AUDITIONS: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

Text by John Cameron Mitchell, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask

Directed by Angela I. Cruz

AUDITION DATES:  Aug. 13 – 15, 2024

• Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 – 7pm – 10pm: Callbacks – By invitation only.

PERFORMANCE DATES:  Oct. 12 – Nov. 16, 2024

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

AUTHOR: Text by John Cameron Mitchell

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask

DIRECTOR: Angela Cruz

MUSIC DIRECTOR: Stephen Olear

CHOREOGRAPHER: 

RUN:  October 12, 2024 – November 16, 2024 

Fridays & Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 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: Tuesday, Aug. 13 & Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.

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

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks: By Invitation Only.

Date: Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024

Times: 7pm – 11pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

REHEARSALS:

First Read-Through: Aug. 17, 2024, Sat. Noon – 4pm.

Regular Rehearsal: Starting Aug. 19: Mon. – Thurs. 7pm – 10pm, 

Sat. 11am – 5pm. (Possible Sunday, 5pm – 9pm if needed and will be advised in advance notice.) Schedule is subject to change with advance notice.

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

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring headshot and resume. 

Please bring 16 bars of a musical theatre or rock song in style of the show (an accompanist will be provided.) Please do not sing from the show. You will need to bring your own sheet music for your audition song. All auditioners will need to sing with the accompanist – no a capella or recorded tracks.

Sides for cold readings will be provided at the auditions/callbacks.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

Hedwig is an “internationally ignored song stylist”, a fourth-wall smashing East German rock ‘n’ roll goddess who also happens to be the victim of a botched sex-change operation, which has left her with just “an angry inch.” This outrageous and unexpectedly hilarious story is dazzlingly performed by Hedwig in the form of a rock gig/stand-up comedy routine backed by a hard-rocking band.”

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

GENERAL NOTE: Both characters must have the stamina to carry the show from start to finish while rarely leaving the stage. 

This show contains graphic language and adult themes.

We will be casting two sets of casts for this show, which will alternate on different weekends of the run.  The dates of which cast will perform when will be TBD.

HEDWIG (Lead. Transfemme or non-binary performers, 18-40 to play late 20s-Early 40s. Ethnicity open).  Hedwig is a struggling, queer nightlife performer who is on a journey to find her other half. She is grunge; a dreamer who has been disillusioned by broken relationships. Seeking a captivating and energetic performer who is comfortable in their body and who can dexterously shift from persona to persona (Hedwig’s mother, husband, rock icon ex-lover, Tommy Gnosis.) (Role requires a German/Eastern European Accent. Very strong rock/pop/soul/R&B tenor. Vocal range: A2 to B4)

PLEASE NOTE: the role of Hedwig deals with references to sexual abuse, the body, and genital-centered discussions of gender. Performs outside the gender binary.

There is partial nudity and intimacy that can be adjusted to the comfort level of the performer.

YITZHAK (Supporting. Female or non-binary performers, 18-30, to play late 20s-30s. Ethnicity open.) Hedwig’s partner in crime. Yitzhak is a phenomenal entertainer on their own and is currently Hedwig’s backup singer. They are punk, grunge, with a hint of queer glamor. Bound by the constraints of traditional masculinity but longs to explore a more feminine side. Seeking adventurous and uninhibited performers with strong comedic timing. Ability to play basic percussion instruments (tambourine, maracas, etc,) is a plus. (Role requires a Balkan/Eastern European Accent. Any body type. Strong rock/pop/soul/R&B vocalist.  Vocal range: high belt, D4 to A5)

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:

AUDITIONS: THE PILLOWMAN

AUDITION DATES:  July 8 – 10, 2024

• Monday, July 8, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Tuesday, July 9, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Wednesday, July 10, 2024 – 7pm – 10pm: Callbacks – By invitation only.

PERFORMANCE DATES:  Aug. 31 – Sept. 28, 2024

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: THE PILLOWMAN

AUTHOR: Martin McDonagh

DIRECTOR: Carl daSilva

RUN: August 30 – September 28, 2024

Fridays & Saturdays at 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, July 8 & Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks:

Date and Time: Wednesday, July 10, 7pm – 10pm, by invitation only.

REHEARSALS:

First Rehearsal – First Read-Through: Saturday, July 13, from Noon – 4pm.

Regular Rehearsal: Sundays from 6pm – 9pm; Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 7pm – 10pm.  

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

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring headshot and resume. 

Sides for cold readings will be provided at the auditions.  

Standard American Dialect will be used for all roles.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:

A dark comedy about a writer in a totalitarian state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of the stories and their similarity to a number of child-murders happening in their town. When the writer learns that the brother has confessed to the murders and implicated him/her in the process, s/he resigns to being executed but attempts to save the stories from destruction. 

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

KATURIAN (M or F, 30 to 40 – Any Race): A writer of gruesome short stories often involving children, is surprised and confused as to why s/he was brought in by detectives for questioning.   S/he cares deeply about the brother Michal and about saving the stories from destruction.

TUPOLSKI (M or F, 50s to 60s – Any Race): The lead detective and the “good cop” in the interrogation. Cold and uncaring, s/he self describes as ‘detached from the people s/he aims to save’.  S/he supervises Ariel.

ARIEL (M or F, 30 to 40 – Any Race): A brutal and violent detective who has a vendetta against anyone who commits crimes against children because of abuse in his or her own childhood.

MICHAL (M, 30 to 40 – Any Race): Katurian’s older brother, who is “slow to get things” and often referred to as a ‘retard’ following his years of abuse at the hands of his parents. He is also taken into jail by the detectives.

MOTHER: (F, 30s to 50s – Any Race): Looking for someone to play various mothers in the reenactment scenes.  Experience with physical comedy and pantomime a plus.

FATHER: (M, 30s to 50s – Any Race): Looking for someone to play various fathers and other roles in the reenactment scenes.  Experience with physical comedy and pantomime a plus.

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:

AUDITIONS: SWEAT

By Lynn Nottage

AUDITION DATES:  May 28 – 30, 2024

• Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Wednesday, May 29, 2024 – 7pm – 9pm: Open Call
• Thursday, May 30, 2024 – 7pm – 10pm: Callbacks – By invitation only.

PERFORMANCE DATES:  July 20 – Aug. 17, 2024

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: SWEAT

AUTHOR: Lynn Nottage

DIRECTOR: Maisha Azadi Sebastiany

RUN: July 20 – August 17, 2024 

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: Tuesday, May 28th and Wednesday, May 29, 2024 

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

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks: By Invitation Only.

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024

Times: 7pm – 10pm

REHEARSALS:

First Read-Through: Saturday, June 1, 2024, Noon – 4pm.

Regular Rehearsal: Starting June 3, Monday- Thursday, 7pm-10pm; Saturdays 11am-3pm and Sunday June 5:30-8:30pm.

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

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring headshot and resume. 

Sides for cold readings will be provided at the auditions.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

Two time Pulitzer Prize Playwright Lynn Nottage’s SWEAT tells the story of a group of working class people in Reading, Pennsylvania who are laid off from their jobs during an upswing of deindustrialization. SWEAT explores the tension within the group portraying how the themes of identity, politics, and race surface within friends now faced with sudden job insecurity. 

The play opens in 2008, where we meet Jason and Chris as they individually speak to their parole officer, Evan. A chance encounter between the two former friends brings them back to face the event that completely altered the course of their lives and the lives of those closest to them. As the play switches back to 2000, we meet best friends Tracey, Cynthia, and Jessie who all work together and love to hang out at the local watering hole.The bartender Stan, who used to work at the factory with them until he suffered an injury and the busboy Oscar with rising aspirations. Conflicts emerge as upcoming promotions and rumors of cut wages threaten the friends’ loyalty. We are left hoping that the group is able to make amends before any lasting damage is done. 

NOTE TO ACTORS: This show contains many racially charged moments and language. The characters of Jason and Tracey in particular use racially charged language. Jason will have to say n****. This role in particular will require an elevated level of maturity. All moments and language will be handled with care. There will be many discussions regarding race, xenophobia, and how Lynn Nottage intended for her work to present these themes, amongst others.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

EVAN (M, 40’s)  African American. The parole officer for both Jason and Chris. He is a straight, no chaser kinda guy who  believes in tough love and does not back down. 

JASON (M, 21/29)  White American of German descent. Chris’s best friend and Tracey’s son.  He is very proud of himself and his family history. He tends not to be aware of how the way he says things affects others, nor does he care until forced to reflect on himself.

CHRIS  (M, 21/29)  African-American. Cynthia and Brucie’s son and Jason’s best friend. Trying to navigate his way through a world not built in his favor. He is stuck between following in the footsteps of his father as a factory employee, or heeding his mother’s advice and going to school.

STAN (M, 50s)  White American of German descent. Stan is a former steel worker who became a bartender after getting injured at the plant leaving him with a permanent limp. He manages the bar where everyone hangs out and does his very best to keep the collective peace. He is the glue that keeps the group together. 

OSCAR  (M, 22/30)  Colombian-American. An employee of the bar, Oscar is a hardworking young man with aspirations to rise far above his current situation. Always considered an outsider and not afforded many job opportunities, he crosses the picket line when the plant offers more than what he makes at the bar. 

TRACEY  (F, 45/53)  White American of German descent. Jason’s mom and best friend of Cynthia and Jessie. Tracey is a strong willed, quick tongued, no nonsense woman, also one of the hardest workers at Olstead’s. Opinionated and proud of the work her family has done, she has been working at the plant for over twenty years, following her father and grandfather.. Much like her son, she doesn’t care if what she says offends you or hurts your feelings. She feels betrayed by Cynthia after she receives a  promotion. 

CYNTHIA  (F, 45/53)  African-American. Chris’s mom and best friends with Tracey and Jessie. She is determined to not only do well for herself, but to also see her son Chris do well. She is ambitious and applies for the promotion that moves her up to a managerial position. But when management wants to cut wages, Cynthia finds herself pitted against her friends. Cynthia is compelling and full of layers and fully understands the pressure and importance of being a black woman in a white world.

JESSIE (F, 40’s)  Italian-American. Good friend of Cynthia and Tracey. Jessie tries her best to remain neutral between Cynthia and Tracey, but later this neutrality is broken. She struggles with alcohol and inadvertently is often the comic relief with a glass of something always near. She’s forced to reckon with her failed dreams of wanting more for her life after landing job at the plant and never leaving. 

BRUCIE (M 40’s) African-American. Chris’s father and Cynthia’s estranged husband. He has fallen on hard times and becomes involved with drugs, although he starts a rehab program. It is revealed that his addiction issues are related to his being fired from his factory job after his union was pushed out.

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: LOOT

AUTHOR: Joe Orton

DIRECTOR: Allen Sewell

RUN:  June 8 to July 6, 2024

Fridays & Saturdays at 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, April 15 and Tuesday, April 16, 2024

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

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks: By Invitation Only.

Date: Wednesday April 17, 2024

Times: 7pm – 10pm

REHEARSALS:

First Read-Through: Saturday April 20, 2024, Noon – 4pm

Regular Rehearsals: Beginning Monday, April 22: Monday through Thursday, 7pm – 10pm; and Saturdays, Noon – 3pm.

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

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring headshot and resume. 

Sides for cold readings will be provided at the auditions. 

SHORT SYNOPSIS: 

When Joe Orton wrote Loot, he was out to shock his audiences. One of his greatest dark farces, the play centers around two amateur thieves, Dennis and Hal. Dennis works as a hearse driver for an undertaker and the pair have robbed the bank next door to the funeral parlor. They decide to hide their ‘loot’ in the coffin of Hal’s recently deceased mother, stashing her body in a wardrobe in the meantime. However, before they can remove the coffin, the dead body is discovered by Fay McMahon, a predatory nurse who makes a habit out of marrying men who subsequently die in strange circumstances. She has now quickly engaged herself to marry Hal’s father but when she discovers the stash of cash, she demands a third of the spoils. Dennis and Hal’s tricky situation is worsened further by the arrival of Inspector Truscott, who strangely disguises himself as a man from the local Water Board. Using the conventions of standard farce, the trio attempt to keep the body and the money away from the Inspector in an increasingly tangled web of deceit and corruption.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

NOTE: Actively seeking all ethnicities for all roles

McLEAVY (Male, Mid 40s to 60s) a sanctimonious and gullible widower and father.  (British accent required.)

HAL (Male, Mid 20s) A larcenous and promiscuous (with both sexes) nihilist.  One of the bank robbers and son of McLeavy.  (British accent required.)

DENNIS (Male, Mid 20s) Hal’s childhood friend, lover, and partner in bank robbery.  He is a hearse driver and has impregnated five different women.  (British accent required.)

FAY (Female, Late 20s – 30s) An attractive but murderous and avaricious nurse to the deceased woman in the casket, on the prowl for her eighth husband and a cut of the loot.  (British accent required.)

TRUSCOTT (Male, 30s or 40s) A sneaky, violent, blow-hard police detective, investigating the bank robbery.  He is part psychopath, part clown.  (British accent required.)

MEADOWS (Male, 20s, 30s or 40s) A police bobby who carries out the Inspector’s orders for arrest.  (British accent required.)

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:

AUDITION NOTICE:

TITLE: MEN ON BOATS

PRODUCERS: Produced by JD Theatricals (James Huffman, Producer) in collaboration with the Long Beach Playhouse

AUTHOR: Jaclyn Backhaus

DIRECTOR: Meredith Miranda

RUN:  April 26th– May 25th, 2024

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, March 4th & Tuesday March 5th, 2024 

Times: 7pm – 9pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

Callbacks:

Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, 7pm – 10pm, by invitation only.

REHEARSALS:

First Read-Through: Saturday, March 9th, Noon – 4pm.

Regular Rehearsal: Starts Monday, March 11th and continues to Thursday April 25th, 2024. 7pm – 10:30pm. 

*Possible Saturday or Sunday offsite rehearsals TBD throughout these dates in Long Beach, CA.*

(Please see Beginning Rehearsal Schedule BELOW for Specific Dates and Times.)

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS & PREPARATION:

The characters in MEN ON BOATS were historically cisgender white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not. Seeking racially diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender-conforming.

Bring headshot and resume. Please prepare a 1-minute monologue of a male character you wouldn’t ordinarily play, or have always wished to play. Dress comfortably for movement and give ample time to warm up physically and vocally. *Please prepare to interact, improvise and play. 

**This play contains strong language, drinking, and dreaming.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. MEN ON BOATS is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when one-armed captain John Wesley Powell and his crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. An ensemble-led journey manifesting destiny through thrilling adventure, discovery, fueled by unapologetic daring, (un)wavering nerve and the deep rooted hope of being remembered. 

MEN ON BOATS is a rollicking comedy that turns the American myth of man-ifest destiny on its edge and challenges conventional notions about who gets to make history.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

*Note on casting: The characters in MEN ON BOATS were historically cisgender white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not. Seeking racially diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender-conforming.

JOHN WESLEY POWELL (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) one-armed leader of the expedition.

WILLIAM DUNN (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) hunter and trapper.

JOHN COLTON SUMNER (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) former soldier, current explorer.

OLD SHADY (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) Powell’s older brother, Civil War vet.

BRADLEY (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) lieutenant, manic with youth.

O.G. HOWLAND (18-99, Ethnicity: Indigenous or BIPOC) printer and hunter. (Doubles as TSAUWIAT, a Ute chief.)

SENECA HOWLAND (18-99, Ethnicity: Indigenous or BIPOC) O.G:s quiet little brother. (Doubles as THE BISHOP, Tsauwiat’s wife.)

FRANK GOODMAN (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) British, so excited. (Doubles as MR. ASA, a desert settler.)

HALL (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) mapmaker, old soul.

HAWKINS (18-99, Ethnicity: OPEN) the cook.

This true ensemble piece calls for agile, spirited, imaginative comedic/dramatic actors who will work as a whole to shape this adventure. There are no small parts. Seeking a diverse ensemble of actors with physical theatre, commedia dell’arte, dance, and movement experience. 

BEGINNING REHEARSAL SCHEDULE: