Starcrossed
by FronteraFest
Oct. 11 - Oct. 12 (2023)
It’s 2054 and Ellie is in love with a humanoid robot, named Max. Unfortunately, leasing a robot boyfriend isn't cheap, and Ellie has fallen behind on her payments. In a last-ditch effort to prevent the love of her life from being repossessed, Ellie asks her decidedly skeptical mom, Alison, to come to her rescue. Alas, things don't go as planned. The play uses humor as well as drama to explore love and life in a time of advanced AI.
[graphic adapted from poster at Virginia Tech Performing Arts]
StoryBrew Productions is announcing a casting call for Starcrossed, an original play written by Andy Tate, to be directed by Kirk Scarbrough. Starcrossed will be part of the FronteraFest Festival (Jan-Feb 2024) at Austin’s Hyde Park Theatre. Performance dates will be released at the beginning of December. One performance is guaranteed, with up to 2 additional performances based on audience votes. Weekly rehearsals will begin November 2023. Actors will receive payment of $100. Runtime is 20-25 minutes.
Roles to be cast:
ELLIE - Female, 30-35 years old. In love with an advanced humanoid robot but lacking the means to pay for him. Struggling, trusting, hopeful, romantic, and occasionally spiky. She’s willing to stand up for herself and to push back against her mom's more 'conventional' views on what love is, or should be.
MAX - Male, 25-35 years old. Athletic, gentle, calm, protective, intelligent. He may be a robot but he looks and speaks like a human, or a close version of one. While he’s programmed to be a perfect partner to Ellie, he’s also become aware of his own existence and would prefer not to be recycled into a toaster.
ALISON - Female, 55-65 years old, a former marcher for women’s rights whose open mind gave way to grumpy cynicism some time ago. Sharp-tongued, sarcastic, and highly skeptical about robots - particularly the one dating her daughter.
Audition information:
Initial auditions will be by Zoom; callbacks will be in person, location TBD. Please list the roles you’d like to audition for; script excerpt will be sent upon booking audition slot. Please bring a 3-5 minute contemporary monologue that you feel shows your strengths. Works you’ve previously performed are invited. Zoom auditions will be held between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 11 and Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.
We will contact you about callback decisions by Monday, Oct. 16. Callbacks are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21. For more information contact Kirk and Andy at storybrewcontact@gmail.com.
