Beowulf Alley Theatre Company
2010-2011 Season
Actor Auditions
Designers &Technical Crew Wanted
ACTOR AUDITIONS
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010
10:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
By Appointment – see procedure below
Callback audition dates are noted with individual play descriptions
Where: Beowulf Alley Theatre
11 S. 6th Ave., Tucson 85701 (Downtown between Broadway and Congress)
Who: Tucson metropolitan area non-Equity actors of various ages (see details below).
One role, for a young girl aged 14-18, requires parental approval.
Special notes:
1.) Parking and Traffic – Tucson Club Crawl will take place in the evening but traffic patterns will be adjusted earlier in the day. Please see our website for suggested routes. There is no charge for parking on the street or at meters on weekends and holidays! The first hour of parking at the Pennington Street (at Scott Avenue) garage is free and $2 per hour after that (up to $8 max.). The lot across from the theatre at 6th Avenue and Broadway will be available during the day. Please do not park in the theatre’s small back lot. The two main streets that will be closed off for the event are 5th Ave between Toole and Broadway (at 8am) and Congress Street between 4th Ave and 6th Ave (closed starting at noon). The City will re-route west bound traffic from Congress Street down Broadway which becomes two way traffic from 4th Ave to 6th Ave. The normal west bound traffic flow on Congress Street resumes at 6th Ave. Plan to leave a little early.
2.) Complete and send ONLINE AUDITION FORM, headshot and resume prior to noon on Thursday, April 15. The online audition form is located at 2010-2011 Auditions. Your headshot (this can be a regular photo if you do not have headshots) and resume can be sent electronically via e-mail to batcauditions@gmail.com. By submitting these items in advance, we can expedite your audition process. If you are unable to submit these forms and photos electronically, please mail them to: Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South 6th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701, assuring that they arrive by Thursday, April 15. (You are also welcome to bring these materials with you to auditions, but we highly recommend submitting them online or by mail so our directors have time to read them.)
One of our volunteers will send a confirmation of your audition appointment time via e-mail. If you do not receive your confirmation e-mail within 48 hours of your submission, please contact us at (520) 622-4460.
3.) Please prepare two (2) contrasting monologues, each one minute in duration. Examples are: comedy/drama or classical/contemporary. If you have skill with Celtic dialects, please show this in a monologue.
4.) Perusal copies of the scripts will be available at the office beginning on March 29. They may be checked out overnight (maximum of two) and must be returned by noon. To arrange to borrow a copy, please call the office at 622-4460.
5.) Representatives from our Late Night, Out to Lunch and Reader’s Theatre series and our Education Program will also be present at the audition and may be interested in contacting you.
6.) Rehearsal Schedules: Actual rehearsal days and times are determined closer to the rehearsal start date by the director and cast members with final approval of the schedule by the Managing Director.
7.) Performance Days: Thursdays – Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, 1:30 p.m. In the event of additional performances, we will first schedule within the performance opening to close dates rather than schedule a holdover beyond the closing date.
DESIGN AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL
Please submit your resume online using the e-mail address batctechdesign@gmail.com. We appreciate your interest and will contact you in the near future as plans are being made.
OUR MAINSTAGE 2010-2011 SEASON
Shining City by Conor McPherson
Directed by Susan Arnold
September 10-26, 2010
Callbacks: Mon. April 19, 6-10 p.m.
Rehearsal Period: July 12-Aug. 29. Technical Rehearsals: Aug. 30-Sept. 10.
Shining City has been described as "modern day ghost story about human contact." Set in a therapist's office in Dublin, the play grapples with faith, guilt and redemption, underscoring the failures of language to communicate the truth. A middle-aged man (John), who has recently seen the ghost of his deceased wife, seeks professional help from a priest-turned-therapist (Ian). The travails of the guilt-ridden John offer more than professional fodder for Ian, and the routine visits become a gripping struggle to survive.
"…moving, compassionate, ingenious and absolutely gripping…[McPherson is] the finest dramatist of his generation." —Daily Telegraph (London)
NOTE: Set in Dublin
Characters (Irish dialect):
Ian (30-40) a priest turned therapist, conflicted by recent turn of events, including break with girlfriend.
John (45-55) A businessman who recently lost his wife, disturbed by appearances of her ghost.
Neasa (30-40) Ian’s ex-girlfriend, living with their child in Ian's brother's home; estranged, displaced, angry.
Laurence (25-35) Derelict friend who Ian finds in the park.
One of Ireland’s most prominent contemporary playwrights, Conor McPherson has won overwhelming acclaim for his insightful, meditative plays, which focus with a quiet, unblinking eye on the big themes: the crisis of modern masculinity, spirituality, frailty, solitude and – of course – death. In a review of his twice Tony award-nominated 2004 play Shining City, the Daily Telegraph called McPherson ‘‘the finest dramatist of his generation’’. Awards for his theatre work include the Laurence Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award, Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, George Devine Award, Meyer-Whitworth Award and the Stewart Parker Award. He is also a screenwriter.
Susan Arnold works in theatre and film as an actor, director, writer and producer. Her directorial credits include Last of the Boys (April ’10), Dinner with Friends, and Stones in His Pockets with Beowulf Alley, where she contributes to the Artistic Development Committee. Susan served as Artistic Director for the Attic Theatre in Detroit, MI and is the recipient of several theatre excellence awards for acting and directing. She has appeared on stage in a number of productions including most recently Cleopatra in Immortal Longings and Claire in the production of The Maids at The Rogue Theatre. She is a member of Screen Actors’ Guild and Actors’ Equity Association and currently serves as Artistic Director for C.A.S.T. Clean and Sober Theatre in Tucson.
The Transylvanian Clockworks by Don Nigro
Directed by Dave Sewell
dndsewell@cox.net
October 22-November 7, 2010
Callbacks: Mon., Apr. 19, 6-10 p.m.
Rehearsal Period: Aug. 23-Oct. 10. Technical Rehearsals: Oct. 11-22.
The author investigates the Dracula myth in a powerful, complex, darkly funny and utterly terrifying vampire play unlike any you have ever experienced. Set in London and Transylvania in 1888 (the year of Jack the Ripper), it captures the erotic power and poetry of Stoker's novel while looking more deeply into the characters' souls to examine the sensual and frightening undercurrents of this captivating Victorian tale. Jonathan Harker has returned from Transylvania so profoundly disturbed that he is confined to Dr. Seward's mental hospital and Van Helsing has been called in to help unravel the mystery of Jonathan's dementia. Jonathan's version of events at Castle Dracula leads them into a waking nightmare involving the mysterious foreign gentleman who seems to be seducing the women in Jonathan's life. Or is this mysterious gentleman simply opening their eyes to a new reality? In the surprising conclusion the real souls and motivations of both Count Dracula and Van Helsing are laid bare for all to see.
"...sharp, probing and intensely erotic. This is a ‘Dracula’ that teases shadowy intimacy and obsession from the myth, turns everything on its head and reveals a surprising new world." --Seattle Times
Characters
Jonathan Harker (20s - 30s) A young professional, a property agent; later, a patient in a mental institution.
Dr. Van Helsing (50s-60s) An eminent psychiatrist from Amsterdam; confident, insightful, driven; a bit intimidating.
Dr. John Seward (30s) A distinguished doctor at a mental hospital in London.
Dracula (50s - 60s) "A modestly dressed older gentleman." Emphasis on gentleman; maybe an air of mystery or wistfulness
Lucy Westenra (20s) Very attractive and she knows it. Intelligent, flirty, vain.
Peg, a Maid, (20s) Attractive, working class. Smarter than she gives herself credit for.
Mina Harker (20s) Attractive, but not necessarily gorgeous. Very intelligent and perceptive, with a biting, extremely dry and subtle wit.
(Note to actors: It’s a fun play, but we’re not looking for fangs, camp, Bela Lugosi, Buffy, or Twilight. No accents, please.)
Prolific American-born playwright, Don Nigro, is the author of challenging and indefinable plays that deal with madness, sex, obsession, history and love. He is considered the most published American playwright with over 200 scripts.
Dave Sewell has directed Wait Until Dark and Arcadia for Beowulf Alley. He is Chairperson of the Artistic Development Committee and currently serves as the Youth Education Director for BATC’s ActingKids@the Alley. A native of Southern California, Dave has directed over thirty productions and participated in countless others as an actor, set designer, or technician. Since moving to Tucson in 1995, He has worked with Catalina Players, Desert Players, Old Pueblo Playwrights, Stark Naked Productions, and Tucson Theatre Ensemble. He has directed plays in a wide variety of genres, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, ‘night, Mother, Measure for Measure, Galileo, and Deathtrap. Dave holds a degree in Theatre from the University of California, Riverside.
Blackbird by David Harrower
Directed by Laura Lippman
December 3-19, 2010
Callbacks: Saturday May 1st, 10 am – 3 pm
Rehearsal Period: Oct. 18-Nov. 21. Actors on Stage/Tech Rehearsals: Nov. 22-Dec 3.
Fifteen years ago Ray and Una had a relationship. (She was twelve, he was forty) They haven’t seen each other since. Now she’s found him again. In a claustrophobic, messy break room, they confront each other’s past, present, and future.
“Neither condoning nor condemning, Harrower has produced a fine, thought-provoking piece on a taboo subject.”
--Independent
Ray (late 40's - early 60's) Ray has done his time and is getting his life back on track. But the hold he has on the new life he's created is tenuous. He's trying to keep the past at bay. When Una shows up at his place of work, the veneer he's painstakingly crafted is threatened. He's forced to struggle between his memories and his desire, his present and his past.
Una (20's – 30) Una has never really gotten her life back on track. She'd like to let go of her past, but it confronts her daily. She's looking for some kind of resolution or anything to close the door on the past...or re-open it. She believes that confronting Ray is the only way to do this.
Girl (14-18 - small role) Ray's twelve year old step-daughter. Prep-school student, sweet disposition. Her arrival at the end of the play propels Ray and Una towards an inevitable decision.
Scottish playwright, David Harrower's plays include Knives in Hens, Kill the Old, Torture Their Young, Presence, and Dark Earth. Blackbird was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Book of the Year Award and won the 2007 Lawrence Olivier Award for Best New Play.
Laura Lippman recently relocated to Tucson from Orlando, Florida. Recent Orlando directing credits include Rockaby and Endgame for Empty Spaces Theatre Company’s Beckett Festival and movement director for Equus at Rollins College. In addition, Laura has directed and developed new plays for over a decade, including recent works such as Charm and Letters to Sala at Orlando PlayFest, The Toymaker’s War for the National New Play Network Showcase, Upright Position, Destination: Reality and Transference with the Women Playwrights’ Initiative and Songs my Brother Sang for the GLBT New Works Series. She also adapted and directed Euripides’ Cyclops for the 2008 American Philological Association’s Annual Conference in Chicago along with her husband Mike. Laura studied acting at Bennington College and The Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. She received her MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University.
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Eugenia Woods
January 21-February 6, 2011
Callbacks: Sunday, April 18, 6-10 p.m.
Rehearsal Period: Nov. 15, 2010-Jan. 9, 2011. Actors on Stage/Tech Rehearsals: Jan 10-Jan 21.
In Eurydice, playwright Sarah Ruhl re-imagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Orpheus lives in musical reverie, Eurydice in the intrigue of words and interesting ideas. A victim of manipulation by the Lord of The Underworld, Eurydice dies on her wedding day. She is reunited with her father in the Underworld, where together they struggle to recall the memory of lost love. With characters you might meet on a NY subway, quirky plot twists, and breathtaking imagery, the play is a magical dip in the flow of the unconscious.
Characters:
Eurydice (Female. 20-30) Impetuous. Impressionable. Eternally attached to her father.
Orpheus (Male. 25-35) Passionate and still grounded. As devoted to Eurydice as he is to his music.
Nasty Interesting Man and Lord of the Underworld (Male. 25-35 - doubled). Scheming and manipulative with a transparent debonair veneer.
Eurydice's Father (Male. 50-60). Dutiful, devoted father. Hard working, and dead.
The Chorus of Stones: stoic arbiters of the rules of the underworld:
Little Stone (Male or Female, any age) Small. The gentle stone of the bunch.
Big Stone (Male, any age) Big. Not the sharpest stone in the quarry but still a little threatening.
Loud Stone (Male or Female, any age) Outspoken mouthpiece for the gang.
“Rhapsodically beautiful. A weird and wonderful new play [Eurydice] - an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” The New York Times
Sarah Ruhl is a fresh, compelling, and versatile American playwright. Her play, Eurydice, was written while a graduate student at Brown University. She received a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship award. This young playwright is emerging as a powerful presence in the American theater. Ruhl’s play, The Clean House, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005. Her plays have been produced throughout the U.S. and Europe at such venues as the Lincoln Center Theater, New York, the Actor’s Centre, London, the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, among many others.
Eugenia Woods lives in Portland, Oregon but travels to Tucson frequently. While in Tucson, she has produced and directed the four plays of the First Words: Relativity play festival and directed the award-winning production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for Stark Naked Productions, as well as Eight for 8 and The Pillowman for E & A Productions. Eugenia is active in the Portland theatre community, pursuing her study and exploration of playwriting, directing and dramaturgy.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Sheldon Metz
February 25-March 13, 2011
Callbacks: Sunday, April 18, 6-10 p.m.
Rehearsal Period: Dec. 27, 2010-Feb. 13, 2011. Actors on Stage/Tech Rehearsals: Feb. 14-Feb. 25.
The play is a blend of black comedy, melodrama, horror and bleak tragedy. The story is set in an Irish village Leenane, Connemara in the early 1990s. The entire play takes place in a shabby, poorly lit kitchen, resulting in a claustrophobic sense of entrapment. Forty-year-old Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, lives with her aging and manipulative mother, Mag. Many years she has spent looking after and caring for her mother. One day, it seems like Maureen might be able to escape from her sad and depressing life when she thinks she has met the man of her dreams, Pato Dooley. But Mag succeeds in interfering with her daughter’s first and possible final chance of a loving relationship, and this interference sets in motion a train of terrible and consequently fatal events, marred with violence, hate, and despair...
“An outstanding first play that makes you impatient for more McDonagh.” --The Guardian
Characters (Irish dialect):
Mag Foley (40 year-old) spinster, who takes care of her invalid mother
Maureen Foley (70-year-old) selfish, strongly manipulative mother
Ray Dooley (20 year-old) non-threatening “bad-boy,” - younger brother of Pato.
Pato Dooley (40 year old) suitor of Mag. A middle-aged construction worker fed up with having to live and work in England, disappointed by the limitations and loneliness of his life as Mag is in hers.
Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has no formal training, but a sheaf of plays he wrote during one long stretch back in 1994 turned him into one of the most celebrated new English-language dramatists of his generation. Nearly all of McDonagh's plays are set in Ireland, and draw heavily from Irish idiom and culture in their skewering of once-sacrosanct literary and political ideals.McDonagh became the first playwright since William Shakespeare to have four of his plays produced professionally in London in a single season. A school drop-out, McDonagh wrote “Beauty Queen” in just eight days and earned a London Critics Circle Award and Evening Standard Award (both in 1996), a Drama Desk Award (1998), and six Tony Award nominations, four awarded (1998).
Sheldon Metz directed the MAC Award-nominated Proof and the World Premier of Gavin Kayner’s Noche de los Muertos at Beowulf Alley. He currently serves on Beowulf Alley’s Artistic Development Committee and is Program Chair for the Old Time Radio Theatre. Sheldon is an actor, set designer, director and served as Executive Director of A.C.C.T., too! - The Association of Commercial and Community Theatres - the West Coast Theatre Conference (Los Angeles) and The Theatre Conference (New York). He also served as a Producing Director for the Playwrights Kitchen Ensemble (PKE ), under the Artistic Direction of Dan Lauria.
