2023/2024 Season Auditions
2023/2024 Season Local Equity Principal Auditions
Hartford Stage operates under a LORT B (League of Resident Theatres) contract with Actors Equity Association.
We will be hosting in-person Equity Principal Auditions on Monday, June 5 and Tuesday, June 6 at the Hartford Stage Rehearsal Studios (942 Main St. Hartford, CT 06103). We encourage actors who are local (official residence within 50 miles of Hartford Stage) to attend the Hartford EPA. A NYC EPA will be held at a later date.
To sign up for a 5 minute audition appointment, please complete this form: bit.ly/23-24LocalEPAForm
DEADLINE TO SIGN UP: Saturday, June 3.
If you need assistance setting up an appointment, email: auditions@hartfordstage.org.
Equity Membership Candidates and non-Equity actors cannot make appointments in advance, but will be seen, as time permits, on a first-come, first-served basis.
We are unable to accept video submissions.
MATERIAL
Please prepare two contrasting monologues from a play of your choice.
Bring 1 copy of picture and resume, stapled together.
CONTRACT
LORT B: $1,058/week
PERSONNEL VIEWING AUDITIONS
Zoë Golub-Sass, Associate Artistic Director
OTHER
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
Some roles in A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS will be internally understudied. No other roles will be understudied.
Stage Management submissions can be mailed to Bryan Holcombe, Director of Production: Hartford Stage, c/o Bryan Holcombe, 50 Church Street, Hartford, CT 06103.
WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
We are committed to a strong anti-racist ethos and a collective recommitment to nurture and sustain a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging at our organization. We seek to build a team that is passionate about theatre and that reflects the abundant vibrancy and diversity of our city, state, and nation. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender-identity, sexual orientation, familial status, religion, ability, age, national origin, class and veteran or immigrant status. Please Note: We are requiring that all Actors and Stage Managers be vaccinated.
NOTE: While the characters are written with “he/him” or “she/her” pronouns in the original scripts, we welcome gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to audition for the roles they most identify with. We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities. In addition, we will list disability when specific to a character, but are otherwise seeking actors of all abilities. Thank you to First Folio Theatre for inspiring the language in this note as we work towards a more inclusive casting process.
Hartford Stage 2023/2024 EPA Character Breakdown
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
By Kate Hamill
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Tatyana-Marie Carlo
First Rehearsal: September 12, 2023
First Preview: October 12, 2023
Opening: October 20, 2023
Closing: November 5, 2023
NOTE: The cast must be at least 50% female/female-identified. Character age range and/or gender identity does not necessarily match the actor’s.
Seeking 8 AEA actors to play the following roles. Doubling is TBD. All characters speak in an RP British dialect.
JANE BENNET – Late 20s-early 30s. The eldest and most beautiful Bennet daughter. Kind, idealistic, diffident. Always tries to do the right thing.
LIZZY BENNET – A year or two younger than Jane. Clever, spirited; can be sharp-tongued. Gets flustered, which makes her klutzy. Prides herself on good judgment. Not especially beautiful. Very very scared of marriage, after absorbing the lessons of her parents’ marriage. (The actor playing LIZZY must not double.)
LYDIA – 14 (must be 18+ to play). The youngest Bennet. Lively, prone to imitating others’ behavior and eavesdropping.
CHARLOTTE LUCAS – Same age as Lizzy. A practical girl with a good sense of humor.
LADY CATHERINE – Patrician Caesar-meets-drill sergeant.
MISS DE BOURGH – Lady Catherine’s daughter; a gremlin. Probably allergic to sun. Underneath all her veils, she may be covered in scales.
MR. DARCY – Late 30s-40s. One of the richest men in England. Too proper for his own good; awkward in most social contexts. Prides himself on self-control and good judgment. (The actor playing DARCY must not double.)
MR. BINGLEY – Late 30s-40s. Loves the world and the world loves him. Mr. Darcy’s particular friend. Almost literally a dog.
MR. COLLINS – A pedantic, obtuse man. The original mansplainer. Rector to Lady Catherine.
WICKHAM – An unfairly handsome and charming gentleman. Probably a sociopath. Raised with Darcy.
MRS. BENNET – The matriarch of the Bennet family. Mostly a silly woman, of mean understanding and variable temper. Hypochondriac; when she’s upset, she fancies that she’s dying. The business of her life is to get her daughters married. She traumatizes her family with some regularity.
MR. BENNET – The patriarch of the Bennet family. Finds amusement in absurdity; often looks for a respectable escape from the chaos of his family life. Can be somewhat apathetic; probably a bit depressed, under everything. Enjoys antagonizing. Disappointed in his marriage.
MARY – The third Bennet girl. Violent and dark undertones; prone to pedanticism and sulking. A dark goth Brontë character trapped in an Austen world. Coughs to get attention, or to make a point; may fancy that she is dying.
MISS BINGLEY – A very rich, very beautiful young woman. Fancies herself witty.
SERVANTS
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and Directed by Michael Wilson
First Rehearsal: October 24, 2023
First Preview: November 24, 2023
Opening: December 1, 2023
Closing: December 24, 2023
Note: All actors must have excellent British dialect skills.
Seeking 12 AEA actors of all races, gender identities, and abilities. Many roles double. Tracks are to be determined. All characters speak in an RP British dialect.
SIMONA’S SEARCH
By Martín Zimmerman
Directed by Melia Bensussen
First Rehearsal: December 19, 2023
First Preview: January 18, 2024
Opening: January 26, 2024
Closing: February 11, 2024
NOTE: The role of SIMONA has been cast.
SIMONA – Latina, early-to-mid 30s. Bright, witty, and endlessly curious young woman. She adores her father but is baffled by the mysteries surrounding his life. Little by little her nightmares have started to take over her life, leading her on a journey to discover her father’s past, and therefore learn about her own psychology. Never a victim, no matter what her challenges by her nightmares/hallucinations, she is always on the search for a solution with her keen mind. Always approaches everything with a playful sense of humor and insight.
PAPI / ADVISOR – Latino, 50s-60s. Warm, loving, a good father who has raised his daughter by himself as an immigrant to this country. He believes he’s left behind his past in another country, along with its tortures and nightmares. He believes that the present can erase the past, and that with his daughter’s brilliance she will have a wonderful American life and needn’t focus on his roots. Baffled by Simona’s curiosity about his history, he fights her search until eventually he realizes she has been right all along. Always loving, even when angry at his baby girl, always finds ways to connect with her no matter how challenging. Doubles as her Advisor who tries to help her academically but cannot fathom what she is going through and ends up giving up on her – which Papi never does.
JAKE / DOCTOR – 30-40s. Flexible, witty, man – Jake is a grad student who falls in love with Simona and fights to understand her even as she tries to avoid his insights. Jake is funny, warm, alive. The Doctor is pretentious, all-knowing, too smug to be helpful. The Lab Rat is smarter than everyone, and can be a true friend to Simona. Actor must have a good wacky, playful streak, and be good with language.
THE HOT WING KING
By Katori Hall
Directed by Christopher D. Betts (Joyce C. Willis Fellow)
IN ASSOCIATION WITH BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE
HARTFORD STAGE DATES:
First Rehearsal: January 30, 2024
First Preview: February 29, 2024
Opening: March 8, 2024
Closing: March 24, 2024
BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE DATES:
First Rehearsal: April 6, 2024
First Preview: April 13, 2024
Opening: April 13, 2024
Closing: April 28, 2024
NOTE: Actors must be available for runs in both cities.
CORDELL – Black male, 40s. The head chef of the clique. Recently emerged from the closet to co-habitate with Dwayne. In a not so former life, had a wife and 2 kids.
DWAYNE – Black male, 40s. Might not be the head chef, but is the head of the household. Holds Cordell and everyone down. Has been a mentor to his struggling nephew for years. Holds resentment towards Cordell for taking so long to legitimize their relationship.
ISOM – Black male, 30s. New friend. Play lists includes gospel and trap and that’s exactly how he talks. Met the duo at church.
BIG CHARLES – Black male, 40s. Old friend. Met the duo at the barber shop. Observant, laid-back. The Rock.
EVERETT “EJ” – Black male, 16 (must be 18+ to play). Dwayne’s nephew. In need of guidance and a new home.
TJ – Black male, 35. Everett’s father. A long-time dealer who is “about that life.” Struggles with teaching his son how to be a man, but unsure if Cordell and Dwayne can be good father figures to his son.
ALL MY SONS
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Melia Bensussen
First Rehearsal: March 12, 2024
First Preview: April 11, 2024
Opening: April 19, 2024
Closing: May 5, 2024
NOTE: The roles of JOE KELLER and KATE KELLER have been cast.
JOE KELLER – Male, 50s–early 70s. Father of Chris, married to Kate. Manufactured planes during WW2, and now works alongside his veteran son Chris. An unofficial “mayor” of the neighborhood. He knows all, and all know him. Has worked hard for everything he owns, and the safety and security of his family. Capable of masking the grit that earned him his success with the easygoing façade of upper-middle-class suburban life.
KATE KELLER – Female, 50s–early 70s. Mother of Chris, married to Joe. Protective, warm, calculating, and loving. Kate will do anything to take care of her own. She has a special talent for doing so, all while maintaining the status quo. Privately, harbors deep pain for her son Larry who went missing overseas during WW2. Clinging to hope. “A woman of uncontrolled inspirations and an overwhelming capacity for love,” says Miller.
CHRIS KELLER – Male, 30s. Son to Joe and Kate. Veteran of WW2, now working with Joe at their factory. Seeking to rebuild his life in the wake of the war, family scandal, and the loss of his brother, Chris is pursuing a relationship with Ann. Loyal, loving, dutiful, devoted. Determined to build a life for himself and Ann. “A man capable of immense affection and loyalty,” says Miller.
ANN DEEVER – Female, 20s–30s. George’s younger sister. Dated Larry, the oldest Keller son who went missing overseas, and now involved with Chris. Working to move past the loss of Larry, Ann has returned home to start her new life with Chris. Honest, strong, grounded, and respectful – but capable of holding her own. “Gentle but despite herself capable of holding fast to what she knows,” says Miller.
GEORGE DEEVER – Male, 30s. Ann’s older brother. Lawyer and WW2 veteran. Lives with Ann and their mother in New York. Principled, serious, direct, and a bit lost. Relentlessly pursuing truth in a world of falsehoods and white lies.
JIM BAYLISS – Male, 40s–50s. The Kellers’ neighbor, married to Sue. Served in WW2 alongside Chris and now the neighborhood doctor. Dutiful, charming, works hard to care for the people around him. “A wry self-controlled man, an easy talker, but with a wisp of sadness that clings even to his self-effacing humor,” says Miller.
SUE BAYLISS – Female, 30s–40s. The Kellers’ neighbor, married to Jim. Has worked as a nurse for years. Put her husband through medical school. Resents Chris’ idealism and its influence on her husband. Family comes first. Direct, observant, smart, and perhaps a bit guarded.
FRANK LUBEY – Male, 30s. The Kellers’ neighbor. Married to Lydia, father of 3. Avoided the draft in WW2, and now interested in astrology to explain how a man’s life is determined. Simple, pleasant, kind. Has lived a smaller, protected life compared to other men of his age who fought in WW2. “A Pleasant, opinionated man, uncertain of himself, with a tendency toward peevishness when crossed, but always wanting it pleasant and neighborly,” says Miller.
LYDIA LUBEY – Female, 20s–30s. The Kellers’ neighbor. Married to Frank, mother of 3. Dated George prior to the war. In the face of the chaos of WW2, she made a life for herself in her hometown. Content with suburbia, but at times nostalgic for her relationship with George. Good hearted, content, pragmatic, with a slight bent of humor/irony. A suburban young mother who has made difficult choices in her life.
2.5 Minute Ride
By Lisa Kron
Directed by Zoë Golub-Sass
First Rehearsal: April 30, 2024
First Preview: May 30, 2024
Opening: June 7, 2024
Closing: June 23, 2024
Note: The role of LISA has been cast.
LISA – Female, 30s-40s. Jewish (of Ashkenazi descent), funny, wry, ironic, whip-smart. An underbelly of compassion. A writer-performer living in New York’s East Village. Seeking connection to her family’s past and understanding of its present.
General Submission
Electronic submissions of your headshot and resume can be emailed to: auditions@hartfordstage.org
Hard copies of your headshot and resume can be mailed to:
Hartford Stage Casting
50 Church Street
Hartford, CT 06103
Please, no phone calls.
