Arena Stage and Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA EPA
Various Producers
AUDITION DATE
Mar 15, 2017
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (EST)
Lunch 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Mar 16, 2017
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (EST)
Lunch 1:00 - 2:00 pm
APPOINTMENTS
No appointments necessary. Auditions will be on a first come, first served basis.
CONTRACT
LORT Non-Rep
Arena Stage - $936 (LORT B+), $861 (LORT B), and $637 (LORT D)
Signature Theatre - see breakdown for salaries
SEEKING
Seeking Equity actors, singers, and dancers for both Arena Stage and Signature Theatre 2017-18 seasons. See breakdowns.
PREPARATION
Please prepare a 90 second monologue or 32 bars of a song. Auditions may not exceed 2 minutes. Accompanist will be provided. Please bring two copies of your headshot and resume. Always bring your equity card to EPAs.
LOCATION
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave
Arlington, VA 22206-3435
PERSONNEL
Expected to attend: Amelia Acosta Powell, Artistic Associate & Casting Director, Arena Stage; and Walter Ware III, Resident Casting Director & Artistic Coordinator, Signature Theatre.
See personnel for each production on breakdown.
OTHER DATES
See dates for each production on breakdown.
OTHER
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
BREAKDOWN
SIGNATURE THEATRE 2017-18 SEASON
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
Choreography: Karma Camp
Music Direction: Jon Kalbfleisch
MAX Stage: LORT C ($799/week min)
1st Rehearsal: July 17, 2017
Running: August 15 - October 8, 2017
Possible Extension: October 15, 2017
TO BE CAST:
FREDRIK EGERMAN: 40 – 45. Handsome. Bourgeois. Witty. A lawyer trying to recapture his youth by his marriage to a much younger woman. Baritone.
DESIREE ARMFELDT: 35 – 40. An actress. Sophisticated, independent, intelligent, with a great sense of humor and warmth. Mezzo.
COUNT CARL-MAGNUS MALCOLM: Late 20s. Tall, handsome, self-centered military man. Vain, arrogant. Baritone.
COUNTESS CHARLOTTE MALCOLM: Late 20s. Long-suffering wife of Carl-Magnus. Deeply in love with him, despite his infidelities. Self-deprecating, but with a keen sense of humor. Mezzo Soprano.
MADAME ARMFELDT: 60s - 70s. Elderly. Confined to a wheelchair. A grande dame who, in her day, enjoyed many love affairs and romances. A brutally honest observer and commentator on the follies of others.
ANNE EGERMAN: Late teens – early 20s. Beautiful and immature young wife of Fredrik. Unwilling to consummate her marriage. A bit vain and self-absorbed. Soprano.
HENRIK EGERMAN: Late teens – early 20s. Very serious seminarian. Gloomy. In love with Anne. Tenor.
PETRA: 20s. The Egermans’ earthy, impetuous, sexually adventurous maid.
FRID: 20s-30s. Madame Armfeldt’s butler. Has a liaison with Petra. Masculine and sexy.
LIEBESLIEDER SINGERS:
30s – 50s. A group of five singers that act as a Greek chorus.
MR. LINDQUIST – Vocal range: Bb2 – F4. Baritone.
MRS. NORDSTROM – Vocal range: Ab3 – E6. Soprano.
MRS. ANDERSON – Vocal range: Ab3 – Bb5. Soprano.
MR. ERLANSON – Vocal range: C3 – Bb4. Tenor.
MRS. SEGSTROM – Vocal range: Ab3 – G5. Mezzo-Soprano
AN ACT OF GOD
By David Javerbaum
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
ARK Stage: LORT D ($637/week min)
1st Rehearsal: September 5, 2017
Running: October 3 – November 26, 2017
TO BE CAST:
GOD: 30-50;s. He is, well, God; all-knowing, all powerful and funny as hell.
MICHAEL: 30’s. An angel of God’s. Funny, impulsive, as irreverent as an angel of God’s can be. Understudy.
GABRIEL: 40-50’s. An angel of God’s. By the books; no-nonsense.
CRAZY FOR YOU
Book by Ken Ludwig
Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Directed by Matthew Gardiner
Choreography by TBA
Music Direction: Jon Kalbfleisch
MAX Stage: LORT C ($799/week min)
1st Rehearsal: October 10, 2017
Running: November 7 – January 14, 2018
TO BE CAST:
BOBBY CHILD: 25-35, a young man in love with music theatre. Strong singer and dancer. Baritone.
BELA ZANGLER: 35-50, a well established Broadway producer. Baritone.
POLLY BAKER: 20-30, Deadrock Nevada’s “All American” Postmistress. Strong singer, dancer and tapper. Mezzo.
LANK HAWKINS: 30-45, a saloon proprietor with an eye for business and high hopes for restoring the town’s long gone prosperity. Spoken.
IRENE ROTH: 25-35, a New York society debutante and Bobby’s fiancé. Mezzo.
EVERETT BAKER: 55-70, Polly’s father who lives in the past and doesn’t embrace change. Baritone.
EUGENE FODOR: 40-55, an English tourist. Baritone.
MOTHER/PATRICIA FODOR: 45-60, Bobby’s business oriented and controlling mother/Eugene’s sister. Soprano.
PERKINS/CUSTUS: 30s, Mother’s business assistant/member of a trio of cowboys.
Baritone.
ENSEMBLE: Seeking a diverse group of men and women to round out the show. Strong singers and strong tappers.
4,380 NIGHTS (World Premiere)
By Annalisa Dias
Directed by TBA
ARK Stage: LORT D ($637/week min)
1st Rehearsal: December 19, 2017
Running: January 16 – February 18, 2018
Possible Extension: February 25, 2018
TO BE CAST:
MALIK DJAMAL AHMAD ESSAID: 38 (born in 1975). Algerian detainee at Camp JTF GTMO, who spent many of his formative years living in France. Malik will also play the role of EL HADJ EL KAIM
BUD ABRAMSON: 58. Malik’s American lawyer.
COLONEL AIMABLE PELISSIER: 30s-40s. commander of a French military unit in Algeria in 1845. He reports to General Bugeaud, who is responsible for the French occupation of North Algeria. Colonel will also play the roles of man and Seregant Luke.
SARAH ABRAMSON: Bud’s wife and a clinical social worker living in Washington DC. Sarah will also play the role of woman.
LIGHT YEARS (World Premiere)
Book, Music, and Lyrics: Robbie Schaefer
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
Choreography: Matthew Gardiner
MAX Stage: LORT C ($799/week min)
1st Rehearsal: January 8, 2018
Running: February 6 – March 4, 2018
Possible Extension: March 11, 2018
TO BE CAST:
ROBBIE: 18-25. Young man.
KONNIE: Robbie’s father. A mix of European charm and machismo, and American confidence and optimism.
YOUNG ROBBIE: Appears from ages 7 to 10 years old (approx.)
CHANTELLE: Backup singer and voice of Robbie’s right ear/higher awareness. Earthy, sassy, and wise.
SOMA: Backup singer and voice of Robbie’s right ear/higher awareness. Innocent, sweet, smart.
JOHN
By Annie Baker
Directed by Joe Calarco
MAX Stage: LORT C ($799/week min)
1st Rehearsal: March 5, 2018
Running: April 3 – April 29, 2018
TO BE CAST:
ELISA SCHREIBER-HOFFMAN- 29. Wears glasses. Is in Gettysburg to see the battleground and to try to reconnect with his girlfriend, Jenny. Kind of nerdy and bookish but not in an over the top way. Basically a nice guy who is trying to find the spark that he once had with his girlfriend. Too trusting.
JENNY CHUNG: 31. Asian. Elias' girlfriend, but they are having a lot of communication issues. She has come with him but Gettysburg is not her first choice for a weekend away. Seems up front but is dishonest in her relationship with Elias. Feels like they have run their course, but doesn't have the courage to break up. Smart, but insecure.
MERTIS KATHERINE GRAVEN: 72. Does not wear glasses. Owner/operator of the B&B in which the play is set. A sweet and warm hostess, runs a homey yet not sophisticated establishment, but still waters run deep. Likes to be called Kitty, is more than meets the eye.
GENEVIEVE MARDUK: 85. Blind. Dearest friend of Mertis. May or may not be mad, but is a plain talker. Lots of anger underneath her words.
GIRLFRIEND
Book by Todd Almond
Music and Lyrics by Matthew Sweet
Directed by Matthew Gardiner
ARK Stage: LORT D ($637/week min)
1st Rehearsal: March 20, 2018
Running: April 17 – June 10, 2018
Possible Extension: June 24, 2018
TO BE CAST:
WILL: A social outcast. Catty, sensitive and funny. Comfortable with his homosexuality. Great contemporary rock voice.
MIKE: The quintessential jock. At times reserved. Huge music lover. Just coming to terms with his sexuality. Great contemporary rock voice.
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
Book by David Thompson
Music and Lyrics by John Kander & Fred Ebb
Directed by Joe Calarco
Choreography by TBA
MAX Stage: LORT C ($799/week min)
1st Rehearsal: April 23, 2018
Running: May 22 – July 1, 2018
Possible Extension: July 8, 2018
To Be Cast:
INTERLOCUTOR: 35-50. Our chief guide through our story: a mysterious, rakish agent of mediation. Very physical and a strong acting singer.
MR. TAMBO: 20-30. an over-the-top and caricatured comedic entertainer with the minstrel show. African American. Must sing and dance well.
MR. BONES: 30s-40s. One of a pair of song and dance men. Charming. He also plays several other characters including a prison guard, a Southern trial lawyer, Attorney General, a prosecutor, and the Sheriff. African American. Moves well and sings
THE LADY early 40s. Rosa Parks. A working class, Southern seamstress. She is smart, clear-headed, compassionate, and brings a sense of humanity to this story. African-American. This character does not sing, modest movement.
WILLIE ROBERSON: early 20s. The silent one of the Scottsboro Boys and for this reason, everyone thinks he is stupid- but he isn’t. Resourceful, able to steal things from the guards. Excellent tap dancer. African-American.
EUGENE WILLIAMS: 13. The youngest boy. Naïve, a baby who has bad dreams. Tries to act tough but is still a kid. Does not understand what is happening. Also plays Little George. Excellent tap dancer. African-American. Character is 13, Any teenage actor - as he reads 13.
CLARENCE NORRIS: early 20s. The bully. Starts fights. Determined to stand up for himself. Yet, when he has the chance he backs away. Plays the Preacher, the prison minister- all fire and brimstone, yet tries to please the white jailers. Funny. African-American. Must dance well.
OZIE POWELL: 18-25. A Scottsboro Boy looking for more humane work, he ultimately driven to violence against the prison guards. African American. Must dance well.
ROY WRIGHT: 20-25. Andy’s precocious younger brother, he is the only literate Scottsboro Boy until he teaches Haywood how to read. African American. Must dance well.
ANDY WRIGHT: early 20s. Tries to do right. A mediator. Watches over his brother Roy. Thinks if he stays in line-follows the rules, he will be able to go home. African-American. Must dance well.
CHARLES WEEMS: 18-25. A Scottsboro Boy, he is a young illiterate man heading home to Atlanta. African American. Must dance well.
HAYWOOD PATTERSON: early 20s. Hotheaded, smart, ready to challenge the authorities at any cost. Will speak his mind and face the consequences. African-American. Dances well.
ARENA STAGE 2017-18 SEAS0N:
NATIVE GARDENS (LORT B)
Co-production with the Guthrie Theater
By Karen Zacarías
Directed by Blake Robinson
Guthrie First Rehearsal: 6.20.17
Guthrie First Preview: 7.15.17
Guthrie Open: 7.21.17
Guthrie Close: 8.20.17
Arena First Rehearsal: 9.05.17
Arena First Preview: 9.15.17
Arena Open: 9.21.17
Arena Close 10.22.17
Good fences make good neighbors…right? From the outrageous mind of playwright Karen Zacarías (Destiny of Desire) comes this hot new comedy about the clash of class and culture that pushes well-meaning neighbors over the edge. Tania, a very pregnant Ph.D. candidate, and Pablo, her rising attorney husband, move next door to Virginia and Frank, a deep-rooted D.C. couple with an impeccably trimmed backyard. But when a questionable fence line puts a prize-worthy garden in jeopardy, neighborly rivalry escalates into an all-out border dispute, challenging everyone’s notions of race, privilege and where to draw the line on good taste.
Tania Del Valle- 29 year old, Latinx (from New Mexico), a pregnant doctoral candidate who is determined to fix up her fixer upper with a native garden. Bright, energetic, naturally optimistic, wants to co-exist with the neighbors but she is fiercely protective of her ideas and values.
Pablo Del Valle- 31 year old, Latinx (he is, in fact, Chilean), an ambitious and successful attorney trying to make partner by “fitting in” and hosting a BBQ for the entire firm in his unkempt backyard. Smart, argumentative, generally tolerant and willing to overlook a lot until he is pushed over the edge by the Butleys.
The Price (LORT D)
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Seema Sueko
1st Rehearsal: 09.05.17
1st Preview: 10.06.17
Open: 10.12.17
Close: 11.05.17
Everything has a price—even our dreams. Victor Franz has returned home to settle his late father’s estate. In an attic overflowing with memories and furniture he meets the enigmatic Gregory Solomon, a professional appraiser committed to turning a profit off Victor’s past. But before a bargain can be struck, an estranged brother enters the scene to reframe Victor’s memories and force them both to reconsider the true cost of personal sacrifices. One of the most personal plays by an American theater giant, Arthur Miller’s The Price is a fascinating study of the struggle to make peace with the past and create hope for the future.
Victor Franz: Male, 49 (soon to be 50), Race Not Specified. Cop who is reaching retirement. Victor is immobilized over the question of what to do for the rest of his life if he does retire. He resents his brother, Walter, for leaving him along to take care of their dying father on a pittance of $5 per month. Victor is “not sociable” or “good with conversations,” however, he has a good eye for signals that a person is hiding something or manipulating him.
Esther Franz: Female, 50s, Race Not Specified. Victor’s wife, Esther has shared in the financial turmoil Victor has endured as he cared for his aging father. She believes that money will be their salvation, and hopes to make a fortune from selling the furniture. Esther shows signs of alcohol dependency, for which she has been seeing a doctor.
Walter Franz: Male, mid-50s, Race Not Specified. Victor’s elder brother. Walter is a famous surgeon with a good education – a path he was able to pursue because Victor was home with their father. Walter is recently divorced from his wife, and he feels a need to reconcile his estranged relationship with his brother whom he hasn’t spoken to in 16 years. Walter is confident and intellectual, but uncomfortable facing the guilt for leaving his brother behind with their father.
The Pajama Game (LORT B+)
Music & Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
Book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell
Based on the novel 7 ½ Cents by Richard Bissell
Directed by Alan Paul
Choreographed by Parker Esse
Musical Direction by James Cunningham
Fichandler Stage: LORT B+
1st rehearsal: September 26, 2017
Open: November 8, 2016
Close: December 24, 2017
The Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory is a tiptop model of efficiency—so why are things getting so steamy? It could have something to do with how hard new superintendent Sid Sorokin has fallen for Babe Williams, the trouble-making head of the union grievance committee. Sparks really start to fly when a workers’ strike pits management against labor and ignites an outrageous battle of the sexes. Packed with seductive dance numbers like “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway,” the best way to ensure a good night’s rest during the hectic holiday season is to play The Pajama Game!
TO BE CAST:
SID SOROKIN (Male, 30s-40s, all ethnicities) The suave factory superintendent. Baritone/tenor with strong movement.
BABE WILLIAMS (Female, 30s, all ethnicities) The leader of the Union Grievance Committee – resolute in her beliefs and actions. Mezzo/belt with strong movement.
MYRON HASLER (Male, 50s-60s, all ethnicities) The head of the pajama factory – strict and severe. Some singing and movement.
VERNON HINES (Male, 30s-40s, all ethnicities) The factory timekeeper and Glady’s beau– insecure and jealous. Baritone and very strong dancer.
PREZ (Male, 30s-50s, all ethnicities) The head of the Union – a huge flirt. Tenor with strong movement.
GLADYS HOTCHKISS (Female, 20s-30s, all ethnicities) Hasler’s secretary and Hines’ girlfriend – confident and bold. Mezzo and very strong dancer.
MABEL (Female, 40s-60s, all ethnicities) Sid’s secretary and the mother hen of the factory. Alto with strong movement and excellent comedic chops.
POP (Male, 50s-60s, all ethnicities) Babe’s father – kind and agreeable. Will also play other roles in the ensemble. Strong singer and dancer.
MAE (Female, 20s-30s, all ethnicities) A member of the Union Grievance Committee – outgoing and direct. Strong singer and dancer.
ENSEMBLE (all genders and ethnicities, 21+) Strong singers, dancers, and actors to play multiple roles in the ensemble.
NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN (LORT B)
By Christina Ham
Directed by Timothy Douglas
1st rehearsal: October 10, 2017
Open: November 16, 2017
Close: December 24, 2017
Velvet-throated songstress Nina Simone hypnotized audiences with her signature renditions of standards from the American songbook. But on September 15, 1963, a devastating explosion in Birmingham, Alabama rocked our entire nation to the core, and from the memory of the four little girls that were lost in this unimaginable tragedy, came “Four Women”—along with Simone’s other activist anthems like “Mississippi Goddam,” “Old Jim Crow” and “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” Through storytelling and song, Nina Simone: Four Women reveals how this iconic chanteuse found her true voice—and how the “High Priestess of Soul” defined the sound of the Civil Rights Movement.
TO BE CAST:
NINA SIMONE (African American woman of about 30) A.K.A. “Peaches”. Timeless. A woman of dark skin and temperament that cloaks wounds both present and historical. Her life’s infused by Bach and the Blues. She is a tornado…of vulnerability. Complexity is her complexion and resistance and rebellion her anthem. She should boast the agility of improvisation on the keys and the polyvocality of a herald. She should be able to hear a song only once and be able to not only perform it, but to lift the song to another level of being. She lives hard and loves the same. She has a high school education, but possesses well-rounded music training both self-taught and by private music teachers. Whatever her mood swings they should never be so pronounced to upstage her accomplishments. She should posses the attributes of a modern-day prophet.
SARAH (African American woman in her 40s) A.K.A. “Auntie”. Also of dark skin. Her hands are rough. Molded from years of working in the white folks home since she was yea high. Groomed to put others before herself. This type of welding has created the invisible woman that she has become. Her smile is inviting never letting on that trouble lives on her horizon. Her dark skin has determined how she will be treated by the outside world. Her life has been defined by black and its volatile relationship to white. She has a remedial education at best as she comes from a large family where everyone had to work and carry their weight. She possesses the tender shoulder you can cry on and a honeysuckled voice of pain. She doesn’t sing the blues, but has lived it.
SEPHRONIA (African American woman in her 30s-40s) Her skin is yellow. She is of a softer disposition because that is what her hair type and skin color warrant. She’s never been dark enough to cause offense, but she’s just light enough to offend herself at times. She’s the painful reminder that she is a child of violence. She’s not light enough to be white nor dark enough to be black leading to an inescapable purgatory. She’s joined the Civil Rights Movement hoping this will make her black enough and create an acceptance. Her mother doesn’t understand her and her father’s disowned her. Her mother holds her accountable for why she wasn’t able to find a man of her own. She’s opened her heart to many men who’ve made her empty promises. She is a D minor key, the saddest of them all.
SOVEREIGNTY (LORT B)
By Mary Kathryn Nagle
Directed by Molly Smith
1st rehearsal: December 12, 2017
Open: January 24, 2018
Close: February 18, 2018
Some wounds refuse to heal. Mary Kathryn Nagle’s daring new work, which debuts as the fourth production in Arena Stage’s Power Plays initiative, travels the intersections of personal and political truths, historic and present struggles. Sarah Ridge Polson, a young Cherokee lawyer fighting to restore her Nation’s jurisdiction, must confront the ever-present ghosts of her grandfathers. With shadows stretching from 1830s Cherokee Nation (now present-day Georgia) through Andrew Jackson’s Oval Office to the Cherokee Nation in present-day Oklahoma, Sovereignty asks how high the flames of anger can rise before they ultimately consume the truth.
TO BE CAST:
John Ridge (1800s): Cherokee man, late 20s to late 30s. the son of Major Ridge, John Ridge was an influential leader in the Cherokee Nation in the 1820s and 30s until he was assassinated in 1839. He served as Clerk to the Cherokee Nation National Committee (the Council). Signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. Husband of Sally (Sarah Bird Northrup).
Sarah Polson (today): Cherokee woman, late 20s to early 30s. Direct descendant of Major Ridge, Sally and John Ridge. Sister to Watie. Cousin to Flora. Sarah is a graduate of Yale Law School and citizen of Cherokee Nation. She returns home to Cherokee Nation after a long absence.
Major Ridge (1800s): Cherokee man, late 50s to late 60s. Given the title “Major” after fighting with General Andrew Jackson in
the War of 1812, Major Ridge was a very influential leader in Cherokee Nation politics in the 1810s, 20s, and 30s, until he was assassinated in 1839. He is the father of John Ridge and uncle of Elias Boudinot. He served many years as the Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Council, and as Chief John Ross’s assistant, until the divide that takes place in this play. Signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835.
-- AND –
Roger (Ridge) Polson (today): Direct descendant of Major Ridge, Sally, and John Ridge, father of Sarah Polson and Watie Smith. Uncle to Flora.
Elias Boudinot (1800s): Cherokee man, early to mid 30s. John Ridge’s cousin. His father is Major Ridge’s brother. Elias Boudinot went to Cornwall for school with his cousin John and then returned home to Cherokee Nation and became the first Editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first printed paper of an Indian Nation. Signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835.
-- AND --
Watie (today): Direct descendant of Major Ridge, Sally, and John Ridge. He is Sarah’s brother and Roger Ridge Polson’s son. Cousin to Flora. Watie works for the Cherokee Nation Police Force.
John Ross (1800s): Mixed race Cherokee man with a White father, mid-late 30s. Chief of Cherokee Nation from 1828 until his death in the 1860s. Led the Cherokee Nation through significant turmoil, including the removal and the Civil War. He is revered by Cherokees today as one of the most important Cherokee leaders of all times.
-- AND --
Jim Ross (today): Direct descendant of John Ross. Jim is Sarah’s boss in the Attorney General’s office.
Andrew Jackson (1800s): White man, mid-late 30s. An American soldier and statesman who served as President of the United States from 1829 to 1837. He believed Indians were an inferior race that should disappear from the face of the Earth.
-- AND --
Ben (today): Special Victims Unit Police Officer in present day Oklahoma. He becomes Sarah’s fiancé. He is non-Indian.
Samuel Worcester (1800s): White man, 30’s-40’s. Missionary who goes to live in Cherokee Nation. He worked with Elias to translate the Bible into Cherokee. His arrest in 1832 sparked one of the most significant cases in United States history in the Supreme Court: Worcester v. Georgia.
-- AND --
Mitch (today): Lawyer with a specialty in family law, non-Indian, living in Oklahoma. Childhood friend of Sarah and Watie.
Sally (1800s): White woman, late 20’s. John Ridge’s wife, and daughter of the schoolmaster in Cornwall, Connecticut. She is non-Indian. Flora, Sarah, Roger, and Watie are all her direct descendants.
-- AND --
Flora (today): Cherokee woman. Direct descendant of Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Sally. Citizen of Cherokee Nation. She runs the family cemetery where Major Ridge and John Ridge are buried, just a few hundred yards from where John was murdered. Roger is her uncle, and Sarah and Watie are her cousins.
White Chorus Man (1800s and today): White man 30’s – 50’s. This actor portrays Drunk Man, Father, Georgia Guard, William Wirt, Bartender, and Reverend Schermerhorn.
THE GREAT SOCIETY (LORT B+)
By Robert Schenkkan
Directed by Kyle Donnely
1st rehearsal: January 2, 2018
Open: February 8, 2018
Close: March 11, 2018
Robert Schenkkan’s Tony Award-winning play All the Way set the stage for President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s sudden ascent to the White House. In its D.C. premiere, The Great Society brings the second half of Schenkkan’s epic story to its harrowing conclusion. As America is divided by civil rights protests and the anguish of the Vietnam War, LBJ struggles to maintain his relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., keep his political opponents in check and complete a raft of impossibly ambitious social policy projects. With Kyle Donnelly again directing and Jack Willis reprising his “stunning performance” (Broadway World), this political thrill ride explodes the America of our past to better understand the America of today.
TO BE CAST:
HUBERT HUMPHREY/ENSEMBLE - (M, 50s, Caucasian) 38th Vice President of the United States under President Johnson, from 1965 to 1969. Also plays other ensemble roles.
ROBERT KENNEDY/ENSEMBLE – (M, 50s, Caucasian) Democratic junior senator from New York.
J. EDGAR HOOVER/ENSEMBLE – (M, 60s, Caucasian) First director of the FBI 1935-1972. Also plays other ensemble roles.
STOKELY CARMICHAEL/ENSEMBLE - (M, 20s, Trinidadian-American) Activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Also plays other ensemble roles.
BOB MOSES/HOSEA WILLIAMS/ENSEMBLE - (M, late 20s, African-American) African American educator and activist, known for his work as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Also plays other ensemble roles.
CORETTA SCOTT KING/ENSEMBLE - (F, 30s, African-American) Civil Rights leader and wife of Dr. King. Also plays other ensemble roles.
RALPH ABERNATHY/ENSEMBLE - (M, late 30s-40s, African-American) A leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, a minister, and a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Also plays other ensemble roles.
JAMES BEVEL/ENSEMBLE - (M, 30s, African American) Minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Also plays other ensemble roles.
MURIEL HUMPHREY/ENSEMBLE - (F, 50s, Caucasian) Wife to Hubert Humphrey, Vice President. Also plays other ensemble roles.
LADYBIRD JOHNSON/ENSEMBLE - (F, 50s, Caucasian) First lady of the United States of America 1963-1969. Also plays other ensemble roles.
MAYOR RICHARD DALEY/ENSEMBLE - (M, 60s, Caucasian) Democratic Mayor of Chicago from 1955 until 1976. Also plays other ensemble roles.
GEORGE WALLACE/RICHARD NIXON/ENSEMBLE - (M, 40s, Caucasian) Wallace is the democratic Governor of Alabama 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983-1987. Also plays other ensemble roles. Nixon is the 37th President of the U.S.
DEKE DELOACH/ENSEMBLE - (M, 40s, Caucasian) Deputy Director of the FBI. Also plays other ensemble roles.
ROBERT MCNAMARA/ENSEMBLE - (M, 40s, Caucasian) Secretary of Defense 1961-1968. Also plays other ensemble roles.
GENERAL WESTMOORELAND/ENSEMBLE - (M, late 40’s-early 50’s, Caucasian) General commanding U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. Also plays other ensemble roles.
TWO TRAINS RUNNING (LORT B+)
By August Wilson
Directed by Juliette Carrillo
Co-Production with Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle 1st Rehearsal: January 23, 2018
Seattle Open: February 25, 2018
Seattle Open: February 15, 2018
Arena 1st rehearsal: March 17, 2018
Arena Open: April 5, 2018
Arena Close: April 29, 2018
It’s 1969 and the Civil Rights Movement is sending tremors through Pittsburgh’s Hill District. At the center of the community is Memphis Lee’s diner, slated to be demolished—a casualty of the city’s renovation project. Confronted with a rapidly changing world, Memphis and his regular customers struggle to maintain their solidarity and sense of pride. From Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson comes this masterpiece about everyday lives in the shadow of great events, and of unsung citizens who are anything but ordinary.
TO BE CAST:
Memphis Lee – (M, African American, 40s) Owner of the restaurant. A self-made man whose values of hard work, diligence, persistence, and honesty have been consistently challenged by the circumstances of his life.
Wolf – (M, African American, 40s) A numbers runner. He is a man who enjoys his notoriety and popularity. While he manages to keep money in his pocket, his inability to find secure female companionship is the single failure that marks his life.
Risa Thomas – (F, African American, 20s) An employee at Memphis’ restaurant, seeking to be loved for more than just her looks.
Holloway – (M, African American, 40s-50s) A regular customer at the restaurant. All his life he has voiced his outrage at injustice with little effect. His belief in the supernatural has enabled him to accept his inability to effect change and continue to pursue life with zest and vigor.
Hambone – (M, African American, late 40’s) A frequent visitor to the restaurant. He is self-contained and in a world of his own. His mental conditions has deteriorated to such a point that he can only say two phrases, and he repeats them over and over.
Sterling – (M, African American, 30) Recently released from jail after a bank robbery, he has a straightforward manner. Pursues Risa.
West – (M, African American, early 60s) A prominent businessman who runs a funeral home. Since his wife’s death, he has allowed his love of money to overshadow the other possibilities of life.
SNOW CHILD (LORT B)
Based on the novel by Eowyn Ivey
Book by John Strand
Music by Bob Banghart and Georgia Stitt
Lyrics by Georgia Stitt
Directed by Molly Smith
Co-Production with Perseverance Theatre
1st rehearsal: March 6, 2018
Opens: April 26, 2018
Closes: May 20, 2018
Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel The Snow Child, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is reborn as a magical new musical with a bluegrass-infused score. The 1920 Alaskan wilderness is a brutal place to try to save a marriage. Reeling from the loss of an unborn child, Mabel and Jack struggle to rebuild their lives even as the fissures between them continue to widen. But everything changes suddenly when they are visited by a wild, mysterious girl who embodies the dark woods that surround their cabin. In this beautiful and violent land, things are rarely as they appear, and what the snow child teaches them will ultimately transform them all.
TO BE CAST:
MABEL (F, 40s, Caucasian) – A visual artist suffering from depression after the loss of her child. Married to Jack, homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness.
JACK (M, 40s, Caucasian) – Mabel’s husband. Learning the ways of farming and hunting out in Alaska far from home in Pennsylvania.
GEORGE (M, 50s-60s, Caucasian) – A veteran homesteader who knows the land of Alaska well. Married to Esther and father to Garrett.
ESTHER (F, 50s-60s, Caucasian) – A strong, grounded woman of the earth. Married to George and mother of Garrett, among other children. She can juggle family, bitter cold, cooking, farming, and still have time to home brew moonshine on the side.
FAINA (F, 12-14, Caucasian) – A heavenly child. She is wild yet she is angelic. An expert hunter but a delicate girl. She does not seem to be tied in time and space like the rest of us – perhaps she is a spirit of the forest.
GARRETT (M, 16-20, Caucasian) – A great hunter, he is on the verge of manhood. Proud and rash, but very in tune with nature. George and Esther’s son.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to audition.
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