AUDITIONS: August Wilson’s GEM OF THE OCEAN

AUDITIONS: August Wilson’s GEM OF THE OCEAN

Playing in the Long Beach Playhouse’s Mainstage Theater

By August Wilson

Directed by Rovin Jay

AUDITION DATES:  Dec. 29 – 30, 2025, & Jan. 2, 2026

• Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Tuesday,  Dec. 30, 2025 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Friday,  Jan. 2, 2025 – 7pm – 10pm: Callbacks – By invitation only.

(Auditioners only need to come to one night of open call auditions.  We are only seeing in-person auditioners during audition times – no video submissions.)

PERFORMANCE DATES:  Feb. 21 – Mar. 21, 2026

Master playwright, August Wilson, blends naturalism, mysticism, and magical realism to explore the experience of a Black community at the turn of the 20th century. It’s 1904, and Citizen Barlow comes seeking asylum in the Pittsburgh Hill District home of matriarch and spiritual advisor Aunt Ester. She sets him off on a spiritual journey aboard the legendary slave ship Gem of the Ocean to visit the home of the ancestors, the City of Bones. Confronted with the plight of those who came before him, Citizen must come to terms with his own guilt in this unsettling but compelling story filled with humor and heart that is a touchstone for everything else that Wilson has written.

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: GEM OF THE OCEAN

AUTHOR: August Wilson

DIRECTOR: Rovin Jay

RUN:  February 21 – March 21, 2026

Fridays & Saturdays 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. Special performances on Thursday and Sunday nights may be added for private parties and special events.

This is a volunteer community theater production.  Non-Equity.  There is no pay. 

AUDITION DATES:

Open Call:

Dates: Monday, December 29th and Tuesday, December 30th, 2025

(Auditioners only need to come to one night of Open Call Auditions.)

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks: By Invitation Only.

Date: Friday, January 2nd, 2026 

Times: 7pm – 10pm

REHEARSALS:

First Read-Through: Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, Noon – 4pm

Regular Rehearsal: Starting Jan. 5th:

Mondays – Thursdays, 7pm -10pm 

Saturdays, 11am – 4pm

Possible Sundays, 6pm – 9pm TBD

 (Please see beginning rehearsal schedule BELOW for specific dates and times.)

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

NOTE: Open to working with some limited minor conflicts, but we will not be casing people with conflicts on tech dates and performances.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring a headshot and resume. 

Please prepare a monologue from an August Wilson play. 

Sides for cold readings will be available at the auditions for those without a monologue prepared.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

Set in 1904 Pittsburgh, Gem of the Ocean is the first chronological installment of August Wilson’s Century Cycle. The play centers on Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old spiritual guide, and her home at 1839 Wylie Avenue—a sanctuary for souls seeking redemption. As Citizen Barlow arrives in search of salvation, the household is drawn into a journey that spans history, memory, and myth.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

All roles are Black/African decent except for the role of Rutherford Selig. Long Beach Playhouse encourages actors of all backgrounds, gender identities, and abilities to audition.

AUNT ESTER (F, Black/African Decent, 60s–80s): A spiritual matriarch; commanding and wise.

CITIZEN BARLOW (M, Black/African Decent, 20s–30s): A young man seeking redemption; earnest and haunted.

SOLLY TWO KINGS (M, Black/African Decent, 60s–70s): A former conductor on the Underground Railroad; fiery and proud.

BLACK MARY (F, Black/African Decent, 30s–40s): Aunt Ester’s housekeeper and protégé; strong-willed and compassionate.

CAESAR WILKS (M, Black/African Decent, 40s–50s): Black Mary’s brother, a strict lawman; complex and authoritative.

ELI (M, Black/African Decent, 50s–60s): Caretaker of Aunt Ester’s home, grounded and loyal.

RUTHERFORD SELIG (M, Caucasian/European Decent, 40s–60s): A traveling peddler; observant and affable.

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE: