Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 2024-25 Season - Chicago EPA Cincinnati Playhouse in The Park | Cincinnati, OH
Notice: Audition Call Type: EPA
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (C)
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
LORT Non-Rep
$1011 weekly minimum (LORT C) - The Rouse Theatre
$807 weekly minimum (LORT D) - The Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre
Equity actors for roles in Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's 2024-25 Season (See
breakdown).
All types and all ethnicities are encouraged to audition.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is an equal opportunity employer.
Please prepare EITHER 1-2 contrasting monologue(s) not to exceed 3 minutes OR 1 monologue & 1 song not to exceed 3 minutes. An accompanist will be provided. Please provide clearly marked music for the accompanist. Also, please bring your headshot and resume stapled together.
Actors' Equity Association - Chicago Member Center
557 W Randolph St
1st Fl
Chicago, IL 60661
Expected to attend:
Joanie Schultz - Associate Artistic Director
See breakdown for production specific dates.
Our 2024-25 season begins rehearsal in early August with a late August opening. The last show of the season will close in mid-May.
OTHER
EPA Procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity Monitor will be provided.
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.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 2024-25 Season
By Fredrick Knott
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Directed by Tatiana Pandiana
NOTE: This is a co-production with the Alley Theatre and is pre-cast.
Murder and malice take center stage in a fresh adaptation of an iconic thriller! The setting is midcentury London. It’s been a year since Margot ended her affair with her lover, Maxine, and returned to life as usual with her husband, Tony — or so she thinks. Tony, in fact, knows about the affair and spins an intricate web of suspicion and deception. When his plan goes terribly awry, it sets in motion a series of deadly, unexpected twists threatening everyone involved. Best known for the 1954 film by Alfred Hitchcock, this masterful murder mystery receives a clever and fast-paced new treatment for the stage.
Alley Theatre:
Rehearses: 4/30/24
Performs: 6/5 – 6/30/24
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park:
Rehearses: 8/6/24
Performs: 8/17 – 9/15/2024
No Roles available at this time.
Based on the diary of RUTKA LASKIER, as published in Rutka's Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust
Music and Lyrics by JOCELYN MACKENZIE and JEREMY LLOYD-STYLES
Book by NEENA BEBER
Conceived by Amy Langer & David B. Schwartz
Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg
You’ll never forget her name. A powerful indie-rock musical makes its world premiere in Cincinnati to launch its path to Broadway. Rutka’s world is consumed by the usual teen angst, like friendships, gossip, a new haircut and the flickers of first love — all of which she documents in her diary. But the world at large is far from usual. It’s 1943 in war-torn Poland, and Rutka and her friends are trying to live life in a Jewish Ghetto. With their futures and fates uncertain, they reach for hope, resilience and resistance. This all-new musical is a compelling historical drama based on Rutka’s Notebook — a publication of the real diary left behind by 14-year-old Rutka Laskier. Rutka is brought to life by an extraordinary ensemble of young performers and with a raw and emotional sound, promising an unforgettable musical experience.
Rehearses: 9/10/24
Performs: 10/13 - 11/10/24
“THE TEENS” – 18+ to play younger.
RUTKA: (female, 14) A spirited, headstrong 14-year-old, unconventional and bold, funny, on that cusp of girl to woman. Rutka is charismatic and unconventional. She speaks her mind. She can be moody and mercurial and hard on herself for being hard on others, a dry wit and sarcastic sense of humor but also passionate and joyful. In the throes of adolescence, she is trying to make sense of a million conflicting emotions.
STASIA: (female, 20) A good friend, loyal and kind and a little secretive as she makes her way in a world she doesn’t agree with but doesn’t know how to change. She finds in Rutka a kindred spirit sees her as a younger sister but also a funny friend. Stasia wishes she were as bold and nonconformist as her friend and tries hard to stay optimistic; she is in denial about what is happening in the war.
MICKA: (female, 14/15) Rutka’s great friend, loves a little mischief and gossip; she and Rutka get each other and like to tease each other. Micka is a little more concerned with popularity and fitting in; she satisfies her own crushes vicariously by pushing Rutka forward.
TUSIA: (female, 14/15/16) Very gossipy and a little more advanced, she acts more sophisticated and knowledgeable than she is; has at times been jealous of Rutka but underneath she looks up to her. She’s a fun, upbeat person but sometimes acts on her more superficial impulses.
LINKA: (female, 14/15) a studious, hard worker, she is very practical, always does the right thing if she can. A little earnest and sometimes awkward, she shares Rutka’s love of books. She has grit; things don’t come as easily sometimes but she is willing to push through.
NINA: (female, 14) quiet and steady and a good listener; a little shy, a gentle daydreamer, she is easy to confide in.
JANEK: (male, 15/16/17) Rutka’s main romantic interest, he’s handsome and smart. In different circumstances, he’d have been Head Boy, with an easy manner, confident and sometimes a little cocky. Rutka makes him want to recite poetry, but she is also the one person who makes him get tongue-tied and awkward.
LOLEK: (male, 17) Bookish and philosophical, an intellectual, passionate, and political. He’s a book worm but also unexpectedly brave and a natural leader. He doesn’t care what people think of him, marches to the beat of his own drum.
MULEK: (male, 14) Fun-loving, sees himself as much suaver than he is — which is really a bit of a goofball. Crushed out on Rutka and all the girls, really. Janek’s best friend.
“THE ADULTS”
YAACOV: (male, 30s-40s) Rutka’s father. A protective family man, idealistic, intellectual, musical and hardworking, he knew affluence and success before the war and was devoted to giving his wife and children a nice life. He is trying not to drown in world events and sees his job as continuing to look for a way out for his family and to keep them all from sinking into despair. He hides his own worries in order to keep the family as buoyant as possible.
DVORAH: (female, 30s-40s) Rutka’s mother, trying to keep a semblance of normalcy and parent her children, but more and more desperate. She’s overwhelmed by having a baby, a teenager, and no way to maintain the order she used to take pride in. She can be stern but only because she is trying to keep some control. The spark between her and Yaacov is clearly still there beneath the anxiety and stress.
MORDECHAI: (male, 20s) he has joined the Judenrat/Kahal to enforce Nazi laws in the ghetto. A fellow Jew, he hopes to survive and believes if everyone follows strict laws maybe things will work out. He’s constantly warning people to follow orders and is like the strict hall monitor wielding his scrap of power.
STANISLAWA: (female, 80s+) this is STASIA many decades later. She sees herself as the keeper of the flame and still converses with Rutka through the diary she has held onto. Though outwardly you would never know it, she has kept the unconventional spirit alive; she never married, has a mischievous twinkle, and enjoys young people and sharing the truth. She has seen the worst of humanity’s potential for cruelty but has been able to find and hold onto joy, which she sees as Rutka’s legacy.
Understudy or Swing assignments are pending.
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and Originally Directed by Blake Robison (CPIP’s Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director) Director: Bridget Leak
Revival of CPIP’s 2023 production of the classic Dickens novella
Rehearses: 11/1/2024
Performs: 11/22 - 12/29/24
No Roles available at this time.
By Eboni Booth
Directed by Timothy Douglas
This production may be a co-production - TBD
Written with profound affection for the hero at its center, Primary Trust is an achingly beautiful, modern-day tale that will restore your faith in others. Meet Kenneth, a shy, Black 38-year-old man who sells books by day and drinks mai tais with his best friend Bert by night. When Kenneth is suddenly laid off from his job, the walls of his comfortable, predictable life start to crumble. The transformation gives way to remarkable revelations as Kenneth finds kindness and friendship in unlikely places. Hailed by critics as “utterly absorbing” (The Daily Beast) and “wonderfully vivid” (The New York Times), this recent off-Broadway hit paints a heartening portrait of a life that’s far from simple.
Rehearses: 1/7/25
Performs: 2/1 – 2/23/25
KENNETH: (male, Black, 30s) Smart, sensitive, Kenneth lives a small life in a small town. He has a big imagination and longs to live bigger but is afraid, and when change comes, he must learn to live past his comfort zone.
BERT: (male, Black, 30s-40s) Kenneth’s imaginary friend. Solid, practical, warm, encouraging.
WALLY’S WAITER: (female, Black, 30s-40s) Doubles as Bank Customers. Open and friendly to Kenneth, quirky and funny.
CLAY: (male, 30s-40s) Doubles as Sam and Le Pousselet. Gruff and masculine with a heart underneath.
No Understudies
By Karen Zacarías
Directed by: Blake Robison (CPIP’s Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director)
A comedy about books and the people who love them. When the members of a devoted book club become the subjects of a documentary filmmaker, their intimate discussions of life and literature take on new meaning with the camera rolling. Add in the unexpected arrival of a provocative new member and the sudden inclusion of some questionable titles, and long-standing group dynamics take a hilarious turn. This delightful and engaging play is sprinkled with wit, joy and novels galore.
Rehearses: 2/25/25
Performs: 3/22 – 4/20/25
ANA SMITH (w): 30s. Pronounced “Ah-nuh.” Beautiful. Charming. Smart. Accomplished. Organized. A columnist for a daily paper. The “Mother Bee.” Her grace masks a need to control.
ROBERT NOVUM SMITH JR (m): 30s. ANA’s golden-boy handsome, charismatic, underachiever husband who is starting to search for meaning. Met in college. Upper-crust background.
WILLIAM LEE NOTHNAGEL (m): 30s. ROB’s conservative, well-read, well-dressed, disciplined college roommate. ANA’s former boyfriend. History buf. Unmarried.
JENNIFER McCLINTOCK (w): 30s. ANA’s friend. Pretty. Shy. Smart. Tends to burst out with awkward truthful comments. Despite some lack of self-confdence, she is the grounding center of the group. Unorganized and oblivious to her own attractiveness. Unmarried.
LILY LOUISE JACKSON (w): black, 20s. A go-getter. Former debate captain who is on the cusp of all current trends and yet can still put her foot in her mouth in social occasions. Laughs at appropriate and inappropriate times. A great lover of books and ANA’s protégé at the paper.
ALEX (m): 30s. The new guy. A very smart, well-read academic who has lost his moorings and is searching for real connection. Professor of comparative literature.
The PUNDITS:
ELSA, jaded literary agent- played by JEN
FRANK, Secret Service agent- played by WILL
SAM, Wal-Mart guy- played by ROB
CARL, inmate book dealer- played by ALEX
MRS. SIMPSON, sky diver- played by LILY
No Understudies
MR PARENT
By Melinda Lopez with Maurice Emmanuel Parent
Conceived with and directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
You’re never too old to learn a thing or two. A struggling actor turns to teaching for a steady paycheck, thinking how hard could it be? But as he careens from an urban public school system by day to serious thespian at night, Mr. Parent starts to wonder where he really belongs. Based on personal stories and his own real-life adventures, writer-performer Maurice Emmanuel Parent takes the stage in a deeply felt and hilarious solo performance about crushingly inequitable systems, the brilliance of every kid and how we might all find the space to be ourselves.
Rehearses: 8/27/24
Performs: 9/7 – 10/6/24
This show is pre-cast and no Roles available at this time.
No Understudies
This is a touring production. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park are not casting any roles.
Directed by Kimberly Senior
The 2023 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama takes the Playhouse stage! Four Iranian adults gather in a classroom to learn English with the hopes of passing the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Humor, word games and vulnerability abound as they navigate the mechanics of language and use rom-coms, Shakira and Coca-Cola as cultural touchstones. But as Marjan, their Iranian-born English teacher, abolishes their native tongue from the classroom, questions and conflicts about identity seep slowly into their minds and hearts. Equal parts touching and funny, this new play from Sanaz Toossi offers a revelatory glimpse into the human desire to belong.
Rehearses: 2/4/25
Performs: 3/1 – 3/30/25
MARJAN: (Female, 44) The teacher. She was taught American English, lived in Britan for 9 years, but came back to Iran. She loves the English language and wants to impart that to her students. She speaks with a slight Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.
ELHAM: (Female, 28) A student. She is a med student who needs to pass this exam and is highly anxious about it. She’s extroverted, smart, confident, and gets frustrated easily. She speaks with a very thick Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.
GOLI: (Female, 18) A student. “Not a girl, not yet a woman.” She is open and kind, full of openness and hope. She speaks with a light to moderate Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.
ROYA: (Female, 54) a student. She is a dignified mother and grandmother. Very loving, very grounded. She is learning English to stay connected to family in Canada. She has the thickest Persian accent of the class, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.
OMID: (Male, 29) a student. Charismatic and charming, he is disarming with his confidence. He is outgoing but private. His ability to speak English is impressive, and his Persian accent is almost undetectable, and he has mastery over it. Actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.
No Understudies
Directed by Joanie Schultz (Associate Artistic Director)
The ingredients for the cake are simple: eggs, butter, sugar, salt. Look closer, though, and you’ll see the essence of life itself. Every year, Ernestine bakes a cake and celebrates with her family on her birthday — a delicious ritual that unfolds onstage across 90 years of birthdays. We meet Ernestine and the people who sweeten her life every year on this day as she grows from 17 to 107 years old. Through glimpses of Ernestine’s life as the years go by, Birthday Candles tenderly explores motherhood, family, love, loss and finding your place in the universe. This charming new play, recently performed on Broadway, will warm the soul.
Rehearses: 3/25/25
Performs: 4/19 – 5/18/25
ALICE/MADELINE/ERNIE: (female) Alice: selfless, strong, Ernestine’s Mother. Madeline: Troubled. Bemused. Erudite. Ernestine’s daughter. Ernie: Ethereal. Vivacious. She doesn’t walk, she glides. Alex’s daughter.
KENNETH: (male) Ernestine’s awkward and annoying next-door neighbor.
MATT/WILLIAM: (male) Matt: Chiseled jawline. A middle linebacker on the high school football team. Ernestine’s boyfriend then husband. William: Thirteen. Grand.
BILLY/JOHN: (male) Billy: Sensitive. An ear for music. Ernestine’s son. John: A man woken up in the middle of the night.
JOAN/ALEX/BETH (female): Joan: Anxious. Very Anxious. Billy’s wife. Alex: Takes no bullshit. Billy and Joan’s daughter. Beth: John’s domestic partner, she quit smoking ten years ago and hasn’t been in a good mood since.
No Understudies
Videos
