NRACT ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK

AUDITIONS FOR LYNN NOTTAGE'S, BY THE WAY MEET VERA STARK WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, JUNE 18TH AND JUNE 19TH @ 7PM AT NRACT.  

PRODUCTION DATES:  SEPT 14-30, 2018

FIRST READ-THROUGH WILL BE HELD JUNE 30 AT 11 AM. REHEARSALS WILL BEGIN JULY 9.

DIRECTOR: Tina Morris-Anderson

STAGE MANAGER: Natasha Jackson

ABOUT THE PLAY:
It’s The Golden Age of Hollywood, and the streets of Los Angeles teem with aspiring starlets. When Vera Stark—maid to “America’s Sweetie Pie,” Gloria Mitchell—lands a groundbreaking role in an antebellum epic, she turns Hollywood on its head and paves the way for future generations of Black actresses. Seventy years later, film buffs still wrestle with the life and legacy of this controversial star, for whom fame and fortune could only be achieved by joining the apparatus of a deeply racist industry. Hilarious and incisive, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s screwball comedy is sly satire at its most urgent and satisfying.

PLEASE PREPARE A ONE MINUTE COMTEMPORARY MONOLOGUE. 

FOR ROLES REQUIRING SINGING, PLEASE PREPARE 16 BARS OF A SONG TO BE SUNG ACAPELLA.

AUDITIONS WILL CONSIST OF MONOLOGUE AND COLD READINGS FROM THE SCRIPT.

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS AUDITION FORM:

https://goo.gl/forms/Xeh19mfTa3ngAqSO2

ROLES: 

***Some roles are double cast

Vera Stark
Gloria Mitchell
Leroy Barksdale/Herb Forrester
Anna Mae/Afua Assata Ejobo
Lottie/Carmen Levy-Green
Maximillian Von Oster/Peter Rhys-Davies

Vera Stark: is a 28 year-old African American that works for Gloria Mitchell. She is a maid with aspirations of becoming an actress. Actress must be able to sing.

Gloria Mitchell: 28 year-old white starlet, known as “America’s little Sweetie Pie”. Although she is Vera’s employer, she and Vera have a friendly relationship.  Actress must be able to sing.

 Lottie: Vera’s cynical and witty roommate, also an actress. Carmen:Respected, intelligent college professor with strong views on what happened to Vera in later years.

Leroy Barksdale is the African American Man Friday or loyal aide of Maximilian Von Oster. He shows interest in Vera, and just like Vera couldn’t live without acting, Leroy couldn’t live without his trumpet. He is studying music theory and composition at a university. 

Anna Mae Simpkins is a very fair skinned an African American woman who uses her looks to get what she wants. She is a roommate of Vera and Lottie.

Maximillian Von Oster is from Russia and is the director of the film The Belle of New Orleans”.

Mr. Slavick is the owner of the studio looking to produce the film “The Belle of New Orleans”. He’s not interested in producing a bluesy film about slaves during the great depression. He challenges Von Oster to add a couple musical numbers (among changing other things) in “The Belle of New Orleans” script to make it more appealing to audiences. 

Herb Forrester is a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur from Oakland, California. He is the facilitator for the “Rediscovering Vera Stark, the legacy of The Belle of New Orleans” Colloquium. 

Carmen Levy-Green is a stout and stylish academic. She is the professor of media and gender studies at USVC. She serves as a panelist “Rediscovering Vera Stark, the legacy of The Belle of New Orleans” Colloquium.

Afua Assata Ejobo is a journalist, poet and performer. She is very hip and slightly masculine. She also serves as a panelist “Rediscovering Vera Stark, the legacy of The Belle of New Orleans” Colloquium. 

Brad Donovan is the host of “The Brad Donovan Show”, a 1970’s talk show. He tries to avoid controversial topics such as racism. 
Peter Rhys-Davies is a groovy English rock musician who is also a guest on the Brad Donovan Show with Vera Stark in 1973 Actor must be able to sing.

The actors who portray Annie Mae/Afua and Maximillian/Peter must have the ability to speak with foreign accents.