Coal Country LLC
CONTRACT
Off Broadway $772 weekly minimum (Commerical Tier A)
SEEKING
Equity actors for roles in COAL COUNTRY (see breakdown).
NYC actors encouraged to submit.
COVID SAFETY: All employees in this position must be fully-vaccinated (as defined by the CDC) and must also have a third booster vaccination (dated prior to two weeks of first date of employment, currently scheduled for February 7, 2022).
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation: Please submit a slate (name, pronouns, name of material, and your current location) along with a short contemporary dramatic monologue.
Submit via the submission form online at www.xcastingnyc.com/auditions. Audition videos may not exceed 2 minutes total. Please submit one copy of your headshot and resume. Submission videos will not be accepted via email, or if they are linked to an external website (such as Vimeo, Dropbox, We Transfer, YouTube). Video must be submitted as a file.
Deadline: Fri, Jan 28, 2022
PERSONNEL
Written by Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen
Directed by Jessica Blank
Produced by Audible Theatre
Venue: Cherry Lane Theatre
Viewing submissions: Casting Director, Victor Vazquez, CSA
OTHER DATES
First Rehearsal: 2/7/22
Tech Begins: 2/26/22
First Preview: 3/4/22
Opening: 3/10/22
Closing: 4/17/22
Extension: TBD
OTHER
Script: https://xcastingnyc.co/coalcountryscript
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 submit.
BREAKDOWN
SYNOPSIS: In 2010, the Upper Big Branch mine explosion killed 29 men, and tore a hole in the lives of countless others. In this riveting, emotionally stunning new work based on first-person accounts by survivors and family members, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, award-winning writers of The Exonerated, and three-time Grammy Award-winning country/folk legend Steve Earle, dig deep into the lives and loss of the most deadly mining disaster in recent U.S. history.
NOTE FOR ALL ROLES: In the tradition of documentary theater, we are seeking a company of actors who feel effortlessly a part of the world of the piece. Actors need to be able to portray rural working-class characters and have a STRONG facility with dialect, particularly rural Appalachian. Actors must be able to connect with both the dramatic weight of the piece as well as the frank, unsentimental sense of humor that these characters possess. All actors must be comfortable with singing in a group.
SEEKING:
STANLEY “GOOSE”/AS CAST: 50’s – early 60’s. Male. White. A miner. Finished one year of college, then started working underground when he was 19 years old, because “it’s what you do around here.” Robust, earthy, good-humored, energetic and intelligent. A former athlete, he’s physically strong, brave, funny, direct and a hard worker. Goose has humor and toughness, as well as moments of deep feeling. Married to MINDY.
JUDGE/AS CAST/UNDERSTUDY AS CAST: Late 50’s – 60’s. Black, female. A West Virginia federal judge presiding over the case against the energy company in charge of the mine at the time of the explosion. Measured, patient, professional.
JUDY/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] 60’s. Female. White. Born into a mining family. Although she “grew up in the holler, back in the woods,” she left the community to become a doctor. Although she feels deeply rooted in the community, she’s also sadly aware that her education and profession have created a separation between her and the world she came from. Judy is a matriarch, solid and direct; proactive, fearless, with a strong moral compass, a problem solver and a natural leader. When she’s confronted by the inexplicable, she asks questions and attempts to gather as much information as she can in an effort to make sense of it all.
MINDY/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] 50’s. Female. White. A spitfire with a wicked sense of humor. Frank, upfront, says what she means. Married to GOOSE, and they’re deeply committed; they’ve been through hell together, but there’s a lot of humor and spark in their relationship.
ROOSEVELT/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] 40’s. Male. Black. Physically powerful, soft-spoken due to sadness but possesses a strong undercurrent of life and humor. Taciturn, but not unexpressive—the kind of person who can express a lot even in silence.
TOMMY/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] 40’s – early 50’s. Male. White. A miner. Grizzled, raw, wiry, and powerful.
PATTI/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] Late 40’s. Female. White. A nurse. Wry and funny, with a deep, romantic sadness palpable just below the surface.
GARY/AS CAST: [THIS ROLE IS CAST] 60’s. Male. White. A miner and self-described “old school union guy.”
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 submit.
Videos
