire. Actor must be able to sing well enough to carry a few
verses of “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.”
MICHAEL, M (18-30)
A male human, eleven. The eldest of the children, Michael is smart, sometimes
timid. A hard worker, he keeps slogging away at the impossible task of memorizing
every word for his spelling bee, but he is fast to recognize new ways of thinking
about learning and about people.
MRS. WHITTAKER, F (50+)
A female human, old. A former teacher, Mrs. Whittaker has given up now that she
has lost her life’s purpose, so much so that she has developed a reputation as a
cranky, scary eccentric with the neighborhood children. Tough-minded, but fair and
loving, she has lost the witty, knowing twinkle in her eyes.
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