Upcoming auditions: MainStage Play Reading Series, Fall 2021

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UPCOMING AUDITIONS
MainStage Production, Fall 2021
Fall Play Reading Series

Sign up for an audition HERE!
No previous performance experience is necessary!

AUDITION DATES

Thursday September 16: 7-10 pm (Poor Clare and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning only)
Friday September 17: 4-6 pm (Ridgway only), 6:30-8:30pm (Poor Clare only)
Sunday September 19: callbacks, times TBD

AUDITION LOCATION
location TBD, in-person and via Zoom

ABOUT THE PLAYS AND THE PRODUCTIONS

The series will include staged readings of the following three works:

Poor Clare, by Chiara Atik.
This reading will be directed by Peter Hackett. (read about the director here!)
A breathlessly funny modern spin on the Middle Ages and about what can happen when your eyes are opened to the injustice in the world.

Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, by Katori Hall.
This reading will be directed by visiting artist Kemati Porter (read about the director here!)
A moving and often hilarious portrait of a group of Black women in 1945 Memphis whose lives have been upended by World War II.

Ridgway, by Charlie O'Leary. 
This reading will be directed by visiting artist Kareem Fahmy (read about the director here!)
A ghost story about who can - and who can not - live safely in rural America.

The readings will be designed by Dan Kotlowitz (lighting), Michael Ganio (sets), Laurie Churba (costumes), and visiting artist Fabian Obispo (sound). Stage management is TBA.

Rehearsals for all three readings will begin October 11. A typical week will include five days of rehearsal (choosing 5 days out of Mon-Fri and Sun). The readings will perform in the Bentley Theater Oct 29-31, 2021; each work will be performed once. These will be staged reading performances, with scripts in hand; no memorization will be required. 

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN/AVAILABLE ROLES

Poor Clare
CLARE: a rich young maiden, any ethnicity, 18
BEATRICE: her sister, any ethnicity, 16
ORTOLANA: her mother, any ethnicity, 50s
PEPPA: her servant, any ethnicity, 60s
ALMA: another servant, any ethnicity, 30s
FRANCIS: an eccentric, any ethnicity, 20s
BEGGAR/THE POOR: poor, any ethnicity

Saturday Night/Sunday Morning
TAFFY: late teens. Black. Mabel's disgruntled younger sister, an ugly duckling longing to be a swan, a bit socially inept.
MISS MARY: Thirty going on sixty. Black. The owner of the beauty shop/boarding house, widow, lost her husband during World War II.
MABEL: Early twenties. Black. From Chattanooga, loose, wild woman searching for an adventure on the streets of Memphis. Taffy's older sister.
LEANNE: Early twenties. Black. Mockingly nicknamed by the other girls the 'beauty queen from Texas', passionately awaits letters from her lover Bobby who is fighting overseas. Her depressed moods cast a shroud over the otherwise lively beauty shop.
BUZZ: Mid-twenties. Black. A businessman/postman, could not fight in the war because of his bum leg.
DOT: Thirties to forties. Black. Skinny as a stick, yet another loyal customer. Dot's best friend.
GLADYS: Early twenties. Black. A churchgoing girl from Birmingham, Alabama, an aspiring writer.
BOBBY: Mid twenties to early thirties. Black. The dashing soldier, Leanne's long-lost lover.
CURLIN' CURLIN': Thirties to forties. Black. The beauty shop competition across the street. 

Ridgway
DANIEL: 29-year-old Latino man. A data analyst who's visiting his boyfriend's hometown for the holidays. Adventurous, loving, goofy, guileless. Starting to get fed up.
RYAN: 30-year-old white man. A clickbait writer who's come home in hopes of advancing his career by solving a decades-old murder. Ambitious, opinionated, disheartened, obtuse. Resorting to desperate measures.
MONICA: 31-year-old Black woman. A successful podcaster who's come home to confront her family about the circumstances of her adoption. Confident, friendly, wary, vulnerable. Coming to grips with a painful reality.
THE MAN: 60-year-old white man. A husband and father who's been living in quiet shame since his secret lover took their own life decades ago. Menacing, yearning, guarded, broken. Facing down the past.
THE VOICE ON THE WALKIE TALKIE: portrayed by a male or non-binary actor of color. The ghost of a young queer person who took their own life decades ago. Tender, despondent, omnipotent, eerie. Trying to be helpful.

AUDITION DETAILS
No previous performance experience is necessary!

All auditioning students must sign up for an audition slot via a google info and sign-up form; that form is available HERE.

• For Saturday Night Sunday Morning, please pick a monologue to read during the initial audition from one of these options: Ruined by Lynn Nottage, Stick Fly by Lydia Diamond, Brothers Size by Tarrell McCraney.  Memorization is an option but not required.
• For Ridgeway, the audition will consist of reading sides (selections from the script). Sides are available HERE. Memorization is not required.
• For Poor Clare, the audition will consist of reading sides (selections from the script). Sides are available HERE. Memorization is not required.

Students may audition for as many different roles as they like. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your appointment time.

Students are encouraged to read the play(s) prior to auditions! Scripts are available HERE for viewing. (Note that these are perusal copies only; absoluletly NO printing!)