TORCH SONG - PHILADELPHIA EPA
1812 PRODUCTIONS
1812 Rehearsal Studio
2329 S 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19148
Fri, May 19, 2023
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
Break: 1:30-2:30pm
Auditions will be by appointment in five-minute time slots – please e-mail auditions@1812productions.org with the subject line “Torch Song Appointment Request”or call 215-592-9560 regarding an audition time. Equity Members without appointments will be seen throughout the audition day, as time permits.
SPT
$779 weekly minimum (SPT 9)
Equity actors for roles in TORCH SONG (see breakdown).
Please prepare a 2-minute contemporary comedic monologue. Actors are welcome to use monologues from Torch Song.
Written by: Harvey Fierstein
Directed by: Bill Fennelly
Jennifer Childs, Producing Artistic Director (expected to attend)
Rehearsals Begin: April 2, 2024
Performances: April 25 – May 19, 2024
OTHER
Video submissions will also be accepted. Please e-mail videos, headshots and resumes to auditions@1812productions.org with the subject line “Torch Song Video Submission” no later than Friday May 19, 2023.
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.
Equity encourages everyone participating in the auditions to wear a two-ply cloth face mask, surgical mask, singer’s mask or respirator (N95, KN95 or KF94). Single-ply face masks, gaiters and bandanas are not recommended. Singer’s masks can be found at www.broadwayreliefproject.com/singersmask.
Equity encourages members to prepare for their audition prior to arriving at the audition venue, to the extent that they can (e.g., get dressed, hair/make-up, etc.) to avoid crowding in bathrooms and dressing rooms.
Show Synopsis: Harvey Fierstein’s 2018 two-act adaptation of his iconic dramatic comedy, Torch Song Trilogy. Torch Song follows Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen in New York in the late 70s, early 80s. Through Arnold’s relationships with several lovers, his mother and his adopted son, we meet a cast of characters who are all searching for connection, happiness and acceptance.
Character Breakdown:
Note: All characters are open to actors of any ethnicity.
Arnold – 30s, a torch song-singing Jewish drag queen who is searching for love, commitment and acceptance. Fast and witty, with an easy and confessional relationship with the audience, his humor is often a defense mechanism for a deep ache.
“I think my biggest problem is being young and beautiful. It’s my biggest problem because I have never been young and beautiful. Oh, I’ve been beautiful. And Lawd knows I’ve been young. But never the twain have met.”
Ed – 30s, Arnold’s bisexual lover. A teacher from Brooklyn who spends his weekends restoring a Victorian house in upstate NY. Confused by his feelings for both Arnold and Laurel, fearful of committing to Arnold and feeling the pressure to live a life that is more acceptable to his parents and the world’s standards.
“I’m not like you Arnold. I don’t want to live in a ghetto of gay bars and back rooms scared that someone will find out. I could be fired. I want more. I’ve got to be comfortable with who I am.”
Laurel – 30s, another teacher and Ed’s eventual wife. Open and accepting of Arnold and Ed’s past, but also territorial. She has been in other relationships with bisexual men who have left her and is committed to making sure that this relationship works no matter the detours.
“Imagine being hostess to your lover’s ex and his new boyfriend. It’s downright Noel Coward. How’s your English accent? I think we should use English accents all weekend.”
Alan – Arnold’s boyfriend after Ed. 20s. A model and former hustler who dreams of owning a disco. Arnold is his first committed relationship. He loves Arnold but falls back into old patterns.
“When I made my entrance into the Big Apple, and believe me, fourteen-year-old gay boys make quite an entrance into any apple, I found that no one was interested in my business plan. No one was interested in anything much beyond my price tag for the evening. See, people with a taste for fourteen-year olds are used to paying for it and consider a freebie suspicious if not downright immoral, so I became a hustler. I figured I needed the affection more than they needed the money.”
David – Arnold’s adopted fifteen-year-old son. Hard-edged and sharp-tongued, he is wise and wise cracking beyond his years. He has been in and out of foster care and has finally found a real home with Arnold.
“I stay with you because I want to. I like living with you. I even like the way you mother me. You make me feel like I’ve got a home and a bunch of other mushy crap we don’t need to get into here. But you can be a real shithead.”
Mrs. Beckoff – Arnold’s very Jewish mother. 60s. A native New Yorker who has recently relocated to Miami. A wit and resigned humor that echoes Arnold’s. Her acceptance of Arnold has been slow but she cannot stop mothering him in all the best and worst ways. She doesn’t understand his desire to adopt a son and carries deep grief over the loss of her husband.
“Oy. I’m an old woman who’s lived long enough to know there’s nothing nice about a long talk.”
Videos
