Now Casting a Reading of CERCLE HERMAPHRODITOS
By Shualee Cook
Directed by Dean Grosbard and Theo Motzenbacker
Produced by
After Hours Theatre Company in collaboration with
The Los Angeles LGBT Center
Produced under a Theater Authority contract, stipend equivalent to $18/hour
Primarily seeking transgender actors, though there are parts for cisgender men as well. Please see synopsis and full character descriptions below.
TO AUDITION:
Please submit a self-tape via this form. Monologues are provided at the same link. Based on your audition, actors will be invited to callbacks. All actors will be notified about their audition status, regardless of whether they are called back. Please submit by Tuesday, March 12th.
CALLBACKS: Saturday, March 16th from 1pm to 4pm, location to be determined.
Rehearsals: Evenings and weekends, April 27-May 11
Total rehearsal commitment: up to 30 hours
Performance: May 11
Renberg Theatre at the L.A. LGBT Center, 1125 N McCadden Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The Renberg is an ADA compliant venue with wheelchair accessibility. Please email Dean Grosbard (he/him) at
dgrosbard@gmail.com with any questions.
Synopsis: In 1895 New York, trans man Ambrose Carlton finds a rare opportunity to beat the restrictively gendered system around him when he meets Laureline Reeves, founder of an underground social club for trans femmes known as the Cercle Hermaphroditos. Ambrose hopes to find a lady at the club he can legally marry, then play the roles expected of them in public while pursuing the life they want in private. But finding the proper match becomes more difficult than he expected, especially after the club is raided by police and the fragile safe place Laureline has created threatens to break apart for good. At once a fast-paced marriage farce and a love letter to trans community, Cercle Hermaphroditos is based on true historical events.
Notes on Casting:
All trans or gender non-conforming (TGNC) parts will be cast with TGNC actors. However, the terms we use for gender today did not exist in 1895. Actors need not identify with a binary gender nor use specific pronouns. You be the judge of whether a role is right for you.
Please note all TGNC characters appear primarily in their preferred gender presentation, but sometimes wear the “drag” of their assigned gender. We are seeking a cast that reflects the actual diversity of the TGNC community. We encourage actors of all ethnicities, races, abilities, and body sizes to apply. After Hours Theatre Company has signed on to the LA Anti-Racist Theatre Standards, which include aiming to have a majority BIPOC cast, crew, and staff, with attention paid to intersectional identities.
Please email co-director Dean Grosbard (he/him) at
dgrosbard@gmail.com with any questions.
Character breakdown:
AMBROSE CARLTON - trans male, mid 20s. Prominent gynander looking to marry on his own terms. Debonair, well-educated, flirtatious, secretly earnest and more than a little insecure. Some singing (but no vocal training) required.
BERTRAM TEMPLETON - cis male, 30s. Ambrose's brother, active mover in the banking world. Even more earnest than his brother, always on the brink of being scandalized, heart of gold.
JENNIE JUNE - trans female, 20s-30s. College student and aspiring author. Over-educated and wants you to know it. Acerbic, with a barbed wit that hides a vulnerable heart.
PHYLLIS ANGEVYNE - trans female, 30s. Queen of the Rialto androgynes. Life of the party. Shameless flirt. Easy to dismiss, but probably ten steps ahead of you. Fiercely loyal.
PLUM GARDNER - trans female, 20s. Clerk by day, ingenue by night. Deeply sincere, shy, a little nerdy. Some singing (but no vocal training) required.
OFFICER LEAHY - cis male, 30s. An old hand at the beat. Bends the rules when it suits him. Doubles as: GENTLEMAN - cis male, 30s, Smooth, witty, flirty, here to get laid.
OFFICER CLARK - cis male, late 20s. Straight laced and by the book. Really, really wants to catch a bad guy.Doubles as: MAN- cis male, late 20s. He’s just here to dance.
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