Upcoming Casting Opportunities
STAGE KISS AUDITIONS
STAGE KISS by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Robert Chapel
Performances: Jan. 23, 24, 29, 30, Feb. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8,11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
Auditions: November 2 (7pm-10pm) and November 3 (7pm-10pm)
Callbacks (if necessary) November 6 (7-10 pm)
PLEASE NOTE: If you are unavailable on the audition dates listed, please let us know. We will consider accepting video auditions, under certain circumstances. Callbacks need to be in person.
Actors must be 18+ to be cast in the show.
Rehearsals begin Sunday, November 16.
Rehearsals are scheduled Sunday-Thursday evenings from 7-10 pm.
Please bring a list of any conflicts you will have to your audition. These would be for any of the following dates from 7 pm-10 pm:
November 16-20, 23-25, 30-December 4, 7-11, 13-18, January 4-8, 1-15, 18-22. As well as, of course, the performance dates listed above.
Play Description:
Ruhl’s loving tribute to and sendup of theatre, Stage Kiss is a charmingly “wink-wink” combination of romantic fantasy and backstage farce. Two actor4s with a steamy past are cast as lovers in an overwrought 1930’s melodrama. After the pair share an infamous stage kiss – or two or three – reality evaporates, onstage blurs with offstage, and are and life and love all become just a little jumbled.
“Is life imitating art? Or is art imitating life? Ruhl in her gleeful counterpoint, gets to have it both ways.” – The New Yorker
To Audition: Please email volunteer@livearts.org with any questions or if you are interested in auditioning and would like to reserve a time slot. We encourage you to read the play before auditioning.
Please contact Aldrian Argante (aldrian@liverts.org) and/or Bree Luck (bree@livearts.org) if you need assistance and/or would like access to view the script.
What to Prepare: A one-two minute monologue from a modern comedy. It would be fine if you choose a piece from Stage Kiss.
Additional Preparation and Character Breakdown (All roles are open to diverse casting. Ages are playing ages and flexible):
SHE – A woman in her early-mid 40s. SHE also plays the role of Ada Wilcox in the “play within a play” as well as the role of a whore in the Final act. SHE is an American actress. Ada is an upper crust British woman. The whore has a Brooklyn accent. It would be good if you could demonstrate those accents as well.
HE – A man in his early-mid 40s. Plays the role of Johnny Lowell in the “play within a play.” HE is an American but as Johnny Lowell, he plays it with a British accent. Later in the play, he plays an IRA Northern Irish gunrunner.
THE DIRECTOR – Preferably an older man who is in love with himself in the theatre and everything he directs.
KEVIN – The Director’s gay assistant as well as Johnny’s understudy as well as playing two cameos – a doctor and a butler (British accent).
HUSBAND (Ada’s husband in the “play within a play, British accent), and HARRISON (SHE’S husband, American.) Mid-40s.
ANGELA – SHE’s teenage daughter. Also plays Millicent (British) and Laurie (hard-bitten 20s-something New Yorker).
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D01goa-qUi5D_gTa9KPZoJ_1YdiK6SpJTQ2c9SZBOxg/edit?usp=sharing
EMMA AUDITIONS!
EMMA by Kate Hamill
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Kara McLane Burke
Play Description:
Emma Woodhouse is clever, educated, and energetic… and about to go mad with idleness. In a time when respectable ladies are expected to sit quietly at home, Emma desperately longs for projects—and prides herself on matchmaking, much to the chagrin of her friend Mr. Knightley. But where Emma’s considerable energies focus, screwball comedy follows! A fresh and funny new take on a treasured classic. Setting is Highbury, England, the early 19th century—but also here, in your theater, right now, today, this year.
Performances:
March 5 (Preview), 6 & 7, 11-15, 18-22 (15 & 22 are matinees)
Auditions:
November 15 & 16 (1-4 pm)
Callbacks:
(if necessary) November 19 (7-10 pm)
Rehearsals:
Sundays 1-4 pm, and Mondays – Thursdays 7-10pm.
Dec 7-11, 14-18, Jan 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29, Feb 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, Feb 28 – March 5
To Audition: Auditions will be held in groups of 10-15 in the following time slots:
Saturday, November 15, 1pm -2:30pm
Saturday, November 15, 2:30-4pm
Sunday, November 16, 1pm -2:30pm
Sunday, November 16, 2:30-4pm
Please email volunteer@livearts.org to request an audition slot.
What to Prepare:
This play requires verbal dexterity and the willingness to embrace the madcap and risk looking silly, while simultaneously telling the human story that is there. Please come prepared to read from one of the scenes below related to a role that interests you. Please give your best regionally neutral posh English accent a try. You will be asked to read your scene and more with other auditioners in the same room, and we will play with different vocal and physical dynamics and treatments. Please wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely.
Accessibility:
All roles are open to performers (ages 18+) of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, or ability.
We welcome actors of all abilities and are happy to make accommodations for those with mobility or physical access needs. If you require specific support to fully participate in auditions, please let us know in advance so we can make appropriate arrangements.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are unavailable on the audition dates listed, please let us know. We will consider accepting video auditions under certain circumstances. Callbacks need to be in person.
A conflict calendar will be sent to you when you confirm your audition slot. Please bring a list of any conflicts you would have for the above rehearsal dates.
Please contact Aldrian Argante (aldrian@livearts.org) and/or Bree Luck (bree@livearts.org) if you need assistance and/or would like access to view the script.
SIDES LIST:
- EMMA/KNIGHTLY1 – Pg 1-3
- EMMA/KNIGHTLEY2 – Pg 96-97
- EMMA /HARRIET – Pg 10-12
- JANE/EMMA – Pg 90-91
- MR CHURCHILL/EMMA – Pg 57-58
- MR ELTON/EMMA – Pg 38-41
- MRS WESTON/MR KNIGHTLEY – 97-98
- MISS BATES/EMMA – Pg 94-95
- MR WOODHOUSE/EMMA – Pg 7-8
You can find the sides here. Due to copyright, we ask that you do not share, print, or download these links. There will be paper copies available on site.
Role Descriptions (from the playwright)
(Ages are “playing ages” and flexible. Some roles will be doubled.)
1. EMMA (late 20s-30s): Almost unbelievably charming; a natural comedienne. Bouncily flirty; possesses more power of manipulation than even she understands; has a certain sunny, charming self-regard—it’s what allows her to get away with so much. Very very VERY clever—and fancies herself even more clever than she is. Capable of getting ahead of herself. Incredibly dexterous, verbally. Capable of being unfair or short-sighted or impetuous; maybe a bit overindulged. Grew up with wealth. Can be a bit overconfident and self-congratulatory. Capable of getting quite competitive. Generous with those she considers family. Eminently lovable and eminently fallible. Has emotional depth. Very educated, but is not allowed a profession, and thus is a bit like a border collie without any sheep. Frustrated, and thus sometimes putting her considerable energies in the wrong places. Ahead of her time. Given the chance, she just might run the world.
2. HARRIET SMITH (20s): a deeply likable girl from the lower classes, who’s been given a basic education. A sweet, naturally affectionate human being, but not the brightest flame in the stove. A born enthusiast; the kind of person who leaps WAY before she looks. Has a strong tendency towards hero worship. A born follower. VERY impressionable. Has a desperate adoring friend-crush on Emma. Wants to be in love. Gets flustered easily. A bit naïve.
3. MRS. WESTON (mid 30s – late 40s): Emma’s former governess. A very smart woman with a good sense of humor; very perceptive and grounded. Not afraid to tell it like it is. Capable of really teaching deep lessons. Not without edge, when she chooses. Likable and opinionated. Gives great advice. Picture the coolest aunt imaginable.
4. MRS BATES (70s+): An elderly lady, very opinionated, who communicates exclusively in grunts and hand gestures. Mrs. Bates is completely obscured by bonnet and scarves and shawls; she’s a big pile of fabric, rather like Cousin It. We never see what’s underneath all the layers.
5. MISS BATES (40s+): Headmistress of a struggling school for girls. An incredibly good-natured, if motor-mouthed and daft, woman. Very very proud of her niece Jane Fairfax, whom she talks about obsessively. Once she starts talking, you can’t get a word in edgewise.
6. JANE FAIRFAX (20s-30s): You know that girl who always seems to do everything right? Jane is that girl. An overachiever. Very composed. Very beautiful. Very discreet. Very accomplished. Very smart. Every hair in place, and it seems effortless. Works as a governess until she quits under mysterious circumstances. The only girl-child in a family full of schoolteachers, and thus— seemingly—a model of perfect behavior. Maybe a little bit stiff. Under all of this A+ decorum, she’s hiding a love affair with Frank Churchill—she doubts he can be faithful. Is hiding deep passions under that flawless exterior.
7. MRS. ELTON (20-30s) / as cast: Not bright. What’s more, she has a laugh that’s the auditory equivalent of nails being torn out of your fingers. Is delighted by everything. Her libido is…. quite active. Thinks her new husband, Mr. Elton, is the most desirable, thrilling, brilliant man alive. A truly intolerable woman. May actually be a hyena, wearing a human suit.
8. MR. KNIGHTLEY (30s-40s): A handsome man; a super charming man; an upright fellow. He’s also a bit of a rule follower; maybe sometimes a bit of a stick in the mud. Very clever. Capable of getting ahead of himself and edging towards know-it-all. Can be competitive. Is preoccupied with Emma—they get under each other’s skin in the most delightful way. Gets quite jealous of Frank Churchill. Has the best intentions. Feels deeply. A genuinely good guy. Ultimately learns to admit vulnerability and share his feelings.
9. MR. WOODHOUSE (60s+): An over-anxious, melancholy hypochondriac, but people humor him, as he’s a nice man under it all. Obsessed with the healing powers of gruel. Tends to darkly predict fatal illnesses as a sign of concern.
10. MR. WESTON, (40s-50s): The kind of man who likes to make awkward “dad jokes.” Very very proud of his son, Frank Churchill. An unsubtle matchmaker. A good man; not a mean thought in his head. Maybe is prone to blurting out the wrong thing.
11. MR. ELTON (any age): A clergyman who sometimes gets the wrong idea. ADORES poetry. A born social climber. Fancies himself a great romantic. Thinks ladies are naturally coy and enjoy wordplay. Is determined to woo and win. Thinks he oozes charm; maybe just oozes.
12. FRANK CHURCHILL (20s-30s) / as cast: an incredibly charming, handsome, mischievous flirt of a man—the kind of man who gets away with almost everything, because he’s so irresistible. Not a bad guy, really; just a bit too likable for his own good. Ladies love him. Funny. Gossipy. Clever. A little spoiled and manipulative. Can be callous or unthinkingly cruel or self-indulgent. Wishes to reform, but can’t…. always…. help himself. Enjoys half truths and innuendo. Is, underneath everything, in love with Jane Fairfax—but that doesn’t mean other women become uninteresting to him.
13. ROBERT MARTIN: a sweet groundskeeper, in love with Harriet. Non-speaking.
Future 25/26 Season of Passion AUDITIONS
BLOOD AT THE ROOT
Auditions: Dec. 13 & 15
Callbacks: Dec. 18
More Ways to Get Involved!
Check out our volunteer page for more opportunities to get involved!
Check out our more opportunities page for information on year-round programming
Meet Our Production & Volunteer Manager Aldrian Argante!
Looking to get involved, but don’t know where to start? Aldrian Argante will get you signed up for an audition, help you find volunteer resources, or chat about what volunteer opportunities might be a good fit for you.
If you are interested in auditioning this season, reach out to aldrian@livearts.org.
