Auditions for our 23-24 season, as well as our 2023 Driveway Theatre, will be held
Wednesday, May 24, 7-10:30 pm
Thursday, May 25, 7-10:30 pm
To set up an appointment please visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E44A5AE22A1FB6-general1
For general auditions actors should prepare 2 contrasting monologues, no longer than 4 minutes total length. Please bring a headshot and resume and be prepared to give conflicts. You may be also be asked to read sides at the general auditions.
We encourage everyone to audition, even if you’ve worked with Open Book before. If you’re unable to attend the auditions you may submit an audition no later than May 24th here: https://forms.gle/RpN6vFFBk5k4qHeZ6 (be prepared to upload a PDF resume and image file headshot, as well as link to video submissions)
Open Book is a non-equity theatre. Actors will receive an $800 stipend. Driveway Theatre payment is different: $100 for the rehearsal period and $25 for each performance.
Rehearsal schedules are at the discretion of the director, but generally start 5 weeks before opening and are held evenings and weekends.
Open Book is committed to the practice of race-transcendent and color-conscious casting: in plays where race is not dictated by the needs of the script artists of all race and ethnicity will be considered for all roles. For plays where race is dictated by the script we will be conscious of casting correctly.
We are an LGBTQIA friendly theater. We encourage trans and non-binary actors to audition for any roles they feel comfortable and willing to portray.
Intimacy – some roles in our season require some onstage, physical intimacy. You will be asked at auditions about your comfort with intimacy.
Open Book practices anti-racism, and is committed to creating a physically and emotionally safe working environment. We have non-discrimination and harassment policies in place, employ communication techniques to address issues during the process, and provide a clear conflict resolution path.
OUR SEASON and AVAILABLE ROLES
Driveway Dating
July 7 – August 27
*Driveway Theatre: 30 minutes shows that travel and are performed during the day in parks, backyards, etc. Actors can have some weekend conflicts during the run time and we can schedule around them. Payment for Driveway Theatre is $100 for the rehearsal period, and $25 for each performance.
By Jennifer Ward. Directed by Shelby Seeley.
DANA – Female with a Betty White vibe
ACTOR to play both: MIKE – Male, mild mannered gentleman and MR. WILLOUGHBY – Older and a bit acerbic neighbor
The ages of DANA and MIKE should be similar – young enough to still be in the dating pool and old enough that the pool is smaller than it used to be.
Grand Concourse
Sept 15 – Oct 8, 2023
By Heidi Schreck. Directed by Kez Settle.
Having dedicated her life to religious service, Shelley runs a Bronx soup kitchen with unsentimental efficiency, but lately her heart’s not quite in it. Her brisk nature masks an unsettling fear that her efforts are meaningless. When Emma – an idealistic but confused college dropout – arrives to volunteer, her reckless mix of generosity and self-involvement pushes Shelley to the breaking point. With keen humor and startling compassion, Heidi Schreck’s play navigates the mystery of faith, the limits of forgiveness, and the pursuit of something resembling joy.
AVAILABLE ROLES:
Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley
Nov 17 – Dec 17, 2023
The third and final play in the trilogy co-written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Directed by Wendy Katz Hiller
Georgiana Darcy is an accomplished pianist but wary of romance. Kitty Bennet is a bright-eyed optimist and a perfect best friend. These two younger sisters are ready for their own adventures in life and love, starting with the arrival of an admirer and secret correspondent. Meddlesome families and outmoded expectations won’t stop these determined friends from forging their own way in a holiday tale filled with music, ambition, sisterhood, and forgiveness.
AVAILABLE ROLES
Georgiana Darcy – 20’s
Upper-class English accent. Shy and introverted, but full of life. At times stubborn and a bit of a grudge holder. Romantic.
Kitty Bennet – 20’s
Upper-class English accent. A ray of sunshine, the perfect best friend. Supportive, optimistic, and generous.
Henry Grey – 20’s
Upper-class English accent. Georgiana’s beau. Shy and introverted, smart and sincere.
Thomas O’Brien – 20’s
Upper-class English accent. Henry’s friend, a little bawdy and a little jolly, says exactly what’s on his mind. Good natured.
The other roles are already cast (this is the final play in a trilogy, and we are excited to welcome actors back to their roles as Darcy, Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, and Lydia)
Every Brilliant Thing
Jan 19 – Feb 11, 2024
By Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe, Directed by Kat Walsh. Featuring Stebert Davenport.
When our narrator was six years old, his mother went into the hospital. His dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So he starts to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for: Ice cream, water fights, staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. Based on true and untrue stories, Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming play about how to achieve hope through focusing on the smallest miracles of life.
NO AVAILABLE ROLES
The 39 Steps
March 15 – April 14, 2024
Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan. Directed by Krista Schafer.
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance!
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
May 17 – June 7, 2024
By Nathan Alan Davis. Directed by Oliver Pookrum.
Eighteen-year-old Dontrell Jones the Third decides that it is his duty and destiny to venture into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage. But his family is not at all ready to abandon its prized son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay, and ritual, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea is a present-day hero’s quest exploring the lengths and depths we must go to redeem history’s wrongs.
AVAILABLE ROLES
DONTRELL JONES III – (Male, Black, 18-26) Heir to a haunting and powerful legacy.
ERIKA – (Female, White, 18-26) A lifeguard and Dontrell’s intimate friend
DAD (DONTRELL JONES JR) – (Male, Black, 40-65) Dontrell’s father
MOM (SOPHIA JONES)- (Female, Black, 40-65) Dontrell’s mother
DANIELLE – (Female, Black, 18-26) Dontrell’s little sister
SHEA- (Female, Black, 20-40) Dontrell’s cousin on his father’s side
ROBBY- (Male, Black, 18-26) Dontrell’s best friend and extended family)
(Please oliverpookrum@gmail.com if you need further descriptions for each character. These descriptions only include the characters age, race, and relationship to main character.)
FAQs
answered by Artistic Director, Krista Schafer
Who is directing the shows?
Directors are listed with each show above.
Is anything precast?
If a role is precast it is listed as such in the available roles section of each show.
You know me, should I come to the generals?
Do all the directors for the shows you’re interested in know you? I might recommend several actors for a role, but a director is going to have their own ideas as well. Come in and show them what you can do. It can’t hurt to be fresh in our brains.
I cannot come to the generals, but I’m very interested in your shows. What can I do?
Hooray! You’re a working actor! We get it. If you’re unable to attend the auditions you may submit an audition no later than May 24th here: https://forms.gle/RpN6vFFBk5k4qHeZ6 (be prepared to upload a PDF resume and image file headshot, as well as link to video submissions)
I talked to you and told you I’m interested, that’s enough right?
No. Please audition or submit online.
I’ve worked at Open Book before. How much of this applies to me?
If you’ve worked at Open Book before it’s because I think you’re a fabulous actor and person. There’s a good chance I want to work with you again, if the project is right. But not all the directors for next season know you. A general audition or an online submission is helpful, even if you’re fresh in MY brain.
I’m unavailable for the callbacks for the show(s) I’m very interested in. What do I do?
If you can come to the generals, come then, and gear your audition towards that show. There’s a good chance we can have you do a reading from the show with someone else. BE SURE TO LET US KNOW YOUR CONFLICT with the callback when you are there for the generals! Let us know your availability to be seen at other times, particularly around our other already scheduled auditions and callbacks. We make no promises that we can see people at other times… but if we know your interest and your conflicts we might be able to make something work if we want to see you read.
Who makes the casting decisions?
The directors for each show. I make recommendations, discuss casting with the directors, and I reserve veto power. But ultimately casting is in the hands of the individual directors. It’s their vision, and their rehearsal room.
Can you hire Equity?
We are unable to offer Equity contracts at this time.
What’s the pay?
We offer a stipend of $800 for all roles, paid on the closing night of the show.
Open Book Theatre Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, handicap, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Read our non-discrimination policy and diversity philosophy statement HERE. Read our Anti-Racist Theatre Statement HERE.