SpeakEasy Stage Company 2019-20 Season - Boston, MA EPA
SpeakEasy Stage Company
AUDITION DATE
Mon, May 20, 2019
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (EDT)
Lunch 1 to 2
APPOINTMENTS
For an appointment, please email auditions@speakeasystage.com with your Equity status, contact information, and hour you wish to be seen. AEA members without appointments will be seen as time permits.
CONTRACT
NEAT Cat 6; $473.00/week
SEEKING
Equity actors for SpeakEasy Stage Company's 2019-2020 Season: CHOIR BOY, ADMISSIONS, PASS OVER, THE CHILDREN, and BRIGHT STAR.
For pre-cast roles, auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. No understudies are being cast.
Actors of color are strongly encouraged to audition, and all roles are open to inclusive casting. SpeakEasy Stage
PREPARATION
Auditions will be in 5 minute slots. Actors may read one or more scenes from the season's plays, perform one or more monologues, or prepare a combination of scene(s) and monologues(s) from other sources. SpeakEasy suggests, if not performing scenes, to choose two contrasting monologues.
Scripts will be available at the StageSource office. Selected sides and a reader will be available at the audition.
LOCATION
BCA Plaza Theatres
539 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116-6306
PERSONNEL
Present at this EPA will be: Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault and Artistic Fellow David Keohane.
OTHER DATES
Company shall conduct all auditions / interviews in a manner that promotes fair consideration to persons of all races, ethnicities, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and ability statuses.
OTHER
Other: For these auditions, no nudity or any form of sexual contact will be required as part of an actor’s audition. We will not ask prospective participants to perform violence or sexual contact as part of an audition without disclosing this expectation in the audition notice or invitation. SpeakEasy Stage Company seeks to foster an environment of communication, safety, respect, accountability, and the health, safety, and well- being of institutions and its participants.
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of 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
2019-20 Season Plays
CHOIR BOY
by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Rehearsals begin August 19, 2019; Performances run September 13 - October 12, 2019 (Possible Extension to October 19, 2019)
Pharus Jonathan Young (Lead): Male-identified, 17. Black. Extremely smart; effeminate; senior student and lead of the Charles R Drew Prep School for Boys Choir; opinionated, outspoken, charismatic, sly sense of humor; must be a highly skilled singer of gospel and spiritual hymns. Please note: nudity required.
Anthony Justin “AJ” James: Male-identified, 18. Black. Senior student, baseball player, choir member Charles R Drew Prep School for Boys; athletic; kind,
level-headed, easy to like. Pharus’ roommate; must be a highly skilled singer of gospel and spiritual hymns. Please note: nudity required.
Bobby Marrow: Male-identified, 16. Black. Junior student, choir member, nephew to the headmaster; arrogant, confrontational, entitled; an alpha male;
must be a highly skilled singer of gospel and spiritual hymns.
David Heard: Male-identified, 17. Black. Senior student, choir member; religious; planning to be minister; a peace-maker, usually a boy of few words;
must be a highly skilled singer of gospel and spiritual hymns. Please note: nudity required.
Junior Blacke: Male-identified, 16. Black. Junior student, choir member; the most innocent of the boys; Bobby’s milder sidekick; must be a highly skilled
singer of gospel and spiritual hymns. Please note: nudity required.
Headmaster Marrow: Male-identified, 40-59. Black. The youngest and latest Headmaster at The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys; dedicated to maintaining the high standards and mission of his school; devoted, committed, impassioned; a man with heart who leads with tough love; Bobby Marrow's uncle.
Mr. Pendleton: Male-identified, 65-75. White. Returning professor at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys; teaches African American History; avuncular
in nature with life experience to share; humble and down-to-earth; challenges his students to think beyond their immediate perceptions of the world they live in.
Ensemble (1-3 Actors): Male-identified. 16-18. Black. Students at the Charles R Drew Prep School for Boys; must be a highly skilled singer of gospel and spiritual hymns.
________________________
ADMISSIONS
by Joshua Harmon, directed by Paul Daigneault
Rehearsals begin September 30, 2019; Performances run October 25 - November 30, 2019.
*SHERRI ROSEN-MASON: Female-identified. 50’s. White. Very liberal secular-Jewish woman; Head of Admissions for Hillcrest. Has a warrior's spirit, a fighter. As hard as she fights at work, she fights even harder for her kid. Even when he doesn't make it easy.
*BILL MASON: Male-identified. early 50’s. White. Very liberal WASP; Sherri’s husband; Head of the School at Hillcrest. Has lived a pretty charmed life, for the
most part. Firmly believes he is always right, and acts accordingly; in other words, leaves little room for doubt. Assertive in his opinions, decisive.
CHARLIE LUTHER MASON: Male-identified. 17. White. Bill and Sherri’s son; a senior at Hillcrest. Precocious and intelligent. His anger can overtake him, but he
doesn't lead with it. At his core, he's a sweet kid. Like lots of kids his age, he can quickly become a devout believer in newly adopted philosophies.
*GINNIE PETERS: Female-identified. 50s. White. Very liberal WASP; stay-at-home Mom; her son is Charlie’s best friend. She is one of Sherri's closest friends.
Unlike Sherri, who has mastered work-life balance, Ginnie's easily overwhelmed, even as she has much less on her plate.
ROBERTA: ROLE CAST. Female-identified. 70s. White. White; works in development at Hillcrest. She is warm and means well, if also obstinate and stubborn. When she offends, it is unwittingly; her confusion is genuine. The world is changing faster than she can keep up.
*The roles of Sherri, Bill and Ginnie have been cast. Actors will be seen for these roles as replacements only.
______________________
PASS OVER
by Antoinette Nwandu
Rehearsals begin December 9, 2019; Performances run January. 3 - January 25, 2020 (Possible Extension to February 1)
MOSES: male-identified. late teens/early 20’s. Black. A young man from the ghetto. brokenhearted. courageous. sad. but also a slave driver. but also the
prophesied leader of God’s chosen people.
KITCH: male-identified. late teens/early 20’s. Black. A young man from the ghetto and Moses’ friend. jovial. loyal. kind. naive. a lovely friend to have. but also a slave. but also one of God’s chosen.
MISTER/OSSIFER: male-identified. late 20’s/early 30’s. White.
MISTER: a man in a light-colored suit. Out of his element. earnest. wholesome. terrified. but also a plantation owner. but also pharaoh's son.
OSSIFER: an enforcer of the law. Not from around here, but always around. pragmatic. intimidating. Also terrified. but also a patroller. but also a soldier in pharaoh’s army.
______________________
THE CHILDREN
by Lucy Kirkwood, directed by Bryne Boice
Rehearsals begin February 3, 2020; Performances run February 28 - March 28, 2020 (Possible Extension to April 4, 2020)
*ROSE: Female-identified. 60s. Any Ethnicity. British accent required. Voluntarily childless; she takes life as it comes; she has a distinct sexual power; warm,
loquacious, enigmatic, and self-possessed.
*HAZEL: Female-identified. 60s. Any Ethnicity. British accent required. Mother to four adult children; married to Robin, and a former colleague of Rose; a
super-organized yogi in denial of her body's dilapidation; she is a wholly determined creature of habit, who exudes domesticity even in moments of crisis.
*ROBIN: Male-identified. 60s. Any Ethnicity. British accent required. A father to four adult children; married to Hazel, and a former colleague of Rose; charming, dramatic, and genial; he is weary, but wily and has the ability to transform from boorish to noble in the blink of an eye.
*The roles of Rose, Hazel and Robin have been cast. Actors will be seen for these roles as replacements only.
_____________________________
BRIGHT STAR
music, lyrics by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, book by Steve Martin; directed by Paul Daigneault
Rehearsals begin April 6, 2020; Performances May 1- May 30, 2020 (Possible Extension to June 6,
2020)
Alice Murphy: Female-identified, 34-39. Any Ethnicity. An editor of a southern literary magazine; intelligent, attractive, professional--but with an air of melancholy. The same actress will also play Young Alice at age 16--rebellious, high-spirited, sexually forward, adventurous. Must be very strong singer and comfortable in folk and bluegrass styles. Vocal range: Very strong singer in a pop-folk style. Wide vocal range.
Billy Cane: Male-identified, 22. Any Ethnicity. A soldier returning home from WWII; an aspiring young writer; fresh, open, optimistic, charming, and a little
naïve. Vocal range: Bright, natural Bari-Tenor.
Jimmy Ray Dobbs: Male-identified, 20-40. Any Ethnicity. Mayor Dobbs' son and young Alice's beau; handsome, boyishly charming, well-built, and intelligent; from a family of wealth and power and is being groomed by his father for a similar future in the family business; an independent thinker who is not afraid to stand up to his father for what he believes in; he has a sense of personal responsibility and morality as well as a deep reserve of passion and emotion. The same actor will also play an adult Jimmy Ray at age 40. Vocal range: Very strong singer in a pop-folk style. Bari-Tenor.
Mayor Josiah Dobbs: Male-identified, 56-67. Any Ethnicity. The Mayor of Zebulon; a political and financial powerbroker--distinguished, even elegant, an imposing and controlling presence; has a genuine interest in protecting his son's future and his family name, but in doing so, is ultimately pushed to a point of extreme and irrevocable cruelty. Vocal range: Bass-Baritone.
Margo Crawford: Female-identified, 22. Any Ethnicity. a small-town bookstore owner; a childhood friend of Billy's who now harbors romantic feelings towards him; a natural beauty with a keen intellect. Vocal range: A Mezzo-Soprano sweet, warm folk voice.
Daddy Murphy: Male-identified, 56-67. Any Ethnicity. Alice's father; an authoritative and a stern disciplinarian; devoutly religious, hard-working, a poor but proud farmer. Vocal range: Baritone.
Mama Murphy: Female-identified, 50-64. Any Ethnicity. Alice's mother; a caretaker to her family and her rural community; a warm, loving, sensible woman;
hardworking, with great inner strength and compassion. Vocal range: Strong singer in a pop-folk style. Alto.
Daddy Cane: Male-identified, 60-65. Any Ethnicity. Billy's father; a widower; spry, good-looking; kind-hearted, if a bit lonely. Vocal range: Bari-tenor.
Daryl Ames: Male-identified, 26-39. Any Ethnicity. an assistant at a literary magazine; funny, with a dry and officious sense of humor; insecure, and perhaps a bit socially awkward, but endearing and innately likable; some character singing required but not a major singing role; should be able to move well. Vocal range: Bari-tenor.
Lucy Grant: Female-identified, 20-30. Any Ethnicity. a junior editor at a literary magazine; an ambitious, professional young modern career woman of the 1940s; sexy, forthright, and provocative with a sharp sense of humor; must be able to vocally carry a big uptempo foot stopping drinking song and dance/move very well. Vocal range: Strong belt.
Ensemble (1-4 actor/singer/musicians): Any gender, 20-50. Any Ethnicity. Strong singers with ability to perform multiple roles; skilled musicians.
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Other: For these auditions, no nudity or any form of sexual contact will be required as part of an actor’s audition. We will not ask prospective participants to perform violence or sexual contact as part of an audition without disclosing this expectation in the audition notice or invitation. SpeakEasy Stage Company seeks to foster an environment of communication, safety, respect, accountability, and the health, safety, and well- being of institutions and its participants.
Actors of color are strongly encouraged to audition, and all roles are open to inclusive casting. SpeakEasy Stage Company shall conduct all auditions/interviews in a manner that promotes fair consideration to persons of all races, ethnicities, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and ability statuses. SpeakEasy Stage Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition. Please bring your Equity membership card to 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 audition.
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