Ada and the Engine
By Lauren Gunderson
Director: Eric Bischoff
Audition Dates
Sunday, January 14, 2024: 6:00pm-9:30pm
Monday, January 15, 2024: 6:00pm-9:30pm
Audition Location
Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds
Callbacks (by invitation only)
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 7:00pm
Rehearsal Dates
January 22 – February 29, 2024
Monday through Thursday evenings from 7:00pm-10:00pm (except tech). Please also report any/all conflicts for Sunday afternoons/evenings, for potential rehearsals. Actors might not be called to every rehearsal.
All of the following days are REQUIRED for participation, in addition to the performance dates:
· February 21 & 22: Pre-Tech Work (7-10p)
· February 25: 10 out of 12-hour Tech day
· February 26-29: Tech Week (6:30-11p)
· Performances: March 1-17, 2024 (see “Performance Dates” for more details)
· March 17: Strike following the closing performance
Rehearsal Location
Edmonds Driftwood Players Rehearsal Annex located at 200 Dayton Street, Edmonds OR Wade James Theatre located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds
Performance Dates
March 1 – 17, 2024 for a total of 12 performances (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays curtain is at 8:00pm, Sunday curtain is at 2:00pm. There is one Saturday matinee (2pm curtain) on March 9, in addition to the evening performance. Call times will be no more than 1.5 hours prior to curtain.
· March 1 (8pm)
· March 2 (8pm)
· March 3 (2pm)
· March 7 (8pm)
· March 8 (8pm)
· March 9 (2pm & 8pm)
· March 10 (2pm)
· March 14 (8pm)
· March 15 (8pm)
· March 16 (8pm)
· March 17 (2pm)
Performance Location
This production plays at The Wade James Theatre, home of Edmonds Driftwood Players, located at 950 Main Street, Edmonds (Free lot & street parking)
VOLUNTEER STIPEND
Edmonds Driftwood Players is not associated with Actors’ Equity Association and does not participate in union contracts. We are a volunteer-based organization and actors receive $125 stipends to help offset transportation costs associated with participating in our productions. Cast and crew will each receive two comp tickets as well as a Friends & Family discount to share and use on additional ticket purchases.
SHOW SYNOPSIS
As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul mate Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge—a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age.
ADA AND THE ENGINE is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)
AUDITION REQUIREMENT
If you would like to check out the script before auditions, please contact Office@EdmondsDriftwoodPlayers.org.
Monologue: Be prepared with a dramatic or semi-comic monologue of about 1 minute. You will perform this monologue at least twice. Once as a younger person and once as an older version of that same character. You may be asked to do the monologue a third time.
Accents: No Accents Required
Headshot and Resume: Please bring one copy of each. The headshot does not need to be professionally made – a print out of a selfie will suffice. If this prevents a barrier to participation, please contact the office about printing.
ROLES
We are casting 6 actors: 3 male-presenting roles and 3 female-presenting roles. The characters age by 20 years in the course of the play. Non-traditional casting is encouraged. Actors of all ethnicity, gender, identity, and ability are encouraged to audition.
ADA BYRON LOVELACE (female-presenting; 18-36): Curious, funny and brilliant. A musician and a mathematician. Strong and ambitious but scarred by never meeting her famous father.
LADY ANABELLA BYRON (female-presenting; 35-55): Ada’s mother. She is harsh, strict and maybe a little jealous of her brilliant daughter.
CHARLES BABBAGE (male-presenting; 40-60): Ada’s soulmate, friend, and mentor. He is famous as an inventor and mathematician. He dreams of great things but never seems to be able to bring them to reality.
LORD LOVELACE (male-presenting; 35-45): A gentleman who becomes Ada’s husband. He is not rich or famous but respectable. Serious and proud. He is not madly in love with Ada, but they are comfortable together.
MARY SOMMERVILLE (female-presenting; 40-60): Babbage’s friend and colleague and Ada’s mentor. In her time, she is the most famous and brilliant female mathematician and scientist. She is pragmatic, friendly, and sometimes painfully honest.
BYRON (male-presenting; 36): The famous poet, charming, darkly funny emotional and unpredictable.
To reserve your audition time: Visit
www.EdmondsDriftwoodPlayers.org/auditions for full details. Click on the “Audition Survey” button and you will be taken to a Google Survey so that we can collect your contact information. Be sure to double check your email so we can reach you for callbacks. Have your calendar handy so that you can provide a list of any upcoming schedule conflicts. When you complete the audition survey you will be given a link to select your audition time.
The signups will close Friday, January 12 at noon so the office may prepare materials for the production team.
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