VITANOVA - Open Circle Theatre at Blackrock Non Equity Auditions

VitaNova Workshop Casting Notice

Open Circle Theatre is seeking 12 actors (Deaf and hearing; disabled and non-disabled; union and non-union) for a two-week workshop of a new musical in development, VitaNova. Actors 18+ of all genders are welcome.

VitaNova (formerly The Grieving Project) is an interactive, hybrid musical designed to be accessible from the ground up. The musical unfolds live before two interconnected audiences: one in-theater and one remote via a browser-based virtual world, both of which make choices to guide the story in real time. This video can tell you more about the show:
https://youtu.be/LIE0cVc4cX4

Apply by Sunday, April 19 at 11:59 PM ET. Virtual callbacks will be April 20-24.

Workshop Dates: May 4-15 no weekend rehearsals

We are especially interested in:

• Actors with lived experience(s) of disability

• Actors with experience in ASL (strongly encouraged, not required for all roles)

• Actors comfortable with devised or workshop processes

Workshop Details:

• Dates: May 4–15 (weekdays only), 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

• Location: BlackRock Center for the Arts (Germantown, MD)

• Compensation: $1,480 non-union; Equity rates for union

• No public performance; this is a developmental workshop

• Actors will be asked to sing and/or sign songs that are still in development.

• Housing is available for out-of-town artists

• Rehearsal interpreters will be provided

• MetroAccess has a stop at the library next door

Submission Instructions:

Please submit the following materials to this
Google Form: a headshot, resume, and self-tape (featuring a one-minute contemporary monologue and a one-minute song).

Questions?

If you have questions about the opportunity or encounter access issues with the application process, please call us at +1 240-683-8934 or email
Director@opencircletheatre.org with “[AUDITION]” at the start of the subject line.

Musical Synopsis:

In 2035, four disabled artists participate in a clinical trial for an experimental therapy program delivered as an immersive video game. The show asks: if you could erase your pain, your grief, your struggles—would you, or are they part of who you are? A near-future sci-fi with a contemporary pop score, VitaNova is about transformation, chronic illness, grieving and thriving, the power of community, and the unique wisdom of a disability perspective.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

LEADS:

LIS (F, 45) — Game designer from San Francisco, California living with Dermatomyositis, a rare progressive muscle disease. She uses a cane or walker. Overly positive. She avoids negative emotions at all costs and escapes through games.

DANICA (F, 29) — Graphic novelist from Providence, Rhode Island with progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Uses a wheelchair. Controlling.

CHARLI (F, 27) — Landscape painter from Biloxi, Mississippi with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and related conditions since birth: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Independent, brash. Southern accent.

BRANDON (M, 21) — Singer-songwriter from Wichita, Kansas with depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following his twin brother (Eric)’s death. Hasn’t written music since Eric died.

LUCIE (any, femme voice; 25-50) — VitaNova’s intuitive AI host, charismatic and ever-present, guiding players toward their best selves.

ENSEMBLE:

Multiple roles and ages.