The student directors of the 2021 Directors’ Showcase at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto have begun casting for their productions which will premiere between December 3-5th. There are five productions happening as part of the Showcase this year, and four of them are listed below. Please read the details to find out more about the productions, and how to audition!
PLEASE NOTE: All submitted audition file names should be formatted FirstnameLastname_Showname_Audition and must be submitted to directors.showcase.2021@gmail.com
Submission deadlines for each show are listed below. Please find specific production and submission details below.
Written by: Rachel Luann Strayer
Directed by: Kimia Karachi
SYNOPSIS
Trigger Warning: This show deals with discussions of sexual abuse.
“Drowning Ophelia” is a one act dark comedy that explores the long-term consequences of childhood abuse, and a reminder that hope is always there for those who seek it. It follows the story of Jane, and Ophelia, the literary character who has taken up residence in Jane’s bathtub. As Jane’s past intrudes dangerously on her present, it becomes clear that Ophelia is not simply a character from Hamlet, but a long-forgotten messenger with a question from Jane’s own troubled mind: How do you move on when reconciliation is not an option? Drowning Ophelia is a brutal, yet delicate, and theatrically enthralling love letter to those who have suffered. This powerful and beautifully crafted survivor's tale lives between memory and imagination, thought and action, all supported by a wise Ophelia who walks alongside Jane as she grapples with her trauma and survivor's guilt.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Drowning Ophelia features a three person ensemble cast.
Ophelia: Straight out of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”; Child-like, naive, purposeful
Jane: Female-identifying; a bit obsessive, a tad on edge
Adam: Her older brother; devastatingly likeable
AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS
Please submit a self tape with a monologue of your choosing by Tuesday, September 28 at 11:59pm. The monologue you choose will affect casting. For Jane, a contemporary dramatic monologue is preferred. For Adam and Ophelia, please submit either a dramatic or comedic monologue. Submissions should be accompanied with this google form.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR SELF TAPE IS Tuesday September 28 at 11:59PM.
CALLBACKS
Live callbacks will be held in-person on Thursday, September 30th from 10am-1pm and Friday, October 1st from 1pm - 5pm EST at the Playhouse. Callback sides are embedded within the google form above. Please be prepared to move around the space. Movement experience is not necessary, but encouraged. Rehearsals for this production will be held in-person, according to COVID-19 guidelines. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to directors.showcase.2021@gmail.com - Kimia Karachi.
Written by Alanna Mitchell and directed by Angelli McGuigan.
SYNOPSIS
Originally a book, Sea Sick. The Play is the result of scientific journalist Alanna Mitchell’s expeditions across the world’s oceans. In it, she describes how humans have altered the chemistry of the global ocean, and what that means for the ocean’s inhabitants, humans, and the future of our Earth. Sea Sick is a journey of discovery, both personal and global, in which Mitchell copes with the harsh reality of climate change, and she eventually learns how to respond, share her discoveries with the world, and calls for change.
For more information visit alannamitchell.com/sea-sick-2/
Rehearsals for this production will be mostly held in-person, according to COVID-19 guidelines.
CASTING
1-3 actors
For the initial audition, please tell a story between 2-4 minutes from the first-person perspective about an experience with nature and/or any kind of academic research you have done. Include why this experience and/or research was important. The story can be personal, fictional, or borrowed. You are encouraged to use your space and/or props however you wish.
To audition, please fill out the audition form and upload your self tape. Submissions will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, September 27.
If you have any questions or difficulties with the form/file upload, please email Angelli via directors.showcase.2021@gmail.com
Roles are open to actors of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age. You are welcome to audition regardless of prior acting/theatre experience.
CALLBACKS
Live callbacks will be held in person on Tuesday, September 28. Exact times and location TBD. You will receive an email on Monday, September 27 notifying you if you will be needed for a callback.
Written by: Anne Carson
Directed by: Sydnie Phillips
SYNOPSIS
“I expect you’ve heard of the Trojan War
and how it was caused by Norma Jeane Baker,
harlot of Troy.
Well, welcome to Public Relations.
That was all a hoax.”
In Norma Jeane Baker of Troy, poet and classicist Anne Carson conflates the famously beautiful and notoriously abused figures of Norma Jeane Baker, better known as Marilyn Monroe, and Helen of Troy. From her hotel room at the Chateau Marmont, Norma Jeane tells the story of the Trojan War - a war in which her hands are clean and yet her name carries all the blame.
Seeking one female-identifying.
TO AUDITION
- Fill out the following google form
- Either sign up for a live Zoom audition on Monday, Sept. 27 using this doodle poll OR send a self-tape to sydnielphillips@gmail.com prior to Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 11:59pm.
- Live callbacks will be held for those invited on Thursday, Sept. 30. Please indicate your availability for Thursday when you fill out the aforementioned form.
Please prepare one monologue or poem of any kind and one selection from the text for your audition. Memorization is preferred but not required. Sides can be found here.
If you are submitting a self-tape, please begin by giving a brief 1-2min introduction. Self-tapes should not exceed 10 min.
Please email sydnielphillips@gmail.com should you have any questions or require any accommodations!
Written by: Harold Pinter
Directed by: Darcy Gerhart
ABOUT THE PLAY
Silence is an experimental drama, set in a world of memory. Three characters sit on a divided stage, and attempt to define themselves and their place in the world outside. They do so by retelling and reliving moments of intimacy and loneliness; connection and missed connection. The world outside the play is Britain in the late 1960s, with its confining social code and gender roles. The characters, a young woman and two older men, exist in a triangular relationship, with both men romantically involved with Ellen. As the play evolves time becomes increasingly disjointed, and the story dissolves into a whirl of thought and image. Ultimately, Silence asks whether it is possible to separate the past from the present, to truly know one’s self, and if human connection is possible.
CHARACTERS
Ellen – 25 – An isolated and lonely young woman; unsure of her own identity; romantically involved with both Rumsey and Bates; juvenile, yet old beyond her years.
Bates – 35 – A bristling and frustrated man; yearns for Ellen’s attention; constantly bombarded by the sounds of other people in an urban environment; cannot find peace in his own mind.
Rumsey – 40 – A middle-aged man from the country; finds peace in nature, silence, and time spent with his farm animals; is comfortable in his isolation; a man from Ellen’s past whom she is drawn back to.
HOW TO AUDITION
Auditions will be held Monday September 27, 10am – 5pm, over Zoom. Call-backs will be held in person Thursday September, 30, 12:30-2pm and Friday October, 1, 1-5pm at the UC Playhouse. Accommodations can be made for different days/times. Please let me know if timing is an issue for you!
Please familiarize yourself with the play before auditioning. A copy of the play can be found here.
For the audition, I’ll be asking you to read a specific part of your character’s text - selections to be emailed to actors by Sunday Sept. 26 or earlier.
Fill out this form to express interest in auditioning.
Sign-up for your preferred time-slot here.
Please sign-up for auditions by Saturday September 25, 2021 @ midnight
Any questions contact: directors.showcase.2021@gmail.com - Darcy Gerhart