Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor’s resident nonprofit professional theatre, is calling all actors interested in being a part of its 2022-23 Season of Michigan and World Premieres. Auditioners may submit a video of two contrasting monologues (two minutes total) to be considered for our 2022-2023 Season (details about shows, roles available, and dates listed below.) Submit audition form found on our website: <https://forms.gle/ESbhH2daHZqUsCiWA> (include headshot and resume), and send video audition to A2TheatreNova@gmail.com by September 5, 2022.
For the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, and artists, COVID safety measures will be in place. All artists and staff members are required to be fully vaccinated. “Fully vaccinated,” as defined by the CDC, is more than 14 calendar days following receipt of a final dose of an FDA or World Health Organization authorized or approved vaccine. COVID policy is subject to change anytime, following fluctuating local, state, and federal guidelines. Please check our website for our current policy before attending.
“Arabic to English” by David Wells. This world premiere by the playwright who penned hit productions “Resisting,” “Mazel Tov, John Lennon,” and “Irrational” makes its long-awaited debut. In a high-stakes trial, Faheem, an Arab American man, is accused of fraudulent marriage to gain a visa. Losing in court will send him to a country he barely knows. His interpreter, Amina, a young Arab American woman, is on the verge of entering a storybook American life, about to be married to Faheem’s white American trial lawyer. When romance blossoms between the interpreter and the defendant, she must decide which words to translate and which to leave unspoken. Directed by Carla Milarch.
Amina (20s) - (Already cast)
Faheem (30)- (Already cast)
Trevor (Late 20s or Early 30s)
Rehearsals begin Sept. 6, 2022Show runs Sept. 30 - Oct. 23, 2023
“Sugar Plum Panto” by Carla Milarch and R. MacKenzie Lewis for the holidays. The holiday tradition is back, complete with all the zany antics you’ve come to expect from this raucous family entertainment. When Clara’s Christmas dream goes awry, an outrageous cast of characters appears to entertain her and save her from the Rat King. Bring the whole family for this festive holiday tradition, with original songs, hilarious parodies, a Bee-oo-ti-ful Panto Dame, and of course, all of the candy you can eat! Book early cuz this holiday favorite sells out!
ROLES:
CLARA,
ENSEMBLE 1 - Male (plays Tante Drosselmeyer, Frank, et al),
ENSEMBLE TWO - Female (Plays Sugar Plum Fairy, Rat King, et al).
Rehearsals begin Nov. 15, 2022Show runs Dec. 9, 2022 - Jan. 1, 2023
“The Language Archive” by Julia Cho. George is a man obsessed with documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He fumbles for the words to say to his wife, to keep her from leaving him. He puzzles over his enamored lab assistant’s words and what they could possibly mean. All while obsessively studying an elderly couple – the last remaining speakers of a language whose culture is already dead. This quirky, romantic piece explores how language can build entire worlds but is often completely useless. Directed by Carla Milarch.
ROLES:
GEORGE: A linguist. A man in his 30s or 40s.
MARY: George’s wife. A woman in her 30s or 40s.
EMMA: A lab assistant. A woman in her 20s or 30s.
ALTA: An old woman.
RESTEN: An old man.
The actors playing Alta and Resten could also play the following:
THE DRIVER: A man of any age.
OLD MAN/BAKER: An old man.
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR: A woman of any age.
A PASSERBY: A man or a woman of any age.A PASSERBY: A man or a woman of any age (different from the previous).
CONDUCTOR: A man or a woman of any age.
OLD MAN/ZAMENHOF: An old man.
Rehearsals begin Jan. 10, 2023Show runs Feb. 3-26, 2023
“Mlima’s Tale” by Lynn Nottage. A ghost story for our times. Mlima is a magnificent African elephant killed by the underground ivory market for his tusks. As his soul accompanies his tusks on a path forged by greed and colonialism, Mlima takes us on a journey through the agonizing tradition of mining animals. This groundbreaking work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright marries theatricality and social commentary in a play that will truly haunt you. “Those of you who don’t believe in ghosts are likely to think again after seeing Lynn Nottage’s beautiful, endlessly echoing portrait of a murder and its afterlife.”—NY Times.
ROLES:
MLIMA
PLAYER 1
PLAYER 2
PLAYER 3
The three Players will play several of the following roles:
RAHMAN
GEEDI
GITHINJI
WAMWARA
ANDREW GRAVES
GUOXI FU
PATIENCE
HASSAN ABDULLA
AZIZ MUHAMMED
CAPTAIN RAMAAKER
CHIEF MATE
HUA HUYNH
THUY FAN
ANGIE
MASTER YEE
ALICE
MR. CHEUNG
HONG FENG
LI JUN
Rehearsals begin Mar. 7, 2023Show runs Mar. 31 - Apr 23, 2023
“Splattered” by Hal Davis and Carla Milarch. Does art speak to you? It is evening at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where old friends, cousins, and lovers - Sylvie, Astrid, and Justin - gather at a wedding reception. Seminarian Justin sneaks off to be alone in Gallery 406, where he encounters Jackson Pollock’s famous splatter painting One, Number Thirty-One 1950. As the painting mesmerizes him, Pollock’s ghost emerges to challenge some of Justin's most fundamental beliefs, divulging stories and secrets of Pollock's turbulent life. Meanwhile, Astrid and Sylvie come and go, appealing to Justin to join the party, as conflicts from their past bubble back to the surface, prompting Justin to question his choices and his chosen future.
ROLES:
JUSTIN (25, a seminarian)
ASTRID (25, a tomboy, wears a wedding gown)
POLLOCK (44, a painter’s ghost)
SYLVIE (25)
Rehearsals begin May 2, 2023Show runs May 26 - June 18, 2023
Finally, to close out the season, “Sanctuary City” by Martyna Majok will open on July 21, 2023. B and G are DREAMers. Lovers. High school friends negotiating the broken promise of safety and the weight of responsibility in the so-called sanctuary city of Newark. When B learns that his mother will return to her country of origin, these two young people must fight like hell to establish a place for themselves and each other in America. “I have rarely seen a play that so effectively embodies the way external forces — in this case, immigration policies in the United States — distort the inner lives of actual humans. What love is, and can ever mean, is lost in the muddle between the heart and the law.” – New York Times.
ROLES:
G ages 17-21, female
B ages 17-21, male
Henry older, male
NOTE FROM PLAYWRIGHT: “G and B were born in other countries and brought to America young. Henry is first generation. Born in America of immigrant parents. All have American mouths. All raised working class.
The countries of origin can suit the actors chosen. No character, however, is of Western European origin/ethnicity, or from a country of greater liberalism than the United States, especially as it relates to marriage equality in 2006 or earlier. These characters have grown up within working class multicultural America. They have connections, feelings, and knowledge of their countries of origin (or, in Henry’s case, the country of his parents) but I limited moments of this in the script in an effort to encourage wider, more inclusive casting across subsequent productions, which need not replicate the casting of the original production. I hope this translates to more opportunities for actors from various backgrounds—as well as more opportunities for and versions of this story. In the original production at NYTW, G was Dominican, B was Haitian, and Henry was of Ghanaian descent. But G or B or Henry can be Vietnamese, Pakistani, Ecuadorian, Uzbek, Uighur, Eritrean, Brazilian—just some amongst many options and possibilities. I invite you to use this play to mindfully reflect the realities of your community, as it relates to class and immigration. B wants to stay in America because this is where he’s made his life, not because he isn’t proud of or does not love where he comes from. He feels his home to be here, as well as the specific future he imagines for himself.”
Rehearsals begin June 27, 2023Show runs July 21 - Aug. 13, 2023
Theatre NOVA is located at 410 W Huron St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Performances are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. To accommodate families with children, “Sugar Plum Panto” will hold performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m, Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. AEA Special Appearance contracts may be available. $800 stipend for non-Equity performers for most shows. $1,000 stipend for Panto.
Submit audition form found on our website: <https://forms.gle/ESbhH2daHZqUsCiWA> (include headshot and resume), and send video audition to A2TheatreNova@gmail.com by September 5, 2022.
For more information, visit www.TheatreNOVA.org.
Theatre NOVA’s mission is to raise awareness of the value and excitement of new plays and playwrights and to provide resources for playwrights to develop their craft by importing, exporting, and developing new work.
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