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Breakdown
HOLLYWOOD: Directed by Christopher Ashley
Rehearsal starts – April 5, 2016
First Preview – May 10, 2016
Close – June 5, 2016
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI: Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody
Rehearsal starts – May 31, 2016
First Preview – June 28, 2016
Close – July 24, 2016
MISS YOU LIKE HELL: Directed by Lear deBessonet
Rehearsal starts – September 13, 2016
First Preview – October 25, 2016
Close – December 4, 2016
All ethnicities encouraged to submit. Actors unable to attend audition may submit headshot/resume to: Casting, La Jolla Playhouse, PO Box 12039 La Jolla, CA 92039
No understudies for these roles.
HOLLYWOOD
WILL HAYS – [Male, 40s/50s] Nasal-voiced and a career nerd. Former Post Master General, a simple man from Indiana who is hired by the Hollywood studios to be a mouth piece for the morally declining industry. An idealist obsessed with returning Hollywood to its purer and simpler origins. When Taylor is murdered, Hays leverages Hollywood’s moral bankruptcy to seize control.
CHARLOTTE SHELBY – [Female, 40s] Obsessive, intense and perhaps a bit unhinged. A self-made woman, unwilling to bend for any man.
MARY MILES MINTER – [Female, 19 but still plays 12] An angelic child star trapped in contractual adolescence. Ready to grow up and be normal. She still talks and acts like a little girl. Obsessively and unrequitedly in love with Taylor. Real life blurs with motion pictures in her eyes.
MABEL NORMAND – [Female, 26] Fun-loving, profane, vivacious movie star. A successful comedic actress desperately awaiting a chance at a serious role. She loves Taylor and has high hopes that his next film could begin a new stage in her career. Struggles with opium addiction.
WILLIAM DESOND TAYLOR – [Male, Late 30s/ Early 40s] Lean and handsome, he sports a slight British accent. A successful director who personifies the ideals of 1920s Hollywood sophistication.
CHARLES EYTON – [Male, 40s/50s] A tough, street-fighter of a studio executive. President of The Famous Lasky Players at Paramount Studios – who owns contracts on Taylor and Minter. He will try anything to keep his studio and artists away from bad publicity. He boxes as a way to deal with stress.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY THOMAS WOOLVINE – [Male, 30s/40s] A fierce attorney determined to crack the case no matter what. Ruthless, but he can be purchased for a price.
FAITH MACLEAN – [Female, 20s] Pretty and somewhat shy. She’s lived her life in the shadow of someone famous. Taylor’s neighbor and only witness to his murder. Also plays – FIRST DANCER ON FILM, CIVIC GROUP LADY, and RESTURANT HOSTESS
DOROTHY PALMER – [Female, 20s] Melancholic but sweet. An actress desperate to make it in Hollywood, she will do anything to secure fame. Also plays – DANCE INSTRUCTOR, EDNA PURVIENCE, and SUSIE PALMER
OFFICER JERRY – [Male, 20s/30s] A young cheerful beat cop overwhelmed by the excess of Hollywood, has his heart in the right place. Also plays – DANNY MORETT, Taylor’s assistant director.
HENRY PEAVEY – [Male, 30s/40s] Taylor’s valet. Engages in illicit activities in the park. Although he admires Taylor, he hates Mabel, who mocks him tirelessly for his flamboyant outfits. Also plays – a DOPE PUSHER and a PRIEST
JIMMY DALE – [Male, 20s/30s] A fast-talking young reporter straight out of “The Front Page.” Handsome and knows how to use his looks to get what he wants. Also plays – DOUGLAS MACLEAN.
EDWARD SANDS – [Male, 40s] A crook and a charmer. Taylor’s former valet who robbed him and disappeared. Also plays – CORONER OVERHOLTZER, MABEL’S CHAUFFEUR and JAMES KIRKWOOD.
LAST TIGER IN HAITI
ROSE – [Female, Black to play Haitian, 20s to play 11 and 27] As a child, Rose is inquisitive, brave, open-hearted. As an adult (Act 2), She is a woman with secrets and a life to protect. Less secure, but hides it with a confidence that comes with success. A strong storyteller.
MAX – [Male, Black to play Haitian, 20s/early30s to play 18 and 34] Strong, but possessing a stillness that belies his age. One the cusp of his freedom, he straddles the line between hopeful and desperate. In Act Two, he is perhaps more worn down, cunning and hardened. A strong storyteller.
JOSEPH – [Male, Black to play Haitian, 20s to play 17] Mischievous, buoyant, and at times cruel. He is full of life. Haunted by his memories, he uses humor and taunting to assert his position and hide his insecurities. A strong storyteller.
EMMANUEL – [Male, Black to play Haitian, 20s to play 15] Earnest and devoted (particularly to Joseph to whom he plays second fiddle), if not all that bright. He is the most optimistic and weakest storyteller of the bunch. But he’s loveable and very much beloved by the others.
LAURIE – [Female, Black to play Haitian, 20s to play 17] On the verge of womanhood. She is confident and in control, the seemingly most sexually mature of our ensemble. Defiant, Laurie refuses to let her past rule her life. A strong storyteller.
MISS YOU LIKE HELL
OLIVIA – [Female, half-Latina, reads as 16] A quick mind with a thousand metaphors per minute, also withdrawn and depressed. She should have the spark and light of a creative intellect and a rich imagination, partnered with sorrow and loneliness. A wry, yearning singing voice – think Regina Spektor meets Alanis ballads.
BEATRIZ – [Female, Chicana, late 30s/40s] An artist and bohemian by spirit, an electrician by trade. Spins a great yearn, goes where the action is. The life of the party, a true lover or people and interaction. There is a lion in her – she could throw down in a fight – but also she is a healer, a woman connected to her indigenous faith. A rock n roll singing voice – thin Lila Downs meets Janis.
MINDY – [Female, Asian-American or nonwhite, reads as a tween] Quick-witted, youthful and wide-eyed, hungry for material pleasures and new ideas. An enthusiast who says yes to life in large doses—Barbie dolls, iPads, books—she wants it all. A bubble-gum-rock voice—think Katy Perry.
PEARL – [Female, African-American, reads as 16] An earth mama, a nature lover, a history geek, a romantic backpacker. She’s a junior ranger at Yellowstone, and an expert in the park's history, flora, and fauna. The sunrise there is her scripture. An earthy warm voice—think India Arie meets Alicia Keys.
MO – [Male, Southern any ethnicity, in retirement] A veteran, a former beefcake, now more like a teddy bear. He’s like your favorite uncle—kind and loving, with a great belly laugh. A simple guy who enjoys life’s simple gifts. Thinks he's Frank Sinatra, but you can hear the rough edges of life in his voice.
HIGGINS – [Male, Southern any ethnicity, in retirement] Mo’s husband. Mousy, a little trickster, always with a practical joke, always with a wink and a smile. In the worst of situations, this guy will find a way to make you laugh. A Fred Astaire type--thinner, higher voice that darts around, not showy but gets the song over.
MANUEL – [Female, Peruvian, 30s-50s] a roadside tamales seller with the heart of a poet. Sexy because of his innate contentment and ability to connect. A great listener. Intuitive, humble, a connoisseur of life's humble pleasures. The lovely, lilting voice of a troubadour—think Jose Gonzales meets Jorge Drexler.
CASTAWAY – [Male, nonwhite, nontraditional body types welcome, any age] A magical, evocative, unusual presence. All heart and wonder. He is a figment of Olivia’s imagination and provides her with love and comfort, but also the riches of a vast imagination. And so his presence, and voice, must be resonant, rich, and reverberant. Voice: like getting a hug from Luther Vandross.
MALE ENSEMBLE – [any ethnicity, any age] a clear, clean tenor. A blue collar feel. Plays numerous roles including an Officer.
FEMALE ENSEMBLE – [any ethnicity, any age] soprano or mezzo. A blue collar feel—plays a waitress—but also can play a decent immigration Lawyer fighting the good fight.
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