OFF BROADWAY COMBINDED THEATERS 2011-12 SEAONS Equity Principal Auditions - The Public Theatre, Second Stage Theatre and Playwrights Horizons Auditions
The Public Theatre, Second Stage Theatre and Playwrights Horizons
The Public Theater
Second Stage Theatre
Playwrights Horizons – Equity Principal Auditions
These Theatres produce under the Off-Broadway Agreement; minimum weekly salary depends on venue.
Equity Principal Auditions:
Monday, July 18, 2011 – No accompanist. Actors' Equity Association Audition Center
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – No accompanist. 165 West 46th Street, 2nd Floor
10 AM – 5:30 PM both days. New York City
Lunch from 1:30 - 2.
Equity Monitor begins sign-up at 8:30 AM.
and
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – Accompanist provided. Actors' Equity Association Audition Center
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM 165 West 46th Street, 2nd Floor
Lunch from 1 - 2. New York City
Non-musical auditions: Please prepare a monologue, 2 minutes or less. Note: Performers who attend the July 18 non-musical EPA may not audition again on July 20, but may audition with a song on July 19 if they wish.
Musical auditions: Please prepare a brief song. Bring sheet music; accompanist provided on July 19 only. NOTE: Please, no non-musical auditions on this day.
All auditioners: Please bring THREE copies of your stapled-together picture and resume.
Notes: Information is subject to change. All roles are available unless they are listed as cast. For pre-cast roles, auditioning performers will be considered as possible replacements, should any become necessary.
The Public Theater
Off-Broadway Agreement, various tiers / minimums.
Artistic Dir: Oskar Eustis
SWEET AND SAD by Richard Nelson. Directed by the author. 1st reh: 8/16/11. Runs 9/6-9/25. CAST. 40s-50s. Lawyer. Lives in Manhattan. Outspoken, a big personality. Loves his sisters, but is often in disagreement with them about life and politics, and is not afraid to enter into heartfelt and lengthy debate about it.
Barbara Apple:
CAST. 40s-50s. Richard’s sister, a high-school teacher who lives in Rhinebeck, where her ailing uncle Benjamin and her sister Marian have moved in with her. Instead of feeling put-upon by the responsibility, she is dedicated to caring for and protecting her family members in their time of need.
Marian Apple Platt:
CAST. 40s-50s. Richard and Barbara’s sister, a second-grade teacher living with Barbara in Rhinebeck. Struggling with the recent death of her daughter and the resulting collapse of her marriage. Not one to make a show of her grief, she does her best to keep her emotions to herself.
CAST. 40s-50s. Another sister, who lives with Tim in Manhattan. Nonfiction writer, working on a new book. Opinionated, passionate and loving towards her siblings. Although she may not always agree with them, she is eager to make sure they all get along.
CAST. 60s-70s. The siblings’ uncle, a retired actor who lives with Barbara and Marian in Rhinebeck. Suffering from amnesia. Fluctuates between moments of confusion and moments of astounding and profound clarity.
CAST. 40s-50s. An actor. Lives in Manhattan. Jane’s boyfriend. Friendly, affable, doing his best to adapt and fit in with the Apple clan. KING LEAR by Shakespeare. Dir: James MacDonald. 1st reh: 9/6/11. Runs 10/18-11/20. May extend to 12/4. Lear:
CAST. 60s. An aging king, fearsome in his wrath and brutally unwavering in his resolve. Unaccustomed to opposition. His decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters sets in motion a cascade of violence, and begins his spiral into madness.
Goneril:
CAST. 30s – early 40s. Lear’s eldest daughter. Powerful; initially accommodating of her father’s outrageous behavior, but finds her tolerance tested as he becomes more and more chaotic and irrational. Regan:
CAST. 30s – early 40s. Lear’s middle daughter. As ambitious as her older sister, but less in control of her venal desires. Egged on by her husband, she easily indulges her cruel streak. Duplicitous.
CAST. 20s – early 30s. Lear’s youngest. Open and honest – almost to a fault – she has great depth and strength, despite her youth. Of the three girls, she is the only one prepared to stand up to her father’s bullying … but the cost is enormous.
Kent:
CAST. Late 40s - 50s. The only courtier with the nerve to contradict Lear. Practical, down-to-earth, somewhat rough around the edges, with very few airs and graces. Noble and true-hearted. Banished from court, he returns in disguise to become Lear’s protector.
Fool:
CAST. Late 40s-60s. Lear’s conscience. Has a brilliant wit and an infallible bullshit detector. His insights can cut like a knife, but he is also extremely loyal and compassionate.
Gloucester:
CAST. 50s-60s. Advisor to the king; his opinions are freely solicited and highly regarded throughout the court. The moral centeredness that he exhibits in his work has failed to translate to his slightly debauched personal life.
Edgar:
CAST. Late 20s-30s. Gloucester’s favored son. When he is wrongfully accused of plotting against his father, he transforms himself into “Poor Tom”, a destitute madman, in order to vindicate himself.
Edmund:
CAST. Late 20s-30s. Gloucester’s bastard son. Charismatic bad boy with an enormous chip on his shoulder. Has an insatiable appetite for power, which he gratifies at every opportunity – regardless of the cost. Amoral and sexy – a deadly combination.
Albany:
CAST. 30s-40s. Goneril’s husband. Moral but weak. Appalled by his wife’s cold ambition, he is ultimately forced to stand by his convictions.
Cornwall:
CAST. 30s-40s. Regan’s husband. Cruel, sadistic bully.
Oswald:
CAST. 30s-40s. Goneril’s steward. Self-important and supercilious. Classic “servant of two masters”, who always wants to be on the winning team. Cowardly and cunning.
France and Burgundy / Male Ensemble:
CAST. France and Burgundy: Late 20s-30s. Cordelia’s suitors. Patrician and regal. Eligible bachelors. Ensemble Men: Late 20s-40s. All must be highly experienced in handling classical text to play smaller speaking roles, Knights, Courtiers, Messengers.
LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST by Shakespeare. Dir: Karin Coonrod. 1st reh: 9/20/11. Runs 10/18-11/6.
20s. Young monarch, torn between his desire to be a strong-willed king and the more mercurial, compelling desires of youth. Has all the breeding of a natural leader, with a tendency to be a little too serious.
Berowne:
20s. One of Navarre’s attending lords. Has an extremely quick wit, and even sharper tongue. Something of a cynic, he is the last to subscribe to the King’s spartan edict. Enjoys women almost as much as he enjoys words … and when the two come together, he is in Nirvana.
Dumaine:
20s. Young lord in the king’s entourage. A man of privilege who is only too happy to breathe the rarified air and enjoy all the perks that the court provides. Renaissance man with great wit and intelligence.
Princess of France:
20s. Sent by her father to negotiate with the King of Navarre, she can match him – or any of the men in the court – in wit and intelligence, point for point. Smart, capable and independent.
Rosaline:
20s. Has all of the strength and smarts of the Princess but, as a courtier, she also has more license to give her humor and considerable wit free reign. A perfect foil and match for the cynical Berowne. In addition to great wit, she also has a huge heart.
Katherine:
20s. Woman of the French court, and the object of Dumaine’s affections. More than capable of matching him wit for wit, using a combination of laser intelligence, razor-sharp quips and even the odd dirty joke.
Boyet:
30s-40s. The Princess’s chief attending lord. A bit of a know-it-all, too opinionated to simply carry out his required tasks. His constant editorializing makes him the object of the young men’s ridicule.
Don Armado:
40s-50s. A “fantastical Spaniard”, visiting in the court of Navarre. In essence, an endearing charlatan, all bluster and bravado. He would be insufferable if he weren’t also infused with the warmth and poetic soul of Don Quixote. Role for a great comic actor.
Moth:
Teens - early 20s. A boy or girl, to play as young and small as possible. Page to Don Armado, and the quiet observer of all his antics. A whip-smart smart-aleck with a lot of moxie. Role for a young actor with incredible facility with language.
Holofernes:
30s-50s. Schoolmaster. Overbearing know-it-all who is anything but. His braggadocio and inflated sense of self-importance make him behave like a bully among the other clowns.
Sir Nathaniel:
50s-60s. Curate. Good-hearted soul, albeit slightly dim. Easily impressed and influenced because of his shy, retiring nature. Very gullible, he falls under the influence of the megalomaniacal Holofernes.
Dull:
30s-40s. Constable whose name says it all. Chief law enforcement in the play. Needs to see everything – not only to believe it, but to understand it.
Costard:
20s-30s. A contemporary of the play’s royalty, but rather than being to the manor born, he is a country boy who gets himself and a few others into complications because of his lack of sophistication. Filled with good intentions which, more often than not, backfire. In love with Jaquenetta.
Jaquenetta:
20s. Country wench, sexy and confident and, perhaps, rubenesque. Costard’s girl.
TITUS ANDRONICUS by Shakespeare. Dir: Michael Sexton. 1st reh: 11/1/11. Runs 11/29-12/18. Lavinia:
20s. Titus’s daughter. Lovely and strong-willed. Victim of a brutal assault that leaves her incapable of speech and extremely traumatized. Role for an actress with incredible emotional and physical range.
Tamora:
40s. Queen of the Goths. Powerful, earthy, sensual. Ruthless, and extremely protective of her children. After Titus sacrifices her son, she vows to destroy Titus and his family. Intelligent, cunning, and completely consumed by her desire for revenge.
Aaron The Moor:
30s. Tamora’s secret lover and partner in crime. The agent of action, who helps Tamora’s dreams of revenge become reality. Strong, violent, cruel, yet capable of projecting great charm.
Chiron and Demetrius:
Early 20s. Tamora’s sons. Murderous youths who are guided by violence, destruction and lust, and are moved to commit shocking and horrible crimes.
Saturninus:
30s-40s. Eldest son of the deceased emperor of Rome. Has Titus’s support as the new emperor. However, instead of gratitude, he feels threatened by the public support that Titus and his family have earned, and allows himself to be easily manipulated by the vengeful Tamora.
Bassianus:
30s. Saturninus’s younger brother, betrothed to Lavinia. Fails to become emperor at the top of the play, but, in contrast to Saturninus, is virtuous, moderate and honest.
Young Lucius:
13-15. Titus’s grandson. On the cusp of young adulthood; the horrors inflicted on his family force him to grow up quickly.
Ensemble:
All must be highly experienced in handling classical text to play dialogue roles including Messengers, Soldiers, Servants, etc.
Titus:
CAST. 50s-60s. War-weary Roman general. Proud, arrogant. His narrow world view, shaped by an unwavering sense of military honor, leads to his family’s downfall and forces him down a path of madness and revenge.
Marcus:
CAST. 40s-50s. Titus’s slightly younger brother. In contrast to his warrior brother, he is a tribune, a civilian politician. Moderate man, swept by Titus into a revolt against the emperor.
Lucius:
CAST. 30s. Titus’s eldest surviving son. Captain in the Roman army. Projects an image of Titus, the strong warrior, but has a warmer side – his love for his son, devotion to his brothers and sister – that transforms him from a bloodthirsty youth into a leader.
THE TOTAL BENT Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald. Book/Lyrics: Stew. Dir: Joanna Settle. Contract dates TBD. The piece is still in development, so there is no further information available at this time.
THE 27TH MAN by Nathan Englander. Dir: Barry Edelstein. 1st reh: 1/17/12. Runs 2/21 – 3/25/12 60s. Legendary Yiddish writer. The eldest of his cellmates, he has a patience and wisdom that the other prisoners lack. Able to see the larger picture surrounding their incarceration.
Moishe Bretzky:
40s-50s. Poet. Gruff, outspoken bear of a man. Has enjoyed the pleasures of food, drink and women, earning himself the nickname “Der Glutton”. However, despite his rough exterior, he still possesses the sensitive soul of an artist.
Vasily Korinsky:
40s. Celebrated and popular poet. Arrogant and self-assured, he has been an outspoken supporter of “the party” in both his life and his work, and is positive that his imprisonment is a mistake that will be quickly remedied.
Pinchas Pelovits:
20s. Thoughtful, observant. Aspiring writer whose work has never been read by anyone but himself, let alone been published. Both he and his cellmates are confused and curious about the reasons behind his incarceration.
Agent in Charge:
40s. Party official overseeing the entire operation. Intelligent, intimidating, dangerous. He has mastered the art of interrogation, and is able to snare even the most skilled writer in his own words without missing a beat.
Guard:
30s. Prison guard charged with watching over the prisoners.
GOB SQUAD’S KITCHEN (YOU’VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD) Devised and performed by Gob Squad. Runs 1/19 – 2/5/12. All roles are cast. FEBRUARY HOUSE Music/Lyrics: Gabriel Kahane. Book: Seth Bockley. Dir: Davis McCallum. 1st reh: 4/17/12. Runs 5/8 – 6/10/12. May extend to 7/1/12.
Visionary and flamboyant editor George Davis transforms a dilapidated Brooklyn boarding house into a bohemian commune for the leading lights of 1940s New York. The luminaries of 7 Middagh Street form a tumultuous and remarkable makeshift family, and search for love, inspiration and refuge from the looming war in Europe. Inspired by true events. 30s. Fiction editor. Flamboyant, mercurial, charismatic, generous. Responsible for assembling the rag-tag inhabitants of 7 Middagh. He is “lovable, impossible, irascible, unbearable, comparable to no one”.
W. H. Auden:
30s, British. Sophisticated, mannered; a gentleman. Has a tendency to lecture, and his adherence to etiquette verges on fussy, but he has a sensitive and observant soul. His maturity, wisdom, and resolve lead him to become a voice of reason and order in the chaos of 7 Middagh.
Carson McCullers:
Woman, 20s. Has a great depth of feeling and a flair for the dramatic which make her a brilliant writer, but leave her prone to intense and dramatic emotional highs and lows. Struggles with alcoholism, which proves destructive to her work and her well-being.
Chester Kallman:
20s. Auden’s lover. Young, delicate, romantic. Not being an artist, he feels a little out of place at times amongst the bohemians of 7 Middagh. Frustrated by the feeling that his opinions and thoughts are being repeatedly dismissed because of his youth.
Benjamin “Benjy” Britten:
30s, British. Composer. Moves into 7 Middagh and collaborates with Auden on a new opera, an adaptation of the Paul Bunyan myth. Does his best to adjust to life in the house, but finds himself constantly thwarted by the lack of amenities and unconventional antics of his roommates.
Peter Pears:
30s, British. A tenor. Benjy’s lover. At first, he is appalled by the conditions at 7 Middagh, but he becomes intrigued by the promise of a bohemian utopia where he and Benjy can live openly and work on their opera. However, like Benjy, he finds that bohemian life has its drawbacks.
Gypsy Rose Lee:
20s-30s. The famous burlesque artist. Brassy, confident, with a dry, sarcastic wit. Moves into 7 Middagh to write her novel “The G-String Murders”. Charming, sexy and charismatic, she’s used to getting what she wants.
Reeves McCullers:
20s. Carson’s estranged husband. Stubborn and volatile, like his wife. Critical of the bohemian way of life practiced at 7 Middagh and of the artists’ lack of involvement in the war. Strongly disapproves of their influence on Carson.
Erika Mann:
20s-30s, German. Outspoken and self-assured. Fleeing war-torn Europe, she comes to live at 7 Middagh to write an anti-war magazine, but soon becomes frustrated with the pacifism that is practiced by her housemates.
Second Stage Theatre
Off-Broadway “C”
Artistic Director/Co-Founder: Carole Rothman
Associate Artistic Director: Christopher Burney
CD: MelCap Casting
THE BLUE FLOWER Book/Music/Lyrics: Jim and Ruth Bauer. Dir: Will Pomerantz. 1st reh: Mid-September, 2011. 1st perf: Mid-October. Closing date TBD.
Spanning two continents and half a century, the new musical explores the romantic and tumultuous relationships between four young friends – three artists and a scientist – as they create a world of art, revolution, and passion amidst the turbulence and destruction of World War I.
Max:
Character ages in the piece from late 20s – 60s. World War I-era German artist. Passionate, creative, wildly eccentric; often speaks in a language of his own creation as a protest of the “meaninglessness of existence”. A thinker and student of life, Max is in perpetual creative motion in search of meaning, often alienating those he holds most dear. Baritone.
Hannah:
Late 20s - late 30s. Max’s lover. Dada vaudeville performer in Berlin. Sexy, beautiful, fearless provocateur; fiercely anti-government performance artist who often acts before she thinks. At times abrasive and blindly willful, she is also capable of great warmth and compassion for those she loves. Mezzo soprano.
Franz:
Man, mid 20s - early 30s. Vibrantly engaging, passionate and dynamic young artist. Attractive and charming in his own unique way. Capable of great warmth and feeling; falls in desperate love with Maria before joining up as a cavalryman and dying in battle. A thinking-person’s dreamboat; engaged in the world, draws people to him like a moth to a flame. Tenor.
Maria:
Late 20s - early 30s. German scientist and “irrepressible bon-vivant”. As intellectually curious and adept as she is attractive. Works hard and plays hard. Would have been named “best combination of beauty and brains” in her high school yearbook, had there been such a category. Deeply in love with Franz; Max’s unrequited love. Mezzo soprano.
Mr. Obmann:
Early 30s – early 40s. The enigmatic master of ceremonies of the evening. A captivating and compelling presence; shifts fluidly across time and space, often aware of the characters in ways they themselves are not. Tenor.
The following are Assistants to Mr. Obmann. They appear as ghosts. Performers must be great movers with terrific voices.
Bicycle Girl: Mid 20s - mid 30s. Mezzo soprano.
Sewing Machine Man: Mid 20s - mid 30s. Tenor.
Gramophone Girl: Mid 30s - mid 40s. Mezzo soprano.
Typewriter Man: Mid 30s - mid 40s. Baritone.
LONELY, I’M NOT by Paul Weitz. Dir TBD. 1st reh: Mid-January, 2012. 1st perf: Mid-February. Closing date TBD.
World premiere. At an age when most people are discovering what they want to do with their lives, Porter has been married and divorced, earned seven figures as a corporate “ninja” and had a nervous breakdown. It’s been four years since he’s had a job or a date, and he’s decided to give life another shot. A comic journey that follows one man as he tries to put the many pieces of his life back together.
Porter:
Man, late 20s – mid 30s. Harvard alum and once-successful businessman; left the corporate world to analyze life. Miserable with life, but ready to change.
Heather:
Late 20s – mid 30s, Porter’s love interest. Headstrong, young, independent.
Dinora:
Guatemalan woman, 30s-50s. Maid who cleans Porter’s apartment. Concerned for his happiness.
Rick:
50s-60s. Porter’s unreliable father. Just looking out for himself.
Carlotta:
Late 20s – mid 30s. Porter’s ex-wife. Misses him. Insecure.
Lana:
50s-60s. Porter’s mother. Her ghost haunts him.
HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE by Paula Vogel. Dir TBA. 1st reh: Late March, 2012. 1st perf: Late April, 2012. Closing date TBD.
Explores the complex relationship between Li’l Bit and her Uncle Peck, as a series of driving lessons progresses from innocence to something much darker. Told with surprising wit.
Li’l Bit:
Female, 30s-40s (ages from 40something to 11 years old). Smart, strong-willed and determined to make a life for herself away from her backwards family, she finds both a friend and mentor – and a threat – in her Uncle Peck, who guides her through her pre-adolescent and adolescent years.
Peck:
Man, 40s. The in-law to the family and Li’l Bit’s uncle. Unhealthily drawn to youth in general and to Li’l Bit in particular. Charming, caring and troubled.
Male Greek Chorus:
Track age: 30-40. Plays Grandfather, Waiter, High School Boys.
Female Greek Chorus:
Track age: 30-50. Plays Mother, Aunt Mary, High School Girls.
Teenage Female Greek Chorus:
Track age: 20-30. Plays Grandmother, High School Girls, and the voice of 11-year-old Li’l Bit.
Second Stage Theatre will produce one additional mainstage show (TBD), in addition to two shows (TBD) in its “Uptown” series.
Playwrights Horizons
Off-Broadway “A”
Artistic Dir: Tim Sanford
CD: Alaine Alldaffer
COMPLETENESS by Itamar Moses. Dir: Pam MacKinnon. 1st reh: 7/26/11. Runs 8/19-9/25.
Elliot:
CAST. Late 20s. Computer Science grad student. Loves what he studies. Outgoing nature, while studious. Fiercely intelligent, inquisitive and demanding of himself, with a kind heart. Sense of humor. Vulnerable. Ambitious. This is a leading role in a romantic comedy, but also a nerdy, “spaz”-y character.
Molly:
CAST. Late 20s. Microbiology grad student. Funny, pensive, protective. Loves what she studies. Very articulate about her work, demanding. An excellent listener; quick to scrutinize. Sharp, independent spirit, in search of something more for herself. Reckless. A seeker.
Lauren / Nell:
CAST. Lauren: Mid - late 20s. Computer Science grad student. Dry sense of humor. Wants to be a straight shooter, but can be fickle. Nell: Undergrad. Shy, open-hearted, quietly smart. Role requires the ability to improv.
Don / Franklin:
CAST. Early 30s. Microbiology associate professor. Jealous, hurt, in need of control, but also open to something or someone new. Can be authoritative, but is emotionally unsure of himself and what he needs. Franklin: Grad student. Truly open-hearted “good guy”. Role requires the ability to improv.
MILK LIKE SUGAR by Kirsten Greenidge. Dir: Rebecca Taichman. 1st reh: 9/27/11. Runs 10/13-11/20.
Note: Production is coming to Playwrights Horizons fully cast from another Theatre.
Annie:
CAST. Actress 18+ plays African American girl, 16. Annie is vulnerable, with a tough outer shell. There is an underlying softness and sensitivity to her – a girl who is identifiable as “savable”.
Antwoine:
CAST. African American man, 23. Unbelievably smooth and attractive – the kind of guy who’s good at “keeping it real”. Successful, but still lives in his old neighborhood.
Myrna:
CAST. African American woman, late 30s/40s. Annie’s mother. There is an underlying sadness to Myrna that tells us she has missed out on many things, but she is not overtly sad in nature. She only hints at the inner life she maintains.
Keera:
CAST. Actress 18+ plays 16-year-old girl (of any ethnicity). Keera is earnest and sincere, but not naïve. Capable of being playful, as well as persistent and persuasive.
Margie:
CAST. Actress 18+ plays African American girl, 16. Margie is flighty and naïve. “Street”, and proud of it. Resilient. Actress should also be able to be funny.
Talisha:
CAST. Actress 18+ plays 16-year-old girl (of any ethnicity). Talisha is rough – a girl who has never been young, was probably “ten going on twenty-five”. Has a slightly masculine edge to her, despite her manicured, long nails.
Malik:
CAST. Actor 18+ plays African American boy, 17. Malik is a “square” compared to the rest of his peers – sweet and cute, but has never been anyone’s first (or even third) choice for prom. Focused, composed, confident and above all, kind.
MAPLE AND VINE by Jordan Harrison. Dir: Anne Kauffman. 1st reh: 10/27/11. Runs 11/19-12/23.
Katha:
Late 30s. Urban professional who has just suffered a miscarriage. While she is beaten down by her current situation and lifestyle, she is desperate to make a change. Has an ironic edge to her, but looking for earnestness in her life. Hard-edged but relatable. Depressed but funny. In the 21st Century, she is vulnerable and reliant on her husband for emotional support and a way out; in the 1950s, she has a very strong and charismatic core that was waiting to come out.
Japanese American, late 30s. Katha's husband. Plastic surgeon. Caring, generous, masculine, witty and urbane. Loves his wife deeply, but is growing weary of her inability to bounce back from the miscarriage. A wise skeptic whose love for his wife forces him to take a leap that throws him off-kilter.
Dean:
Late 30s - mid 40s. Leader in the 1950s community -- an incredibly charismatic man who seems to be from a different era, out of place in the 21st Century. Disarming, warm and earnest; has an ease about him. People immediately want to invest in him. Not unlike a great spiritual leader, on the surface. But there is considerable darkness and guilt underneath. Dean harbors secrets that color his warmth, bringing an edge to his interactions from time to time. Feels he's doing the right thing, and is hard-pressed to really take in how that may negatively affect others. Roger / Omar:
Roger: Late 30s. Dean's lover. Manager at a factory -- a very likable blue-collar-type guy. Has a sexual charisma that makes him a little dangerous. Willful and passionate. Beneath his rugged and handsome exterior, there lurks a poet, an artist. Seemingly simple, but actually quite dark and complex. Omar: Very urbane, gay co-worker of Katha's in the 21st Century. Power-hungry and a bit bitchy, without being over the top. One gets the sense that even though he's ambitious, his own petty fascinations will get in his way of truly succeeding.
Ellen / Jenna:
CAST. Ellen: Late 30s – mid 40s. Dean’s wife. Head of the Authenticity Committee. Meticulous and fierce keeper of protocol in the community. Cheerful in a slightly metallic way. Takes her role and the rules of the community very seriously. Intelligent, and able to capitalize on the mores of the world to suit herself; savvy, persuasive and very good at keeping secrets. Deeply in love with her husband, who is her Achilles heel. The strong mask she's created for the community covers a very vulnerable and insecure interior. Can be a bit like a wounded animal, striking out when she's hurt. Jenna: 30s. Katha's co-worker and subordinate. Although intelligent and ambitious, she's a bit bored with her position, and so is very interested in all things unrelated to work. Concerned with other people's business so that she understands her own place in the pecking order. Takes cues from Omar, who has a bit more history with the company.
ASSISTANCE by Leslye Headland. Dir: Trip Cullman. 1st reh: 1/10/12. Runs 2/3 – 3/11/12.
Nick:
Mid - late 20s. King of the office drones. First assistant. Always ready with a joke. Skilled at hiding his true feelings in order to cope with his subservient but crucial position in the company. Mid - late 20s. Go-getter Girl Friday. Second assistant. Struggles to embrace the reality of her menial but demanding job as her dreams of success fade. Mid 20s - early 30s. Overgrown frat guy. Recently promoted. No-nonsense and gleefully vulgar.
Justin:
Mid - late 20s. The butt of everyone's jokes. Intern turned third assistant. Constantly bullied, he eventually accepts and almost invites the abuse.
Jenny:
British, mid 20s - early 30s. The best assistant ever. Capable and driven, with enough ambition to blow everyone away. British accent required. Performer must have extensive training in tap dance.
Heather:
CAST. Mid 20s - early 30s. A goldfish among sharks. Overachiever crippled by her anxiety and forgetfulness.
THE BIG MEAL by Dan LeFranc. Dir: Sam Gold. 1st reh: 2/7/12. Runs 3/1 – 4/8/12.
Tells a story that spans five generations of an American family, over the course of at least as many decades, through glimpses of the family’s meals at a chain restaurant.
Casting note: Four M/F pairs of actors (eight total) at four different life stages (childhood, young adulthood, middle age and old age) portray all of the family members at various stages in their lives. The actors pass their characters along to one another fluidly, rarely leaving the table or interrupting the flow of conversation.
Track List:
Woman #1 (60s-70s). Plays Nicole and Alice (see Character Descriptions below).
Man #1 (50s-70s). Plays Sam, Robert and Jack (see Character Descriptions below).
Woman #2 (30s/40s). Plays Nicole, Maddie and Jackie (see Character Descriptions below).
Man #2 (30s/40s). Plays Sam and Robbie (see Character Descriptions below).
Woman #3 (Early 20s). Plays Nicole, Jessica, Maddie, Stephanie, Megan (Sammy’s girlfriend) and Jackie (see Character Descriptions below).
Man #3 (Early 20s). Plays Sam, Robbie, Maddie’s Adolescent Boyfriends (Steven, Marcus, Jeremy, Patrick, Michael) and Sammy (see Character Descriptions below).
Girl (8-12). Plays Pesky Little Girl, Maddie and Jackie (see Character Descriptions below).
Boy (8-12). Plays Pesky Little Boy, Robbie, Sammy and Matthew (see Character Descriptions below).
Character Descriptions:
Sam:
Character appears from 20s - old age, played by Men #3, #2 and #1 (see Track List above). Sam is earnest and charming in his mild awkwardness. Nice, devoted, family guy. Meets Nicole in his 20s, and begins a casual relationship that becomes more serious. After a long breakup, their passionate affair reignites in their 30s, they marry, and have Robbie and Maddie. In his old age, Sam loses his faculties. Dies before his wife.
Nicole:
Character appears from 20s - old age, played by Women #3, #2 and #1 (see Track List above). Nicole is sexy, snarky and a bit of a lush, with more walls and harder edges than Sam. She’s the one who pushes to keep things casual, breaks it off for a while, and also may actually have had an affair. But she outlives her husband to find a painful loneliness even as she is surrounded by the generations she and Sam are responsible for.
Alice:
Character appears from 50s - old age, played by Woman #1 (see Track List above). Sam’s mother, Robert’s wife. A spitfire and a somewhat heavy drinker. Inventor of the “Cadillac Margarita”. Quietly crushed by the death of her sometimes casually cruel husband, she secretly writes regular letters to him from the day he dies until her own death.
Robert:
Character appears from 50s - old age, played by Man #1 (see Track List above). Sam’s father, Alice’s husband. Curmudgeonly older guy, set in his casually sexist, racist ways. Dies suddenly many years before his wife, inadvertently strengthening the weakening bond between Sam and Nicole.
Robbie:
Character appears from age 8 - 40s/50s, played by Boy, Man #3 and Man #2 (see Track List above). Robbie is Sam and Nicole’s son, Maddie’s brother. Ambitious, high-achieving golden child. Marries Stephanie when young, and they have Jackie and a stillborn boy. After recovering from that tragedy, both become thoroughly immersed in work, and grow distant from the larger family. As he ages, Robbie becomes hardened in his traditionalism and, overwhelmed by his stressful work-life, becomes a heavier drinker. He and Stephanie divorce.
Maddie:
Character appears from age 8 - 40s, played by Girl, Woman #3 and Woman #2 (see Track List above). Maddie is Sam and Nicole’s daughter, Robbie’s sister. The “black sheep”, with her steady stream of boyfriends and less-stable lifestyle. Bitter; jealous of Robbie and the attention and praise he receives from their parents. With offstage lover Darius, she has Sammy. Succumbs to cancer when her son is still a teenager.
Jessica:
Character appears in her 20s, played by Woman #3 (see Track List above). Jessica is Sam’s flirty co-worker, with whom he develops a dangerous friendship which Nicole believes was a consummated affair.
Maddie’s Adolescent Boyfriends:
Characters appear in their teens/20s, played by Man #3 (see Track List above). They are a series of young men, forced into a series of awkward dinners with the bickering Sam and Nicole and the mortified Maddie.
Stephanie:
Character appears in her 20s, played by Woman #3 (see Track List above). Daughter of Jack, married to Robbie, mother of Jackie. Stephanie is perky and energetic, a smart, driven woman whose enthusiasm makes her seem ditzier than she is. Disappears quickly from the affairs of Robbie’s family, perhaps because she’s constantly traveling for work, or perhaps because she dislikes them and she and Robbie are growing apart. Eventually, they divorce.
Jack:
Character appears from 50s - old age, played by Man #1 (see Track List above). Jack is Stephanie’s father. Spirited, charming. Passionate. Has a way with words.
Jackie:
Character appears from birth - 30s, played by Girl, Woman #3 and Woman #2 (see Track List above). Jackie is Robbie and Stephanie’s daughter. Smart, curious and well-behaved as a child and young adult – the “good cousin”, whose disciplined and privileged upbringing keeps her fairly stable even through her parents’ divorce and her aunt’s and cousin’s tragic deaths.
Sammy:
Character appears from birth - 20s, played by Boy and Man #3 (see Track List above). Sammy is Maddie’s son, Jackie’s cousin. Unruly, hyperactive kid. Becomes an angry, disrespectful young man and, torn apart by his mother’s death, becomes even angrier. Enlists in the Army and dies in battle.
Matthew:
Character appears at age 8, played by Boy (see Track List above). Matthew is Jackie’s son. Shy, funny, imaginative.
RAPTURE BLISTER BURN by Gina Gionfriddo. Dir: Peter DuBois. 1st reh: 4/17/12. Runs 5/18 – 6/24/12.
Catherine:
40. Attractive, highly successful academic, grappling with old yearnings and new regrets. Ever poised and competent, a new vulnerability is peeking through. Smart, subtly sexy, soft-spoken. A steady, successful overachiever, finding herself unmoored at midlife by the prospects of love and loss.
Gwen:
38-40. Has adopted a can-do, bright and positive cheerleader personality to stave off darkness, fear and the wish to drink (she’s been sober for 15 years). Pretty, winning stay-at-home mom with reserves of anger and frustration she struggles to suppress.
Don:
40. Super-smart, charismatic and sexy underachiever. An academic who could have achieved so much more, Don is a golden boy who just didn’t work hard enough. At 40, he’s cultivated a languid, mellow, “it’s all good” personality to mask frustration and disappointment.
Alice:
70s. Sweet and gentle. Was a stay-at-home mother, devoted to her daughter almost to the point of obsession. A dedicated homemaker who chose not to think too deeply and keep everything happy and nice. Now a widow facing her mortality, Alice is asking questions, examining her past for the first time and finding her discoveries exhilarating.
Avery:
20. Cute, bright, energetic and utterly confident; has her future all figured out. On the brink of entering the adult world, she has the poise and vigor of one who hasn’t been disappointed yet. Aggressively striving to succeed and happy to argue down anyone who opposes her. A little bit of disappointment will soon soften her and reveal reserves of compassion underneath.
Note from Equity: Each of these companies also holds several production-specific EPAs every year, prior to holding appointment auditions for the production involved. Watch for future EPA notices.
Continues the story of the Apple family of Rhinebeck, NY, first introduced in last year’s THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING. This, the second in Nelson’s series of plays about the immediate present and the ever-changing state of the nation, takes place over a Sunday lunch on September 11, 2011, and explores what the Apple family has lost since the attacks, and what they remember.
Richard Apple:
Jane Apple Halls:
Benjamin Apple:
Tim Andrews:
Cordelia:
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS Created and performed by Mike Daisey.
Dir: Jean-Michele Gregory. Runs 10/11 – 11/13/11. The lone role is cast.
New musical (from the creators of PASSING STRANGE) about a black gospel prodigy from the South, and a white music producer from South London who meet in a recording studio just south of the Twilight Zone, as they both desperately seek their own versions of transcendence, salvation, and a hit record.
Set in a Soviet prison in 1952, when Stalin’s secret police have rounded up 26 writers recognized as the giants of Yiddish literature in Russia. When a twenty-seventh man arrives, a literary unknown, he and his cellmates wrestle with the mysteries of party loyalty and politics, culture and identity, and what it means to write in troubled times.
Yevgeny Zunser (Melman):
George Davis:
Ryu:
Nora:
Vince:
