Equity: A Modern Comedy In Elizabethan Verse
UNION AND NONUNION
EXPIRES:January 12, 2022 6:00 PM
Company
Isle of Shoals Productions, Inc. + Tessa Faye Talent, LLC
(Isle of Shoals Productions) Bryan Williams, exec. prod; Justy Kosek, writer/dir, prod.; Michelle Kuchuk, asst. dir; Sophia Grasso, SM. (Tessa Faye Talent, LLC) Tessa Faye, casting dir., prod; Sarah Faye Beard, Casting Assc.
Production Description
Seeking actors for the premiere staged reading of Equity: A Modern Comedy In Elizabethan Verse at Theatre Row. "COVID-19 note: in accordance with union and venue guidelines, a fully-vaccinated company will be required.”
Roles
Actors & Performers
Steve: Male, 35-65
Steve is the president of Actors’ Equity in the play's parallel, verse-filled version of New York. An avid Classical performer and a zealous activist for the arts. Commanding and regal, but also warm with genuine empathy and humor. Seeking a performer who could comfortably portray any of Shakespeare’s kings.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Contemporary: All Genders, 25-55
Steve’s long-suffering PA who harbors a litany of impressive talents from stage managing to swordfighting. A bit of a nervous wreck, but guided by loyalty and love for theater. Seeking a performer with great comedic timing who could easily play Feste or Touchstone. Stage combat a plus.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Luna: Female, 18-26
A conservatory student with prodigy-level talent when it comes to acting, writing and all-around empathy. Balances these gifts with harrowing anxiety. Juliet without the naivete: an ingenue-defying ingenue.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Duke: Male, 25-34
Part prince, part Hollywood burnout. Duke has the soul of Hamlet and the attitude of Bojack Horseman. Once a child star, now coasting, but secretly an avid lover of Shakespeare; tremendously talented when properly motivated and passionate beneath all his cynicism.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Johnson: All Genders, 40-70
A no-nonsense Broadway producer with a tough exterior and a deep vein of wisdom; should be a performer who could portray Iago in Othello as easily as Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Hyacinth: Female, 18-26
One of Luna’s roommates, a musical theater girl who has depth well beyond her chic, bubbly exterior. Seeking a performer who could portray any clown in Shakespeare’s canon as easily as Regina George or Karin Smith in Mean Girls. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Freesia: Female, 18-28
One of Luna’s roommates, a somewhat-angsty theater student and bartender- Aubrey Plaza with a dash of Maria from Twelfth Night. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Cersei: Female, Trans Female, 25-50
A prim English actress who represents the height of Classical training. A bit stuck up, but charmingly so. Flawless British dialect (any region) is a must. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Ramón: Male, 22-60
A sweet, good-natured Swedish actor. Clowning abilities and/or physical comedy a big plus. Seeking a performer with strong comedic timing and a passable Swedish accent. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Shmaltza: All Genders, 40-80
Nostalgic vice-president of Actors’ Equity. A stuffy bureaucrat; seeking a character actor who could comfortably play Polonious in Hamlet. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
LaMóde: Male, Gender-Nonconforming, Non-Binary, 26-46
Pretentious, labyrinth-tongued Broadway financier. A modern-day fop. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Stipend
Geshtalt: All Genders, 30-70
An indie arts producer; this play’s equivalent of a foreign lord. Honorable, dutiful, a little pompous. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Brillig: All Genders, 25-50
Geshtalt’s lieutenant; secret hench-person. Former stunt artist and martial artist. Should be a bit imposing- stage combat a huge plus. May double/triple with other roles.
Ethnicity: All Ethnicities
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Rehearsal and Production Dates & Locations
Auditions Jan. 14/15th in NYC by appointment only.
Callbacks Jan. 15th/16th
Rehearsals begin Jan. 21; runs Feb 9 - 13, 2022 at Theatre Row
Compensation & Contract Details
Estimated Payment: $300.00 Flat Rate (Estimated duration: Not Provided)
Pays a $300 stipend for all performers.
Key Details Seeking talent from: New York City, NY Additional Instructions:
Auditions will be held in-person by appointment only. Please submit headshot and resumé via Backstage OR by emailing to
Please Note: We will not be accepting video submissions for this project. Please submit only if you are vaccinated and comfortable attending in-person auditions and callbacks. Appointments will be spaced out to prevent undue crowding. Audition panel is fully vaccinated.
Production States: Seeking a company of performers who excel with Shakespearean language and can make this play’s unique blend of iambic, rhyming couplets and modern colloquial sound organic. While this will be a staged reading, there will be some blocking and memorization required! Rehearsals will be treated as if for a fully-staged run.
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.
