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CLYBOURNE PARK - Kentwood Players Non Equity Auditions

Posted January 30, 2016
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CLYBOURNE PARK - Kentwood Players
Kentwood Players announces open auditions for
“CLYBOURNE PARK” by Bruce Norris
A companion piece to “A Raisin in the Sun”
On Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13, 2016
At the Westchester Playhouse

Kentwood Players will hold open auditions for “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris on Saturday, March 12, 2016 from 10:00am to 2:00pm and on Sunday, March 13from 6:00-10:00pm. Callbacks will be Monday, March 14 at 7:00pm. This is a non-equity, non-paid production directed by George L. Rametta and produced by Lauren A. Jarvis by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. Inc. Performance dates are May 13 through June 18, 2016 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Auditions and performances take place at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.

“Clybourne Park” was written as a companion piece to A Raisin in the Sun.” It is a savagely funny and ferociously smart play that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. Set in Chicago, the play explodes in two biting and satiric acts, 50 years apart. Act I takes place in 1959, as nervous white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a middle-class home to a black family. Act II jumps to 2009, in the same house, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of urban renewal by a Caucasian couple. This topical, insightful, and relevant play about racial discord, civic engagement, and foibles of miscommunication contains adult situations and language, and is not appropriate for children.
Those auditioning should allow time to sign-in and complete paperwork. Please bring a current headshot and resume with you as well as your calendar. A rehearsal schedule will be posted at auditions and you will be asked to note any conflicts. No appointment or monologue is necessary. Be prepared for selected readings from the script. There are 7 actors who portray 15 characters in the play. If you have any questions, please email
clybournepark@kentwoodplayers.org.
Character Breakdown:
Russ (1959) / Dan (2009) – Male, White 50’s
Russ is a hurt man in a state of numb bitterness over a loss that he and his wife Bev suffered. In order to escape the neighborhood, he has sold their modest house below market value and sight unseen to a family that turns out to be black, thus having to confront his ‘friendly’ neighbors. Dan is a plain construction worker beginning renovations for the new home’s owners.
Bev (1959) / Kathy (2009) – Female, White 40’s
Bev is a traditional housewife, cheerful on the outside but in denial on the inside over a loss that she and Russ suffered. She does not understand her husband's moods and just wants things to be pleasant and for people to get along. Kathy is Karl and Betsy’s daughter, a sharp real estate lawyer who is helping Steve and Lindsey negotiate the planned renovations for their new home.
Jim (1959) / Tom (2009) / Kenneth (1959) – Male, White, late 20’s
Jim is the young pastor asked by the homeowner’s association to try and convince Russ and Bev not to sell their home to a black family. Tom is gay, and a representative of the neighborhood association arguing for preserving the historical look of the community. Kenneth is seen in the coda as a young Korean War veteran. He is Russ and Bev’s tormented son.
Karl (1959) /Steve (2009) – Male, White, 30’s
Karl is a loud-mouthed man determined to preserve his neighborhood and property value by trying to stop the sale of the house to a black family. (Actor must be able to sign or willing to learn.) Steve is married to Lindsey, and they are the new homeowners who want to renovate their classic house to a larger modern scale. He is jovial, but thick-skinned and insensitive.
Betsy (1959) / Lindsey (2009) – Female, White, 30’s
Betsy is Karl’s very pregnant, deaf wife, becoming lost in the conversation as it turns more and more volatile. (Actress must be able to sign or willing to learn.) Lindsey is Steve’s pregnant, hearing wife, stressed and emotionally sensitive, fighting to understand why the community is against their planned renovations and trying to convince them otherwise.

Albert (1959) /Kevin (2009) – Male, Black, 30’s
Albert is married to Francine, a helpful man trying to keep himself and his wife out of the white couple’s argument. But when push comes to shove, Albert fights back. Kevin is Lena's comfortable middle-class husband, defending his wife’s desire to preserve the neighborhood.

Francine (1959) /Lena (2009) – Female, Black, 30’s
Francine is Russ and Bev’s housekeeper who puts up with Bev's unwitting condescension and is then unwillingly pulled into a debate concerning the neighborhood and the possible change of its demographic. Lena, the great niece of Lena Younger (Mama in “A Raisin in the Sun”), is a proud community activist determined to preserve her neighborhood's historical legacy and wary of the new homeowners’ planned renovations.
For more information about Kentwood Players including our current production and upcoming auditions, please visit the Kentwood Players website at
www.kentwoodplayers.org. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook and Twitter.
To meet the “Clybourne Park” production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend our membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north of Manchester at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
THE FACTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR LISTING
WHO: Kentwood Players will hold open auditions for “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris. This is a non-equity, non-paid production directed by George L. Rametta and produced by Lauren A. Jarvis by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. Inc.

WHAT: “Clybourne Park” was written as a companion piece to “A Raisin in the Sun.” It is a savagely funny and ferociously smart play that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. Set in Chicago, the play explodes in two biting and satiric acts, 50 years apart. Act I takes place in 1959, as nervous white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a middle-class home to a black family. Act II jumps to 2009, in the same house, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of urban renewal by a Caucasian couple. This topical, insightful, and relevant play about racial discord, civic engagement, and foibles of miscommunication contains adult situations and language, and is not appropriate for children.

WHEN: Auditions take place on Saturday, March 12, 2016 from 10:00am to 2:00pm and on Sunday, March 13 from 6:00-10:00pm. Callbacks will beMonday, March 14 at 7:00pm. Performance dates are May 13 through June 18, 2016 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.

WHERE: Auditions and performances take place at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
HOW: Those auditioning should allow time to sign-in and complete paperwork. Please bring a current headshot and resume with you as well as your calendar. A rehearsal schedule will be posted at auditions and you will be asked to note any conflicts. No appointment or monologue is necessary. Be prepared for selected readings from the script. There are 7 actors who portray 15 characters in the play. A full character breakdown can be found at
www.kentwoodplayers.org. If you have any questions, please email
clybournepark@kentwoodplayers.org.
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