Nov. 21 (2015)
A spin-off of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, this razor-sharp new satire by Bruce Norris takes a jab at race and real estate in a fictional Chicago neighborhood. The play begins in 1959 as a black family moves into a white enclave. Act Two takes us back to the same house in 2009 as gentrification sets in and the roles are reversed. One agile ensemble of actors plays two sets of characters in this highly celebrated winner of the Tony Award, Olivier Award and Pulitzer Prize for best new play.
The production is directed by Nathan Jerkins. Performances run at the Long Center for the Performing Arts from May 26 to June 5, 2016. Rehearsals will begin in April. More details are available on the show webpage.
[image from Portland Center Stage, www.pcs.org]
Auditions will be held Saturday, November 21st, between 10am and 5pm at Servant Church (1605 E 38th 1/2 St, Austin, TX 78722). To reserve a time, please email Nathan Jerkins at nathan@penfoldtheatre.org. If you have any conflicts or time preferences, please include them in your email. We will reply with a precise audition time.
You will receive audition sides with your audition time. We request that you bring a headshot and resume. Callbacks are tentatively scheduled for Sunday, November 22nd.
Characters
| Russ / Dan |
In Act I (1958): Russ (Caucasian, late 40s): a man who is unable to get over the loss of his son and is moving out of the house in which his son committed suicide. In Act II (2008): Dan: Workman beginning the renovations for the home’s new owners. |
| Bev / Kathy |
In Act I (1958): Bev (Caucasian woman, 40s): Married to Russ. Cheerful woman who wants to help her husband overcome his grief for the loss of their son. In Act II (2008): Kathy: Lawyer helping the new homeowners negotiate a petition brought against them by the homeowners’ association concerning planned renovations for their home. |
| Francine / Lena |
In Act I (1958): Francine (African American woman, late 30s): Russ and Bev’s housekeeper who is inadvertently pulled into a debate concerning the neighborhood and the possible change of its demographic. In Act II (2008): Lena: Determined to keep her neighborhood a historical district and prevent the new homeowners’ planned renovations. |
| Jim / Tom |
[pre-cast] In Act I (1958): Jim (Caucasian, late 20s): The local pastor. Asked by the homeowners’ association to convince Russ and Bev not to sell their home to a black family. In Act II (2008): Tom: Neighbor arguing for preserving the historical look of the community. |
| Albert / Kevin |
In Act I (1958): Albert (African American, late 30s). Married to Francine. Helpful man, trying to keep himself and his wife out of the neighborhood’s argument. In Act II (2008): Kevin: Married to Lena. Defending his wife’s desire to preserve the neighborhood. |
| Karl / Steve |
In Act I (1958): Karl (Caucasian, late 30s). Determined to preserve his neighborhood and property value by trying to stop the sale of the home to a black family. In Act II (2008): Steve: Married to Lindsey. The new homeowner who wants to renovate his new house to a larger scale than the historical single-family-home model. |
| Betsy / Lindsey |
In Act I (1958): Betsy (Caucasian, late 20s). Karl’s pregnant, deaf wife. Becomes lost in the conversation as it turns more volatile. In Act II (2008): Lindsey: Steve’s pregnant wife. Hearing. Fighting to understand why the community is against her renovations and to convince them otherwise. |
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All roles are paid. Equity and non-Equity actors are welcome. The role of Jim / Tom has been precast. All other roles available.
