Hippodrome State Theatre
CONTRACT
SPT $619 weekly minimum (Cat. 8)
SEEKING
Equity actors for all roles for the 2020-21 Season (see breakdown).
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing efforts, accepting video submission auditions in lieu of live local Equity auditions.
INSTRUCTIONS
Please prepare 2 contrasting one-minute monologues or 1 monologue and a 1 minute song appropriate for Little Shop of Horrors or Murder for Two.
Submit a picture and resume with your audition video with the requested material to Hippauditions@gmail.com no later than noon on Monday July 20th. The Hipp prefers YouTube or Vimeo links. All video submissions will be viewed.
Deadline: Mon, Jul 20, 2020
SUBMIT TO
PERSONNEL
Artistic Director - Stephanie Lynge (will view all submissions)
Music Director - Bryan Mercer
OTHER DATES
Season Dates: Sept 4 - June 28. (See breakdown for specific production dates.)
Performance schedule for Mainstage is Tues - Thursday 7pm, Friday 8pm, Saturday 2 and 8pm, Sunday 2pm
Performance Schedule for the 2nd stage is Thursday - Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
OTHER
For safety during this time of pandemic, we will be holding our season auditions through video submissions. Live callbacks will take place as they are able with health and safety in mind. All titles and dates for our season productions are subject to change. The Hippodrome is working closely with AEA to assure actor safety before reopening for live performances.
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
Proof of Love (running in Rep with Tru)
Adapted by Lee Hall, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard
Director: Stephanie Lynge
1st rehearsal: Sept 4 Run: Sept 18 - Oct
In this explosive, funny and moving play, Constance thought she had a happy life and a loving husband. Suddenly a tragic accident her upper-class family - and forces Constance to face uncomfortable truths about her marriage and herself.
Constance - 50-60s, African American; old-money, as close as you can get to a WASP while being black. She’s been dropped into a very sentimental situation here and will feel all the emotions provoked therein, but good Lord she is not a sentimental person, and is soooooo not practiced in emoting. Like she could say almost any of the lines while picking a piece of lint off her cardigan.
TRU (running in Rep with Proof of Love)
Adapted by Lee Hall, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard
Director: Stephanie Lynge
1st rehearsal: Sept 4 Run: Sept 18 - Oct
Adapted from the words and works of Truman Capote, TRU takes place in the writer’s NYC apartment during the week before Christmas, 1975. The author’s friends, recognizing themselves in his newly published book have turned their back on the man they once considered a close confidant
Truman Capote - male, 50s-60s; Alone and lonely, Capote — soothing himself with pills, vodka, cocaine, and chocolate truffles — muses about his checkered life and career
The Revolutionists
Adapted by Lee Hall, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard
Director: Stephanie Lynge
1st rehearsal: Oct 6 Run: Oct 23 - Nov 4
Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, and how we actually go about changing the world.
Olympe De Gouges - Female 38; any ethnicity; badass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never married to ensure her personal freedom
Marianne Angelle - Female 30s; African American; Badass black woman in Paris. She is from the Caribbean, a free woman, a spy working with her husband, Vincent. Tough, classy, vigilant, the sanest one of them all.
Charlotte Corday - Female 25; any ethnicity; badass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened by righteousness, never been kissed.
Marie Antoinette - Female 38; any ethnicity; Pretty badass but fascinating former queen of France. Bubbly, graceful, opinionated, totally unaware, unintentionally rude, and oddly prescient. Never had a real friend.
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
By Joe Landry
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: Nov 10 Run: Nov. 27 – Dec. 23
This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. (All actors must be able to sing.)
Freddie Filmore: character man, any ethnicity; plays announcer, Gower, Potter, Billy, Joseph, Peter Bailey, etc
Jake Laurents: leading man, any ethnicity; plays George Bailey
Sally Appplewhite: leading lady; any ethnicity; plays Mary Hatch
Lana Sherwood: Female, any ethnicity; plays Violet, Rose Bailey, Zuzu, etc
Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood: Male, any ethnicity; plays Harry, Bert, Clarence Oddbody, Sam Wainwright, etc
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Niall McGinty from Charles Dickens
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: Nov 13 Run: Possibly Nov. 28 – Dec. 22
Join Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits and a host of Christmas ghosts for this classic holiday story in this adaptation. Most actors play multiple roles.
Scrooge, CAST 50s-60s. Vicious old man.
Jacob Marley: 40s, narrator, back from the dead to guide (and torture) Scrooge
Bob Cratchit, 30s-40s, Hopeful middle-aged man
Mrs. Cratchit: 30s-40s, Kindly, hopeful, loving, strong
Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig: 30s, jolly, fun and funny, looking for Singers or actors who play instruments
Young Belle: 20s, in love with young Scrooge, strong and honest
Young Scrooge: 20s, torn by his love for Belle and his love of money
Children: Male and Female to play all Cratchit children, Fan, Scrooge as Boy, Belle as Girl, Dick, Turkey Kid, Want, Ignorance
Detroit ‘67
By Dominique Morisseau
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: Jan. 2 Run: Jan. 22 – Feb. 14
It’s Detroit in 1967 and the main characters are struggling to make ends meet by hosting parties in their basement. The inheritance from their parents could go to purchasing a local bar where they could be “legit.” An unexpected encounter leads to trouble with the law and riots break out all over the town. Love tries to grow, but there is so much in the way.
Chelle (Michelle) – Black woman, late 30s, strong, steadfast, firm and not easily impressed. A widow, mother, and sister. A loving heart beneath her pride.
Lank (Langston) – Black man, early 30s, cool, loving, and charismatic. A dreamer. He has a special affect on women- but not a womanizer. Chelle’s younger brother.
Bunny (Bonita) – Black woman, mid-late 30s, fun, spunky, sexy, and joyful. A friend and sometimes a lover… Never lets nothin’ get her down.
Sly (Sylvester) – Black man, late 30s, hip, slick and sweet-talking. An honest histler and numbers man. Fiercely loyal. Lank’s best buddy.
Caroline– White woman, late 20s/early30s, quiet strength, troubled, soft and mysterious. There is a world of danger behind her eyes.
Murder for Two
Book & music by Joe Kinosian, book & lyrics by Kellen Blair
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: Feb 12 Run: March 5 - March 28
Officer Marcus Moscowicz is a small town policeman with dreams of making it to detective. One fateful night, shots ring out at the surprise birthday party of Great American Novelist Arthur Whitney and the writer is killed… fatally. With the nearest detective an hour away, Marcus jumps at the chance to prove his sleuthing skills- with the help of his silent partner, Lou. But whodunit? Did Dahlia Whitney, Arthur’s scene-stealing wife, give him a big finish? Is Barrette Lewis, the prima ballerina, the prime suspect? Did Dr. Griff, the overly-friendly psychiatrist, make a frenemy? Marcus has only a short amount of time to find the killer and make his name before the real detective arrives… and the ice cream melts!
Marcus– 20s-30s, any ethnicity; an ambitious young officer, and provides voices for two characters in flashback: THE CHIEF, Marcus’s grizzled boss, and VANESSA, Marcus’s former partner.
The Suspects (all portrayed by the other actor): 20s-30s, any ethnicity
DAHLIA WHITNEY- The victim’s loopy widow
MURRAY & BARB FLANDON- the Whitneys’ bickering neighbors
STEPH WHITNEY- an overeager grad student
BARRETTE LEWIS- a self-incriminating ballerina
DR. GRIFF- a friendly local psychiatrist
TOMMY, YONKERS, & SKID- members of an antiquated boys’ choir
HENRY VIVALDI- a late arrival
Silent Sky
By Lauren Gunderson
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: Mar. 26 Run: Apr. 16 – May 9
When Henrietta Leavitt begins to work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society of during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.
Henrietta Leavitt– 30s, brilliant, meticulous, excited- almost always wearing a period hearing aid
Margaret Leavitt– 30s, homebody, creative, sweet, sister
Peter Shaw– 30s, the head astronomer’s apprentice… and the man
Annie Cannon– 40s, the leader, terse and sure, grows into a firebrand
Williamina Fleming– 50s, smart as a whip and fun, Scottish
Little Shop of Horrors
By Howard Ashman and Alan Menken
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: May 11 Run: June 4 – June 30. (extensions possible)
Casting Little Shop of Horrors, the delectable sci-fi horror musical with an electrifying 1960s pop/rock score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Synopsis: Seymour Krelborn is a meek and dejected assistant at a floral shop who happens upon a strange plant, which he affectionately names “Audrey II” after the coworker he secretly loves. Little does he know that this strange and unusual plant will develop a soulful R&B voice, a potty mouth, and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. As Audrey II grows bigger and meaner, the carnivorous plant promises limitless fame and fortune to Seymour, as long as he continues providing a fresh supply of blood. Just when it’s too late, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s extra-terrestrial origins and his true drive for world domination.
Seymour Krelbourne 20s-30s Any Ethnicity strong acting and singing; vocal range: A2-G4; an insecure, put-upon, florists’ clerk who becomes the hero of the story; above all, he is a sweet, genuine well-meaning man who is taken for granted because of his clumsy ways and poor social skills.
Audrey 20-30s any ethnicity strong acting/comedy and singing; vocal range: sensitive belt, G#3-D5; the bleached-blond secret love of Seymour’s life, also employed at the shop; she has a damaged sense of self-worth and no education; she is vulnerable to a fault; think Judy Holiday in Born Yesterday, with a dash of Marilyn Monroe and Goldie Hawn.
Mr. Mushnik – 40s–50s any Ethnicity: middle-aged, old enough to adopt Seymour as his son; strong character actor with some singing; vocal range: G2-G4; Seymour's boss and father figure; he owns a failure of a run-down East Side florist shop; under a gruff and blustery exterior he cares about Audrey and Seymour; a good man at heart, but overcome by the temptations of wealth.
Orin Scrivello – Male 30s–40s Any Ethnicity strong character actor and singer; vocal range: G2-G4; Audrey’s handsome, dentist boyfriend, he is narcissistic, arrogant, and abusive to Audrey; in spite of all this, he is a charmer in a bad boy kind of way; must have a comic edge without going to caricature. This actor may also play other minor roles such as Radio Announcer, Mr. Bernstein, Mrs. Luce, Skip Snip, and Patrick Martin.
The Plant (Audry 2) any age, ethnicity: a man-eating plant that is a cross between a giant Venus flytrap and an avocado; a non-speaking puppeteer (experience not required) who manipulates various stages of the plant as it gets bigger; the role requires someone with physical acting skills to portray character and emotion purely through movement, and stamina to operate the large, heavy final puppet.
Voice of the Plant – Male open age; strong character singer; vocal range: G2-G4, rock, rhythm and blues style; a sweet-talking, street-smart, rhythm and blues version of the devil; provided by an actor on an offstage microphone, lip-syncing to the movements of the puppets; his voice is a cross between Otis Redding, Barry White, and Wolfman Jack.
Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffone – Female, 18–30, Any ethnicity vocal range: three-part tight harmony, Ab3-F5; strong harmony singers with good movement skills to perform tight choreographed movement; seeking all ethnicities for these characters; these three female street urchins function as participants in the action (when they have dialogue) and a Greek chorus commenting and narrating the action (when they sing); they’re young, hip, smart, and the only people in the cast who really know what’s going on, with a “we know something you don’t” attitude.
2nd Stage Productions:
I and You
By Lauren Gunderson
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: March 16 Run: April 2 - 11
One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love and the strange beauty of human connectedness.
Anthony– a boy, 17. He is neat, poised, mature for his age. African- American. He’s an “A” student, a team player, a nice guy. He’s not really great around girls. He takes his homework very seriously. When he likes something (jazz music) he is all in. Throughout the whole play he looks at Caroline like he’s trying to figure her out. Like he really needs to know who she is.
Caroline– a girl, 17. any ethnicity; She is in comfy clothing, she does not expect company, she is sick but mainly just looks a little weak and frumpy. She doesn’t go out. She is cynical, over it, does not let a stray “feeling” near the surface.
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
