Dates: Thursday, November 21, 5-9pm in B409 (Popejoy Basement).
Callbacks are Friday, November 22nd, 5-9pm in B409 (Popejoy Basement) By Invitation Only. 
Callbacks for Ghost Sonata will also take place the first weekend of December. 

Students should prepare a monologue of up to 2 minutes for Ghost Sonata, Linnell New Play Festival, and the SCRAP spring production. A song if they are interested in the musical theatre showcase (Next to Normal), actors should prepare a song in the Musical Theatre category with a karaoke track. Those interested in Ghost Sonata are urged to pick the earliest time slots.

SHOW BREAKDOWNS:

LINNELL FESTIVAL
Two Lesbians of Verona by Eric Craft
Summary: 
Caldwell Pomodoro is afraid to tell his father Wayne, who happens to be the republican governor of New Jersey, that he had been dating Laurel Montagne-Arandano, the daughter of the democratic candidate looking to unseat Wayne in the upcoming election. His sister, Brielle, is even more afraid to tell her family that she is a lesbian and has been dating her "best friend" Alloway for the past couple years. When Laurel arrives unannounced at the Pomodoro household disguised as a boy named Arlington, gay panic and family hijinks ensue. And, of course, the Jersey Devil is there.
Trigger Warnings: Homophobia (though not directed at an explicitly Queer character). New Jersey.
Character Breakdown: 10 actors to portray 13 roles. Familiarity with speaking in verse and with Shakespeare will be preferred.

The Pomodoros
-Wayne - 40s/50s. He/Him. The republican governor of New Jersey. An Italian Catholic man who always carries cash. He is no nonsense, straightforward, and ultimately a caring family man.
-Elizabeth - 40s/50s. She/Her. The first lady of New Jersey and a traditional housewife, complete with an appreciation of cheap wine. She makes an excellent red sauce and frets over her kids' emotional well-being. Doubles with Cran.
-Caldwell - 19. He/Him. Wayne and Elizabeth's son and a pretty boy football player. He is a straight C student, but acts headfirst with great passion.
-Brielle - 16. She/Her. Wayne and Elizabeth's daughter and the life of any party. She is witty, intelligent, and self-assured in everything except her sexuality.

The Montagne-Arandanos
-Holly - 40s/50s. She/her. The democratic nominee for the upcoming gubernatorial race. Bookish and full of anxiety.
-Ephraim- 40s/50s. He/Him. Holly's husband. Also somewhat bookish and nerdy, but with less anxiety. Doubles with Lawrence.
-Laurel- 19. She/Her? Holly and Ephraim's daughter. Does not always think things through but acts on her headstrong sense of passion and justice.
-Olive - 14. She/Her. Holly and Ephraim's younger daughter. Maniacal. The smartest character in this play. Doubles with the Jersey Devil.
Others
-Alloway - 16. She/her. Brielle's girlfriend, eager to come out so they can both live openly as a couple. Tough, unyielding, and dedicated to Brielle.
-Ironbound - 33. He/Him. A fool. Laurel's Uber driver who gets sucked into the play's events. He is constantly trying to promote his music.
-Lawrence. 40s/50s. He/Him. Wayne's campaign manager. The worst kind of republican. Focused exclusively on getting Wayne to win the election. Doubles with Ephraim.
-Cran - Ageless. She/her. A cranberry fairy. When she isn't dealing with the state's cranberry harvest she is usually smoking and working games on the boardwalk. She has the hots for Ironbound. Doubles with Elizabeth.
-The Jersey Devil - Ageless. They/It. A powerful magical entity living in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. After being rejected at birth by their parents, they will do anything to prove that every parent's love has a limit. Doubles with Olive.

The Play Pretend Fems by Joss Carlisle
Plot summary: When Emery is kicked to the street after coming out as nonbinary, they find a community in a group home exclusively devoted to nonbinary people. The Play Pretend Fems tells the stories of the various characters living in this home as they struggle to connect to themselves, each other, and the world around them. 
Trigger warnings: Mentions of violence, homophobia, and transphobia.
Character Breakdown--Note: While casting is extremely flexible, I'm really interested in working with nonbinary/gender non-conforming actors.
-Emery - 18, they/them, recently turned out of their home by their parents
-Parker - 19, they/them, a working college student who keeps to themselves.
-Faye - 21, they/them, a sex worker with a day job who’s unsure of where they’re going. 
-Wynn - 22, they/them, a highly successful college student with an internship. Struggles with feeling attractive. 
-Willow - 48, they/them, an older nonbinary person who is afraid of conflict.
-Oakley - 29, they/them, a burnt out nonbinary social worker.

DEPARTMENT/MUSICAL CONCERT
Next to Normal directed by Kate Clarke
Triggers:  This show depicts or deals with the following listed subjects.  If for whatever reason you feel emotionally unable to portray a character who lives with these issues or be part of a piece of theatre where these subjects are portrayed, please reconsider your audition for this show.
-Bipolar disorder
-Depression
-Suicidal ideation
-Attempted suicide
-Death of a child
-Character Breakdown
-Diana - Delusional, bipolar, and depressed. The sexiness of her yesterdays has only recently begun to soften. She is determined to make her family perfect but is tortured by a death in the family.
Vocal range top: F#5
Vocal range bottom: G3
-Gabe - Diana & Dan's son. Dashing, athletic, and bright. He is a playful man and everything a mother could imagine.
Vocal range top: C5
Vocal range bottom: B2
-Dan - Diana's husband. He is handsome and genuine. Though a constant in Diana's tumultuous life, he has grown tired and weary of her antics.
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: Ab2
-Natalie - Diana & Dan's troubled daughter. An accomplished pianist and hardworking student, her struggles are exacerbated by her mother's behavior. She greatly admires Henry.
Vocal range top: G5
Vocal range bottom: G3
-Henry - Natalie's classmate. The all-around musician, philosopher, and slacker. He has an intoxicating capacity for sympathy and romance.
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: G#2
-Dr. Madden - Diana's handsome psychiatrist. Quite assured in his practice and considered somewhat of a rock star.
Vocal range top: A4
Vocal range bottom: A2
Next to Normal, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Next to Normal was also chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
Dad's an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy and heart.
This deeply moving piece of theatre provides a wonderful opportunity for performers to explore dramatic material and showcase vocal talents with an energetic pop/rock score. Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life .

Ghost Sonata (A. Strindberg) Directed by Alejandro Rodriguez
Performances April 25—May 4, 2025 Rehearsals from mid-February on. WHERE: Theatre X
Callbacks: TBD
PREPARE: Actors should prepare a 2-minute monologue from Ghost Sonata, by Strindberg. Any fragment, any characters.
Director’s note: the acting needs to be loud, exaggerated, big, physical, and expansive. If you can’t prepare the Strinberg monologue I would accept another 2-minute monologue, on the same premise: loud, exaggerated, big, physical, and expansive.
Characters:
1. OLD MAN, Hummel, a company director (male)
2. STUDENT, Arkenholtz (male/no binary)
3. MILKMAID, an apparition (female)
4. COLONEL, married to the Mummy, engaged to the FIANCEE (male)
5. THE GIRL (female/no binary)
6. DEAD MAN, a Consul (male)
7. JOHANSSON, Hummel’s servant (male)
8. THE FIANCEE, a white-haired old woman, once betrothed to the OLD MAN now engaged to the COLONEL, the daughter of the CARETAKER’s WIFE and the dead man. (female)
9. YOUNG LADY, the Colonel's daughter, but actually the Old Man's daughter Johansson, Hummel's servant (female/no binary)
10. BEGGAR 1 (male/female/non binary)
11. BEGGAR 2 (male/female/non binary)
12. BENGTSSON, servant to the COLONEL (male)
13. MUMMY, the COLONEL’s wife (female)

SCRAP SHOW
SCRAP Spring One Act
You Are Alive, But Are You Living by Er Case

Character Breakdowns:
Person: A blank slate, can be anyone. Only character who appears onstage. 
Voice Roles: 
Vernum: Overly formal and a slightly prissy. Clear and even voice.
Devorator: Extreme mood shifts between fear and anger. Can be very loud. 
Unda: Extreme mood swings, leaving them all over the place. Almost childlike and very bitchy.
Inais: Talks extremely slow. Is very judgmental, but curious at the same time. 
Vis: Very bubbly and energetic. Looks for the fun in every moment but can be very self-absorbed. 
Timor: Soft and almost caring, but extremely guarded.
Fame: Has a hallow soft voice. Mean and commanding in tone. Is a bitch.
Damnum: Is the leader. Has a deep and commanding voice. Keeps everything on track.
Void: Uncaring. But can be anyone. 

Set to perform open March 6th, close March 16th.
Rehearsals will begin in January. The performance will be in the X.