THE TREES - EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS
Playwrights Horizons Inc.
CONTRACT
Off Broadway
$1,061 weekly minimum (Off-Broadway CC)
SEEKING
Equity actors for roles in THE TREES (see breakdown).
INSTRUCTIONS
Please prepare a monologue of your choice. A personal introduction would be appreciated, but not required. Total video not to exceed 5 minutes. Please submit tapes in Vimeo or Unlisted YouTube format along with a headshot/resume, preferably as a PDF. Please state your union status in subject line. Video submissions due by Friday, 9/2/22 at 6:00pm Eastern Time.
Deadline: Fri, Sep 2, 2022
THE TREES by Agnes Borinsky
Directed by Tina Satter
Co-produced with Page 73 Productions
AVAILABLE ROLES:
SHEILA: 35, she/her. Black. On a visit back home to Connecticut from Seattle, her feet root into the ground in a local park. In Seattle, she is an architect, lives in an airy loft in a somewhat expensive part of town. She is warm, funny, smart, but sometimes she feels very lonely. She doesn't quite know who her people are. She speaks pretty good Polish. And now, with her brother, she's living as a tree.
GRANDMOTHER: she/her. White. 60s-70s. Grandmother might be several hundred years old. She has survived pogroms, fires, and heartbreak. She gets things done—when her body allows her to. Magic spells and high-tech camping stoves are equally at her disposal. Speaks only in Polish.
CHARLOTTE: 35, she/her. Any ethnicity. A harried mother of two young kids, and one of Sheila's oldest friends. She lives in North Carolina, and manages everyone's schedules via her plus-sized smart phone. Sometimes she gets lost in the emotional intricacies of the long stories she uses to communicate. She feels she knows the best way of doing most things, and worries that she is not enough.
JARED: 34, he/they. Any ethnicity. Works in the Mayor's Office for Development. Reads sometimes as deferential and rule-bound, but he is an administrator who holds a surprising amount of power. Sends many Google Calendar invites, attends a few Fire Island pool parties, but doesn't stay too late. Dated David for a long time, loves him, and also has a deep internal well of frustration that he hasn't been the best at sharing.
SAUL: 36, he/him. White. Rabbi at a small synagogue in Cleveland, he takes a ten-hour bus ride to meet David and Sheila, convinced they represent the dawning of a new age of miracles. His heart is restless, his faith is both passionate and fractured. A bit clueless, a bit blustery, but also ardent and tender. Later, drives for Lyft.
JULIAN: 19, he/they. Any ethnicity. A twink who has not found his spiritual center yet. He lives in a warehouse building with a bunch of young artists. Later, an experimental filmmaker. Later, a medical school hopeful. Cautious, with impulsive moments. Brittle ego, both determined and easily frustrated.
TAVISH: 20, he/they. Any ethnicity. A twink with the soul of a sea-worn sailor-poet. Full of surprises. Sometimes inscrutable, sometimes mysterious, but his internal compass is tuned due north. Grew up in Poland, speaks perfect English and perfect Polish, but you wouldn't guess it, meeting him.
TERRY: 35-60 or so, any gender, any ethnicity. An entrepreneur. Starts with a food cart, selling Utz for a quarter, ends up financing and planning a high-end mall. Sharky, but not inhuman. Wants to be liked.
SHERYL: 60s, she/her. White. Member of the Shul Sisterhood at Saul’s former congregation. Would describe herself as spunky and adventurous. She likes chunky necklaces and brightly-painted ceramics. Stays in touch with youth culture via her grandson. She is not a fan of Saul’s successor, Rabbi Katzenberg.
CAST ROLES:
DAVID: 37, he/him. White. He never left the Connecticut town where he grew up, he just made a life in his father's house. He used to make experimental films, and while he hasn't made any in a long time, still sees himself as a misunderstood artist. Thinks hard and intricately about things. He feels he is always doing what's best for everyone, even if he isn't great at letting others in on his plans. Then one night his feet root into the ground, and, with his sister, he starts living life as a tree. Was gay until he was, grumblingly, queer. CAST.
NORMAN: 64, he/him. Any ethnicity. Gets stuck in a bush one night while cruising in the local park, meets David and Sheila, and, once he gets free, sticks around for the next seven years. Feels that he has never been in love, just spent his life wracked with longing. A bit in his own world, but also a deeply tender caretaker, plein-air philosopher, and raconteur. Quaker. CAST.
SUBMIT TO
PHCastingSubmissions@phnyc.org
PERSONNEL
Viewing Auditions:
Alaine Alldaffer, Casting Director
Lisa Donadio, Associate Casting Director
OTHER DATES
First Rehearsal: Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Tech: Wednesday, February 1- Tuesday, February 7, 2023
First Preview: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Opening: Wednesday, February 24, 2023
Regular Run End: Sunday, March 19, 2023
Maximum Extension: Sunday, April 9, 2023
OTHER
NOTE: Full vaccination plus booster is required
Venue: The Mainstage Theater at Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd Street
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 submit.
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