BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE 2021/2022 SEASON - VIDEO AUDITION SUBMISSIONS

Seeking

Actors for our 2021/22 main stage season. For specific roles, see breakdown below.

Baltimore Center Stage is committed to actively dismantling systems of oppression and racism in every aspect of our organization and practice, including casting. To us, EPAs are our chance to meet the broadest spectrum of the theater community and we encourage all people to submit.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to offer the widest range of access, BCS will be holding seasonal EPAs through video submissions. All dates and productions for the 2021/22 season are subject to change.

We invite all actors to submit one minute of content of their choosing. We welcome all forms of expression – poetry, monologues, scenes, songs, movement, etc. – whatever you feel best represents your work. No need to record something just for us -- we will gladly view content you already have.

Instructions

For submission details visit https://tinyurl.com/bcsepa2021

Please email casting@centerstage.org with questions.

Deadline: Mon, Sep 20, 2021

Personnel

Submissions will be viewed by:

Chiara Klein, Director of Artistic Producing

Annalisa Dias, Director of Artistic Partnerships and Innovation

Sabine Decatur, Special Artistic Coordinator

Bridgette C. Burton, Artistic Producing Associate.

Season Information

The 2021-2022 Baltimore Center Stage Season is Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities by Anna Deavere Smith, Directed by Nicole Brewer; The Folks At Home by R. Eric Thomas, Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, DREAM HOU$E by Eliana Pipes, Directed by Laurie Woolery, and Bakkhai by Euripedes, a new version by Anne Carson, Directed by Mike Donahue. See breakdown for production dates.

BREAKDOWN

Preparation instructions: For this virtual EPA, we welcome all forms of expression – poetry, monologues, scenes, songs, movement, etc. – whatever you feel best represents you and your work. Since we know that not all actors have equal access to adequate space or equipment, you are not required to record something new for us; we will gladly view content that you already have on hand. If your submission is longer than one minute, please clearly indicate which minute portion we should view.

• Please note all dates are subject to change.
  
  

THE SWINDLERS: A TRUE-ISH TALL TALE

By Noah Diaz

Directed by: Will Davis

• ALL ROLES CAST
  
  

FIRES IN THE MIRROR: CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN AND OTHER IDENTITIES

• In partnership with Long Wharf Theatre
  
  

By Anna Deavere Smith

Directed by: Nicole Brewer

Baltimore Center Stage

First Rehearsal: October 26, 2021

Tech Begins: November 20, 2021

Previews Begin: November 27, 2021

Opening: December 2, 2021

Closing: December 19, 2021

Long Wharf Theatre - New Haven, CT

First Rehearsal: January 4, 2022

Tech Begins: January 9, 2022

Previews Begin: January 15, 2022

Opening: January 20, 2022

Closing: February 6, 2022

Equity Actor: To play characters 30s-50s, all genders, Black or mixed-race. Sole actor embodies twenty-six characters in a series of monologues telling verbatim accounts about the 1991 Crown Heights riots. Characters include people/characters from the Black diaspora, the Lubavitcher Jewish Communities of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and many others. Requires vocal strength and stamina, transformational quality, and the ability to inhabit multiple roles physically and emotionally.

THE FOLKS AT HOME

By R. Eric Thomas

Directed by Stevie Walker- Webb

First Rehearsal: February 15, 2022

Tech Begins: March 12, 2022

Previews Begin: March 17, 2022

Opening: March 24, 2022

Closing: April 10, 2022

CHARACTERS

ROGER HARRISON (Black, he/him, 31) Married to Brandon. Roger is all he wants—he wanted this house they couldn’t really afford; he wants a better job (not just any job even though he was laid off months ago); he wants the life that he thought his working class parents launched him into. He doesn’t quite know what that is but it’s more than this. Think Walter Lee Younger if Walter Lee was your discontented, underpaid gay coworker. No, not the one you hang out with. The other gay coworker. Roger is running up against the invisible wall that runs through this country, through this city, through life that keeps him earning less, seeing less, and doing less and it’s driving him to the brink. He’s funny and melancholy; brash and sharp-edged when annoyed. He’s got his feet on the ground but, unlike his husband and his mother, he is not pragmatic.

BRANDON LITTLEFIELD HARRISON (White, he/him, 31) Married to Roger. Brandon has always had to think on his feet and he’s good at it. Always held down a job, never really entertained flights of fancy. Working class Baltimore through and through. He works at a high end steakhouse; he’s that waiter whose banquet apron is always a little dirty but that’s because he’s hustling. He’ll tell you how to combine three sides and an app to make a banging entrée; he’ll remember your name every time you come in and shout “what’s good?” when he sidles up to the table; he’s goofy as hell but also… cool? You don’t understand it; you tip him well. Brandon loves Roger with an intensity that surprises him still but, like, yo, Roger’s “not having a job” thing is starting to wear on him.

VERNON HARRISON (Black, he/him, late 50s/early 60s) Roger’s father. Thinks he has a gruff exterior and a warm center but everybody can see that Vernon is just full of love. He works as a salesman but he’s not A Salesman so much as a storyteller. Sometimes a story is all you need, though. Life hasn’t tossed him many good pitches—he’s been stuck on the sales floor of a suit shop since the 90s and a cancer battle nearly took him out. He’s been doing a lot of reflecting lately. He’s sentimental and a little cantankerous and much more like his son Roger than he thinks. He’s more than in love with his wife, he’s awed by her.

PAMELA HARRISON (Black, she/her, late 50s/early 60s) Roger’s mother. A paralegal with the soul of a poet. Notes of the Good Times character Florida Evans, perhaps, but if Florida had been given just a little more opportunity. Was it enough opportunity? No, but Pamela’s disappointment has built itself a nest of pragmatism. She prides herself on stretching a dollar with a little Excel and a lot of magic, so when she and her husband lose their house, it’s not only devastating but deeply embarrassing. But Pamela is reaching for the light. Yes, she sometimes comes home from work so tired that she falls asleep in front of the TV without even bothering to take her shoes off but, God, when she dreams, she soars. She’s limitless.

MAUREEN LITTLEFIELD (White, she/her, 50s) Brandon’s mother. In sitcom vernacular, Maureen’s a little bit apolitical Archie Bunker, a little bit working class Moira Rose. She’s got an internal monologue that’s playing on loop and turned up so loud the neighbors can hear it. This is a character that needs a strong comedic performer who is also deft at imbuing a big character with a clear grounded humanity; the kind of performer who could give Ouiser her due. Maureen thinks of herself as everyone’s best friend. She says the wrong thing and rubs people the wrong way but she’s a hoot at happy hour and she has a deeply generous soul. Smokes throughout the play; has never heard of a vape.

BRITTANY LITTLEFIELD (White, she/her, 30s) *Also plays Alice* Brandon’s sister. She is very pregnant and doesn’t need you commenting on it, thanks very much. She’s her mother’s daughter in that she says what she thinks. Although what Brittany thinks tends to be a bit more grounded and wise. She’s going to mother you whether you want her to or not. She’s a social worker who has seen the darkest parts of this life and some of the most breathtaking light. Now she’s getting ready to add a little visitor to her house and she’s wondering how to shape a world that works.

ALICE White, she/her, any age *Also plays Brittany* A housekeeper, a family counselor (amateur, unlicensed, not helpful), a dog reiki practitioner, a chaos Muppet. Needs a comedic performer who can give Kramer energy while still keeping it 100.

DREAM HOU$E

• in partnership with The Alliance Theatre and Long Wharf Theatre
  
  

By Eliana Pipes

Directed by Laurie Woolery

Long Wharf Theatre

First Rehearsal: February 26, 2022

Tech Begins: February 27, 2022

Previews Begin: March 5, 2022

Opening: March 10, 2022

Closing: March 27, 2022

Baltimore Center Stage

First Rehearsal/Tech begins: April 16, 2022

Previews Begin: April 21, 2022

Opening: April 28, 2022

Closing: May 15, 2022

CHARACTERS

PATRICIA (Woman. Late 30’s, Latinx) Accountant by day. Julia’s older sister, with a distinct Older Sister Complex. She's practical to the core, and a natural caretaker – but often resentful of that role. Lived in the house for over a year taking care of their ailing mother. She believes money brings dignity, security, meaning.

JULIA (Woman. Late 20’s, Latinx.) Elementary school history teacher by day. Patricia’s younger sister, six months pregnant. Hasn’t lived in the house since she left for college, and is recently reclaiming her heritage in preparation for motherhood. Very sentimental. She believes culture brings dignity, security, meaning.

TESSA (Woman. Early 30’s, white.) Real Estate agent and TV Host. A bubblegum pink pep-princess. Blonde. Very genial and well meaning, dreams of making documentaries. Controls the reality show, and everything within it. She genuinely wants to help the Sisters, and using the show to get them the biggest payout possible is her understanding of what they need.

BAKKHAI

By Euripedes

A New Version by Anne Carson

With Original Music by Diana Oh

Directed by Mike Donahue

• ALL ROLES CAST
  
  

Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.

Salary: LORT Non-Rep LORT B - $1008/week and LORT D - $739/week