Auditions Held For The 4th Annual Long Beach Poppin' Play Festival 8/22-23

Get in on the ground floor of a thrilling new happening for Long Beach Arts Month in October, and be a part of 11 World-Premiere Plays from some of the best local talent around! This year's festival promises to be the best yet, with stories including hallucinogenic, guilt-and-heavy-metal-fueled wilderness survival tales (Headlights & Bush) and mysterious meditations on the the creative impulse, by way of ghost stories and lost artifacts of ancient Americana (Return to Thunder Mountain); tales of the day human beings break down the walls that separate them in dreams (Le Reve Collectif), and the bittersweet terror of the not-so-distant-past (Good Riddance, from the playwright who brought us Entropy General); plus, bravely experimental pieces that ruminate on family (Raised By Wolves), mortality (Garden of Ashes), and Alzheimer's (Bring on the Dancing Girls) - and much, much more! Show Synopses & Character Listings are below!
Please have 1 comedic or dramatic monologue prepared.

Be prepared to perform multiple interpretations of your monologue on request!

Audition Dates
@ The Farm (555 E. 3rd Street Long Beach, CA 90802)
Monday, August 22, 6pm - 11pm
Tuesday, August 23, 6pm - 11pm
Auditions will be held in 5 minute increments.

Callbacks
@ The Farm (555 E. 3rd Street Long Beach, CA 90802)
Wednesday, August 24, 6pm - 11pm
Thursday, August 25, 6pm - 11pm
Each script will have its own callback timeframe, TBD upon auditions
Alive Theatre is excited to announce auditions for the 4th Annual Long Beach Poppin' Play Festival, our latest in an award-winning series of new works theatre festivals! Each year, Alive assembles a diverse, committed, and dynamic group of local artists to create a mixed media extravaganza of world premiere plays from local Long Beach & LA-County writers, in an event that combines all manner of artistic disciplines into a month of wildly diverse (and often boldly experimental) Stage Entertainments.
Further Dates
Rehearsals
Monday, Aug. 29th - Thursday, Oct. 12 (6.5 weeks) Rehearsal schedule/length will vary per show
Monday - Sunday, Times TBD - Each script will have its own schedule
Tech - Saturday, Oct. 1 - Wednesday, Oct. 12
Shows - Each Show Is Consistently On the Same Night (Thursday shows always Thursdays, etc.)
Run will take place early October to mid-November - Number of shows will vary upon venue selected
Show will run 4 of the following 7 weekends, TBD
Thursday - Saturday - 8pm
October 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29
November 3-5, 10-12, 17-19Synopses & Character Lists

Night 1 - Thursday Shows - Strange Tales for Strange People!
Headlights and Bush, by Aaron Van Geem - 50min
Directed by Eamonn Fox
Irritated with drivers on the road who flash their brights at him, a young man concocts a plan to start a rumor that gang members are murdering people who do so. His roommates intoxicatedly convince him the only way for his plan to succeed is to actually murder someone, so the story has precedent. He returns the next night and informs his roommates that he blew up another driver's car with a hand grenade, and is forced flee the city to the distant wilderness. There, he must survive by using what little knowledge he has - eating bugs, starting fires, having hallucinogenic freakouts, and slumming it naked in a tent. But unbeknownst to him, the beautiful girl he attacked with a hand grenade survived, thanks to his timely intervention, and she and his stoner roommates are scouring the city and countryside, starting fights, listening to heavy metal, and riding a 2-seater bicycle on their way to find their friend. Will they rescue him in time? Does he even need rescuing? A surreal piece with a heavy survivalist bent, a forest set, and lots of hardcore doom metal.
14 Roles - 4M / 4F / 6 Any Gender - Selected Actors will play multiple roles
? RICHIE GETTMAN - AGE 26 - (M) - Frustrated by the stress of living in the city and sent over The Edge by being flashed with headlights on his way home from work one night, he does the unspeakable, and must flee to the woods where he lives alone, off the land.

? NOAH - AGE 28 - (M)/(F) - From Montreal and Richie's roommate. Listens to a lot of metal, plays videogames and reads books. Thinks he knows what's best for everyone. He's strong, assertive, and convincing.

? JONAS - AGE 23 - (M) - Born in Norway and Richie's other roommate. Listens to a lot of metal, plays videogames, and shreds on the guitar. Has no idea what he's doing with his life, and is okay with that. He's naïve, foolish at times, but always means well.

? MELANIE - AGE 23 - (F) - From West Virginia, graduated top of her class with a bright future ahead of her. Modest, beautiful, and not quite as innocent or naïve as people may take her for. After a close encounter with death, she yearns for adventure and answers.

? STRANGER - AGE 54 - (M)/(F) - Picks up Richie hitchhiking on his way out to the forest. The only person who knows the whereabouts of Richie Gettman.

? BEAR - AGE 10 (AGE 35 in human years) - (M)/(F) - Just a bear doing its bear thing out in the woods.

? DEER - AGE 3 (AGE 30 in human years) - (F) - She is a graceful dancer of the woods, shy, proud, and quick.

? MOUNTAIN LION - AGE 1 (AGE 17 in human years) - (M) - A curious stalker in the woods and a vegetarian.

? POLICE OFFICER - AGE 32 - (M)/(F) - Trying to find Richie Gettman, but gives up easily.

? WAITER - AGE 32 - (M)/(F) - Loves wine.

? MRS. PLUMBAUMER - AGE 83 - (F) - Lives next door to Richie, Noah, and Jonas.

? HILARY GOFFER - AGE 35 - (F) - A local news anchor.

? KENNETH COLLINS - AGE 42 - (M) - A local news correspondent.

? ROGER EAGLE - AGE 29 - (M)/(F) - A cursed future doctor.

Dracula, adapted from a story by Abhay Khosla - 10min
Directed by Robert Edward
A young man, a young woman, and a stately professor are going to kill Dracula - or, at least, really piss him off, by murdering his dry cleaner, building a racially confused Chinese Frankenstein, and shoving an electric toothbrush up his nose - or they would if they could stop discussing their job fears, sexual histories, and the important questions of their time: Is Dracula evil? Does God exist? Is killing Dracula just straight up murdering a guy and, if so, is that not OK? Are the anatomical diagrams of Dracula in the ladies' restroom, in fact, accurate? A comedic improvisational piece based on material adapted (with permission) from a webcomic by internet critic & crank Abhay Khosla. Aggressive, scatological, profane, and dreamlike - with style.
4 Roles - Any Gender - improvisational comedy skills a must
? NARRATOR - 30's+ - Classically intense, booming-voiced narrator in a suit.

? PROFESSOR - 30s/40s - Stately. Smoking jacket. BRandy Glass. Beard a plus.

? DAN - 20s/30s - Young man earning money hunting Dracula.

? GILLIAN - 20s/30s - Young woman with job fears and questionable sexual history.

Return to Thunder Mountain, by Jasper Oliver - 50min
Directed by Turner Munch
The son of a legendary American folk artist slowly loses his sanity and nuclear family when he throws caution and his nicely progressing life to the wind by trying to follow in his talented-but-obsessed father's footsteps - by revitalizing Thunder Mountain - a magnificent DIY roadside Americana oddity in the tradition of the Winchester House and other such artifacts of cultural detritus. A truck driver's leg is stolen, an ethereal cowboy spins a yarn over a campfire, the bones of gods are unearthed, and Armageddon may be impending. Explores madness, obsession, and the cost of dedication to an artistic ideal, in a fun and spooky package of surrealism, grandiose posturing, and unsettling introspection - all in the tradition of surrealist comedies, ghost stories and westerns.
8 Roles - 4M / 1F / 3 Any Gender
? EAGLE THUNER THUNDER / "GREG" - (M) - late 20's to mid 30's, Native American a plus - Son of Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder, unwilling heir to the legacy of roadside weird-Americana tourist attraction Thunder Mountain. Struggling in his marriage to pregnant Gabriella, torn between living a normal life, and honoring his father's obsessive legacy.

? CHIEF ROLLING MOUNTAIN THUNDER - (M) - late 40's to mid 50's, Native American a plus - The obsessive creator of the ramshackle roadside attraction Thunder Mountain, dead long ago by his own hand.

? COWBOY - (M) - 50s/60s - Ethereal cowpoke narrator & mysterious figure.

? WIG MAN - (M) - 30s/40s - Enigmatic and possibly inhuman benefactor. Has an unexplained interest in revitalizing Thunder Mountain.

? GABRIELLA (F) - 20s/30s - Eagle Thunder Thunder's pregnant wife, wants desperately for her husband to live up to his end of their marital bargain.

? ENSEMBLE x 3 - Any Gender/Age - Three ensemble actors are needed to play an inquisitive reporters, mythical figures, truckers, and/or minions of evil. Opportunity to be an ethereal part of a strange show's tapestry.

Night 2 - Friday Shows - Journey Into the Unknown!
Bring on the Dancing Girls, by Susan C. Hunter - 15min
Directed by Ricci Dedola
Within a foggy void, an old man who looks like a young sprout struggles with seemingly simple everyday tasks. A variety of odd characters enter and confuse him further, as raucous music is played by a live band who progressively shed articles of clothing throughout the play. Everyone dances as the old/young man reconnects with his one true love, a middle-aged linebacker in a wedding veil named Maureen. A veiled meditation on Alzheimer's, the play presents a lot of great, pregnant imagery, and ultimately becomes a kind of celebration of one man's mortality.
8+ Roles - 3M / 4F, plus Live Band
? TWO THIN BLONDE MEN WHO COULD BE BROTHERS - (M) - Any Age - Twins Ideal

? OLD MAN WHO LOOKS LIKE A YOUNG SPROUT - (M) - Age range 30's to 70's

? YOUNG GIRL WITH GRAY HAIR AND CROW'S FEET - (F) - Age range teens to 20's

? WOMAN SHAPED LIKE MRS. POTATO HEAD - (F) - Any Age

? MIDDLE-AGED LINEBACKER IN A DRESS & WEDDING VEIL - (M)

? ATTRACTIVE WOMAN WHO THINKS SHE'S TOO FAT - (F) - Any age

? HAG WHO THINKS SHE'S ALL THAT AND MORE - (F) - Any Age.

? LIVE BAND

Rotations, by Bryan Madigan - 15min
Directed by Ashley Allen
3 Characters wind their way through the same peculiar series of arguments, their ‘roles' in the conversation changing with each rotation. The switching positions and small differences in each shift reveal hidden facets of their personalities, interactions, and the show itself as they wander through their short, fractal, fatalistic story.
3 Roles, Any Gender - All three actors can be played by a male or female. Improvisation experience is a plus, and all three actors must be ready to play and have fun discovering the specifics of this text.
? X - Aggressive, is a know-it-all. Has been the dominant force in X and Y's previous relationship.

? Y - Submissive, trying to appease X and diplomatically decipher where they are.

? Z - A smart-ass. Sarcastic and playful, but still has a heart. Is intrigued by finding X and Y in this place too.

Garden of Ashes, by Jan O'Connor - 20min
Directed by Caprice Spencer Rothe
Oscar, longtime record keeper and caretaker at a storehouse for the cremated remains (or "cremains") of the thousands of unknown and unclaimed dead in a large city, is visited by Rachel, a woman who suspects an old friend of hers may have ended up there. Quiet, calm, and stoic, but laced with a kind humor, the script recounts the daily life of collecting, storing, and ultimately disposing of what remains of a culture's unclaimed dead - and what it's like from both sides when someone goes looking for someone they loved in such a place. A delicate (and even educational) piece.
Los Angeles FirstStage One Act Play Contest - First Place winner
2 Roles - 1M / 1F - Looking for actors with strong subtext improv ability
? OSCAR - (M) - 40's to 60's, will consider someone younger if they can nail his jaded attitude - The longtime record-keeper of the unclaimed ashes for the County cemetery. Keeps to himself, set in his ways but has a compassionate soul under it all.

? RACHEL - (F) - 30ish or older, well-educated college teacher; reserved but troubled. Looking for a long-lost love.

Le Reve Collectif, by Robert Edward - 50min
Directed by Kate Bowen
Glen goes to sleep one night and dreams, never suspecting that he, along with an entire world of sleeping dreamers, is about to witness a gigantic leap in human consciousness, as the walls separating dreamers from one another in dreamspace begin to break down, allowing any and everyone to sit in, view, and even participate in one another's dreams. Slowly realizing the ramifications of a public dreamscape, Glen encounters friends and former lovers journeying through the surreal, disturbing, hilarious, and most private dreams of loved ones and strangers alike. Yet even as they explore a fantastic human frontier - each with their own very different take on what it could mean for them - the landscape of humanity's slumbering consciousness is discovered, colonized, and exploited by the waking world. What are dreams worth to us when they are readily available and totally public, and anyone can have one? Can even our most private and subconscious fears and desires be commodified? What does it take to commit to a dream? And what do we retain on waking when they pass us by? A rollicking, meditative, and melancholy head trip about failed love, work, creativity, and aging, seen through one man's eyewitness view of a world both embracing and debasing its own most mysterious depths. To be developed with the participation of director and actors.
9 Roles - 4 M / 4 F / 1 Any Gender - Actors must be comfortable workshopping/developing material
? GLEN - (M) - 20s/30s - A young man who once had tremendous imagination and promise, fallen somewhat to the hardness & misfortunes of his life. An ambitious optimist turned hard-nosed realist, once had the world at his fingertips, but grieves intensely over his lost potential and substantial regrets after an unnamed traumatic event from his past. Views the revelations of shared dreaming with both awe and jaded pessimism.

? IRIS - (F) - 20s/30s - Extremely fashionable. Distant, hard, aloof. Glen's former lover. Beautiful, whether through physicality or style & demeanor. Loves to laugh, but no patience for the pain of her past. An enigma. Punk/rockabilly style a plus.

? LARRY - (M) - 20s/30s - Calm, good-humored dipshit. Loves to laugh, peaceful demeanor of a grown-up stoner. Loves stupid situations, loves to laugh. Age has shown him sadness and compassion. Loves his friends dearly, though he hides a big secret.

? SAM - (F) - 20s/30s - Aggressive, loud, hardcore, with a strong, dark sense of humor. Powerful personality, insults the people she cares about out of love. Hidden depths of world-weary wisdom and sensitivity beneath a veneer of punk posturing. Gay. Tattoos/piercings a plus.

? DREAMERS x 5 - (2M /2F /1 Any) - 5 actors to play wandering dreams & dreamers in a large variety of roles. Movement skills a plus. Each actor will be featured in pivotal scenes, with monologues/exchanges about nihilism, capitalism, and the search for meaning.

Night 3 - Saturday Shows - The Bittersweet Terror of Past & Future!
Awake from this Noirmare, by Shawn K. Kane - 25-30min - In 3 Parts
Directed by Andrew Eiden
A format experiment, this untitled comedic noir piece takes place in three separate chapters over a single night, detailing the story of a classic private dick (who has a habit of narrating his hard-boiled thoughts out loud to complete strangers) and the series of femme fatales who seek his aid in solving a sordid condiment-related crime. A piece with powerful visual and stylistic noir influences, as well as a chance to chew some scenery in the tradition of great noir films like Double Indemnity, and The Maltese Falcon.
7 Roles - 2M / 3F / 2 Any Gender
? HUMPH - (M) - 30s-40s A fast-talking, no-nonsense private eye.

? BEA - (F) - 20s. A sophisticated, classic femme fatale.

? FLORENCE / "FLO"- (F) - BEA's roommate, mid-20s. Not as smart as Bea, appears sweet...but is she?

? DICK - (M) - FLORENCE's fiancé, 30s. Solidly built, attractive, of average intelligence, perhaps deceptive. In all ways, just like his name sounds...or is he?

? SCHMORENCE / "SCHMO" - (F) - FLORENCE's sister, early 20s. Sweet, flat-out dumb...or is she?

? POLICE - You know, police...or are they? (They are.)

Raised by Wolves, by La Toya Morgan - 25min
Directed by Ricci Dedola
A family implodes during Thanksgiving dinner in postmodern sitcom style. Family is inescapable. They know all your secrets. They render you vulnerable. They are your own personal brand of kryptonite. Enter Noah Reinhart, come home to visit the family on Thanksgiving after a two year absence. With wife in tow, he braves an emotionally volatile mother, boorish father, and crude thug older brother - and before they can pass the drumsticks, old wounds and deep secrets are revealed when an unexpected (and potentially murderous) guest shows up on their doorstep. Fast-paced comedy, with a heart of real family drama, and the idea that as much as family may despise each other, they'll circle the wagons when an outsider threatens. Lots of opportunity for improvisation and inappropriate comedy.
6 Roles - 4M / 2F - Looking for African-American actors, comfortable working in a broad sitcom style
? NOAH REINHART - (M) - 20s, All-American GQ chic

? DANA - (F) - 20s, his wife Beverly Hills Girl

? BILL REINHART - (M) - 40's to 60's Neanderthal type, patriarch

? STELLA REINHART - (F) - 40's to 60's emotional Volatile, matriarch

? KYLE REINHART - (M) - 30's, the older brother, Bully

? HAROLD - (M) - 40s, an unexpected visitor, mysterious, menacing

Good Riddance, by Ryan McClary - 50min
Directed by Tony Bartolone
It's Fall, 2011. The Van Houten High School Class of 2001 is gathering in the gym for their ten year reunion. Derek doesn't want to be here. Tommy wants to make amends. Cassandra wants everything to be perfect. Mikey wants the memories. Heather can't feel a goddamned thing. Jason doesn't want to see Jessica. Jessica doesn't want to see Jason. Megan doesn't know why she's here. And Murphy won't stay dead. Ten years after, who has survived - and what is left of them? A darkly funny script in the vein of classic 80's comedies that looks back in anger, indignance, regret, and maybe just a little affection. From the author of Entropy General, this show is a huge opportunity for actors and director alike to shine, with striking material about the bittersweet terror of the not-so-distant past.
9 Roles - 5M / 4F - All characters are around 28 years old

? DEREK BROOKS - (M) - The AV club nerd who is now a Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer.

? MEGAN CALLAGHAN - (F) - The head cheerleader / popular / hottest girl in school who is now regional manager of corporation.
? TOMMY HARRIS - (M) - The captain of the football team / jock / jerk who is now a recovering alcoholic.
? Jason MaNNING - (M) - The prom king / perfect couple (w/Jessica) who is now recently divorced (w/ Jessica).
? JESSICA (formerly Manning) JANSEN - (F) - The prom queen / perfect couple (w/Jason) who is now recently divorced from Jason.
? CASSANDRA HOLDEN (CHATTIE CASSIE) - (F) - The goodie two-shoes / overachiever who is now married, has a kid and is head of the reunion committee.
? HEATHER MCNAMARA - (F) - The sarcastic / unenthusiastic underachiever who is now the sarcastic / unenthusiastic underachiever.
? Michael Moran - (M) - Token friend who is now missing all the memories.
? MURPHY BLACKWELL - (M) - The James Dean / cowboy motor-head who is now dead. Must be able to whistle, play guitar, and ride a bike.

Groove Apocalypse, by Robert Edward - 15min
Directed by Robert Edward
Between the 7th and 17th Century, there were dozens of reported cases of what came to be known as outbreaks of "The Dancing Plague." In every case throughout history, anywhere between dozens and thousands of people were reported to spontaneously and furiously begin dancing - and were unable to stop. They would dance until exhausted, and in many cases, died from the strain. Those afflicted with the dancing plague (also called "St. Vitus' Dance") would sing and moan, causing public property damage with their actions and behaving aggressively toward non-dancers in their presence. This was well reported and documented. Those investigating the phenomenon did not classify it as hysteria or religious mania - they claimed it was an actual medical condition, curable only by dancing the disease away. After the 17th Century, incidents of the plague abruptly stopped, the phenomenon relegated to history's mysteries. But what if it wasn't truly gone? What if it was only biding its time, a viral plague building in obscurity and potency - until today? A 10-15 minute, trailer-like, Cliff's Notes version of the end of the modern world by dancing plague - a groove apocalypse seen in miniature via the experiences of a handful of people. Breakneck-paced, straight-faced comedy with dance music out the wazoo, culminating in a dance party to end the weekend of every festival.
11 Roles - 3M / 2F / 7 Any Gender - Dancing experience a plus.
? CRYPTOANTHROPOLOGIST - Dignified, serious. An academic, lecturing an audience as to the particulars of the very real history of the Dancing Plague, then beset upon and murdered by his own pelvic-thrusting audience.

? NEWSCASTER - A reporter, broadcasting live from the dancing-plague-assaulted streets, on the end of the world by groove.

? GEORGE - (M) - Young man, married to Elaine. A decent man, hoping to keep his pregnant wife safe from the hordes of dance-zombies that assault the world en masse.

? ELAINE - (F) - Young woman, married to George. Pregnant, her only motivation to stay close to her husband and keep her baby safe from the Rammstein-listening mobs that want them dead.

? FRANK - (M) - Old, widowed man, sheltering young people from the assault of relentless dancers in his urban home - and none too pleased about it. Grieves for his lost wife, and secretly welcomes the end of the world.

? JOHN - (M) - Terrified man, seeking shelter from the plague with his girlfriend Cheryl.

? CHERYL - (F) - Terrified woman, seeking shelter from the plague with her boyfriend John.

? DANCING PLAGUE VICTIMS x 5 - 5 actors, secure in their dignity, to act as audience plants and play multiple roles - but primarily to serve as part of the neverending hordes of dancing plague victims, zealously gyrating the innocent to death, and furiously grooving while the world burns. Ridiculous and scary in equal measure (though mostly the former).

 

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