COLUMBIA DIRECTING THESIS SEEKING NON-UNION ACTORS - PHAEDRA'S LOVE (DEADLINE: 12.08.23) - Phaedra's Love

CASTING NOTICE



PHAEDRA’S LOVE



Written by Sarah Kane



Directed by Danica Selem



Dramaturgy by Siting Yang



Line Produced by Ruby Wang





SYNOPSIS



Phaedra's Love is Sarah Kane’s modern adaptation of Seneca's Phaedra. The play explores the brutal nature of love, familial and social relations, nihilism and belief through a fatal affair between a queen and her stepson. Phaedra falls in love with her stepson Hippolytus. While her husband Theseus is away she makes a move, against her daughter Strophe’s warnings. The consequences are dire. A contemporary take on passion, transgression, cruelty and sacrifice, Phaedra’s Love challenges us to face the brutality intrinsic to our value systems and quotidian family life. Sarah Kane’s disclosure of love’s horrendous secret is as relevant now as it did when it was written and first performed in 1996.





This is a Columbia University MFA Directing Thesis Production, under the guidance of Anne Bogart and Brian Kulick.



Rehearsal Start Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024*



Tech Rehearsal Start Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024



Performances: February 22-25 at Lenfest Theater, Columbia School of the Arts



Compensation: $500 for non-CU students





*Actors will be asked to be off-book by the start of in-person rehearsals.





This is a non-AEA production. SAG members are welcome to submit. All actors need to be 18 years or older, and able to prove this.





HOW TO SUBMIT



Please submit a headshot, resume, a contemporary monologue of your choice, and a side to



Ruby Wang (rw2886@columbia.edu) and Danica Selem (danica.selem@columbia.edu).





All self-tapes must be submitted by Friday, December 8 at 11:59pm.



Please include “DT4 Audition” and the role you’re auditioning in the subject line. In the body of the email please include your name, pronouns, and contact information.





INTIMACY, NUDITY AND VIOLENCE



NOTE: All roles will involve different levels of nudity, intimacy, simulated sex acts, and fight choreography and expressions of violence. These scenes will be planned and rehearsed collaboratively with an Intimacy and Fight Coordinator Jacqueline Holloway and the performers, using a system of agreement and consent with transparency and clarity.*





*Because of the sexual themes of the play, comfort levels with full or partial nudity will be discussed at callbacks. We encourage you to raise any concerns, thoughts and questions you might have at any time during the process.





There will be NO nudity, simulated sex acts, violence, or kissing involved in the audition or callback process.





CHARACTERS



PHAEDRA (late 30s - late 40s) - a mother, a stepmother, a wife, overwhelmed by erotic desire and romantic passion for her stepson. After fighting it for fear of loss and destruction, she can’t resist it anymore. His rejection is more than she can bear. This role includes partial or full nudity and simulated sexual acts.

SIDE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Dh42t_Nt-Ctgw0Jg6tC7BK1BNv_OWvI/view



HIPPOLYTUS (18 - late 20s) - a gamer, loner, junk food lover, a nihilist. Attractive, but has stopped taking any care of himself a long time ago. Might be physically large and imposing. The absence of any purpose in life, contempt for love and connection, and rejection towards what he represents as a member of a ‘royal’ family brings out his ominous side. This role includes partial or full nudity and simulated sexual acts.

SIDE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UFpqOz-UZXVmfF3KozZdho45OVIAwG64/view



STROPHE (18 - early 20s) - a working daughter, always composed and on top of things. Or at least, she manages to appear so. She takes more care of her mother–and the family–than the other way around. This role includes partial or full nudity and simulated sexual acts.

SIDE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Dh42t_Nt-Ctgw0Jg6tC7BK1BNv_OWvI/view



THESEUS/DOCTOR/PRIEST (40s) - an archetypal absent husband and father figure who never doubts himself. He knows what his responsibilities and place in the world are. He believes he has an infallible sense of right and wrong and is used to getting what he wants. This role includes partial or full nudity and simulated sexual acts.

SIDE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ATyWXkXJ0oy2UNNR_W6kvsGY2PKvnWW/view



We welcome performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, and cultural backgrounds to audition.





FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION



Please email Producer Ruby Wang rw2886@columbia.edu or Director Danica Selem danica.selem@columbia.edu.



DURATION

Jan 18, 2024 - Feb 25, 2024
Salary: 500