Strand Theater holds auditions for the Third production of its 10th Season - Count Down by Dominique Cieri.
Directed by Bari Hochwald
“I want to be a different girl born on a different day-” so say the seven young girls who have been abused and neglected, and lost in the welfare system. When Carmela, a teaching artist, enters their lives, she offers the girls a chance to express themselves and reclaim their voices. That is when the real challenge begins. Count Down exposes the inherent dissonance between the child welfare system and the reality of the girls who have no choice but to spend their childhood and adolescence in its care.
Count Down was the recipient of the 2009 Mid Atlantic Individual Playwriting Fellowship and Finalist for Playwrights First Award, the National Arts Club, NYC.
Strand Theater's production of Count Down is a part 2018 Women's Voices Theater Festival.
Audition dates:
Saturday, November 18 - 10am - 1pm
Monday, November 20 - 5pm-7pm
Production dates - February 14 - March 4th, 2018
Rehearsals begin January 10th and include some week nights and weekend days, depending on everyone's availability. Please bring all conflicts to the audition.
Stipend is provided.
CHARACTERS:
CARMELA: 40s. Mixed Race. Direct, at times inflexible. Exterior of cool control, interior filled with doubt. Wiry and quick, able to move (dance). Passionate about her teaching yet unable to
fully commit.
HOBBS:30s. Case Worker at Hillside. Veers between disciplinarian, and father substitute. A young man who gets caught up in the emotional power of his position.
NEEMA:13. African American. Physically appears to be 17 or 18. Wears a large black down coat. Finds it difficult to focus, entering into the slightest conflicts. Excellent at drills, hip-hop.
ESI:16. African American. Dangerously overweight. Mercurial, disrupts whenever she pleases both verbally and physically. Views self as uncomplicated, without issues, and happy.
TIZZY: 15. White. Needs attention. Carries self as if at one time was overweight. In a perpetual state of sadness. Need for continual movement, tapping, bobbing, swaying. To be quiet or inwardly thoughtful is far too painful.
BLANCA: 14. Hispanic. Tall, awkward, tough, fights at the drop of a hat but also has the abilityto rise above the fray and lead. Has an extremely low opinion of herself.
RASHIDA:17. African American. Tall, thin. Hides body beneath baggy clothing. Hair unkempt or hidden under wool hat. Can be aloof and separate from group. Suffers extremes. Defense
comes first. Excellent singing voice, blues in particular.
MIRIAM:17. White. Anti-social, highly intelligent. Sets herself apart from other girls. Finds the rest of the group immature. Her shoulders hunched forward, head down as if focused on the floor, moves off to a corner to read. She is in a private battle with her Tourette’s, afraid of it rearing its ugly tics.
AMBER: 16. Tall, thin, blue-eyed, light-skinned Latino. She carries every bit of her abuse in her physical beauty. A fragile girl who covers her burden with wild antics.
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Casting note:
Although the girls ages range from 13-17, we need actresses to portray these roles, who are mature, experienced with strong mastery of their bodies and voices. Each individual
character is extremely distinct, but so is the character of the ensemble the actresses will build together.
For this reason, if you think you can ‘read’ these ages on stage, but are a great deal older — we hope you’ll come and audition.
To schedule an audition, please e-mail [email protected] to request a 10-minute slot. You will receive a script, including sides to prepare for the audition. Please also prepare a 1 minute contemporary monologue.
For Neema, Esi, Tizzy, Blanca, Rashida, Miriam and Amber be prepared to move.
