Auditions

We are excited to see you at our auditions, either for our Main Stage productions or for our CP2 readings! If you are joining us for the first time, below are some frequently asked questions to help you prepare for your audition. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us at info@countyplayers.org.

Will a man who speaks nine languages ever learn to communicate with his wife? Will the last two speakers of a soon-to-be dead language break their vow of silence? The lives of five people are imaginatively woven together as they discover that no matter how many words they can speak, it’s the heart’s language that matters most.

The Language Archive is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. dramatists.com

AUDITION INFORMATION

The Language Archive audition form

George is a man consumed with preserving and documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He doesn’t know what to say to his wife Mary to keep her from leaving him, and he doesn’t recognize the deep feelings that his lab assistant Emma has for him.

The play looks at two contrasting marriages. The one between George and Mary is broken; it was never whole to begin with. The one between Alta and Resten, though full of sound and fury, is solid as a rock. George and Mary talk past each other; Alta and Resten yell at each other in English, but save the good stuff, the ongoing exchange of affection, for Ellowan, the dying language.

Audition Sides

Cast:

GEORGE: A linguist. A man in his 30s or 40s.

MARY: George’s wife. A woman in her 30s or 40s.

EMMA: A lab assistant. A woman in her 20s or 30s.

ALTA: An old woman.

RESTEN: An old man.

Depending on available people, the actors playing Alta and Resten might also play the following:

THE DRIVER: A man of any age.

OLD MAN/BAKER: An old man.

LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR: A woman of any age.

A PASSERBY: A man or a woman of any age.

A PASSERBY: A man or a woman of any age (different from the previous).

CONDUCTOR: A man or a woman of any age.

OLD MAN/ZAMENHOF: An old man.

The Language Archive is a gently sentimental tale built inside a concept, similar to the way nesting birds inhabit a hedge. The theme is the failure of communication, and the metaphor is a collection of recordings and documents describing extinct languages curated by George, a fussy, white-coated linguist who’s tongue-tied when it comes to expressing any sentiment.

— Michael Miegs, CTX Live Theatre

A grown up prequel to Peter Pan, this Tony Award®–winning adventure reimagines the Neverland you never knew. Peter and the Starcatcher transforms the classic tale with a wildly inventive origin story of how a nameless orphan became The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. An ensemble cast conjures more than a hundred characters through ingenious stagecraft and boundless imagination.

With music, mermaids, stardust treasure, a spirited heroine, unruly pirates, and a wickedly absurd Captain, Peter and the Starcatcher takes flight. Pirates included. Plenty of them.

Peter and the Starcatcher is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. MTIShows.com

AUDITION INFORMATION

Peter and the Starcatcher is an ensemble piece. Most actors will be on stage for most of the play, and most will play more than one character. Character descriptions specify gender; all roles are open to all genders.

While this show is not a musical, it is a play with music. All actors will be required to sing to some extent, and everyone is asked to sing at their audition. Please note that Molly, Black Stache, Mrs. Bumbrake, and Smee are featured singers.

We need highly versatile performers. This is a very physical show, and we will be building a diverse ensemble of creative actors who can tell a theatrical story through physical expression, language, a few props, and a ton of imagination. Actors need to be comfortable with movement, music, and being part of an atmosphere that is collaborative, adaptable, and ever-changing. We strongly encourage performers of all identities, including race, gender expression, size, physical ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and country of origin, to audition.

All the parts are played by adults, and we won’t be auditioning anyone under 16.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Black Stache – A notorious pirate, terrorizing the seven seas in search of a worthy adversary. Heartless, hirsute, and suspiciously well-read. Partial to the poetical and theatrical, which causes him to behave quite flamboyantly. Gender: Male, Age: 30 to 50

Molly Aster – A young girl and Starcatcher apprentice who is taken aboard the Neverland as precious cargo. Curious and intelligent, she is only beginning to understand the confusing romantic longings that come with her age. She will risk anything for the sake of what is right. Gender: Female, Age: 18 to 25

Boy/Peter – A lonely and hardened orphan who doesn’t miss much. Nameless, homeless, and friendless at the beginning of the play, and a hero by the end. He wants a home and a family more than anything, and dreams of a life of being free. Gender: Male, Age: 18 to 25

Grempkin – The schoolmaster of St. Norbert’s Orphanage for Lost Boys. Mean and malodorous, he revels in keeping his boys in the dark and malnourished. Gender: Male, Age: 40 to 60. Optional Doublings include: FIGHTING PRAWN; MACK; SÁNCHEZ.

Mrs. Bumbrake – Molly’s nanny, a stereotypical British cad, and outfitted with the duty of teaching Molly about womanhood. She still has enough charm in her age to attract a sailor or two. Optional Doubling as TEACHER. Gender: Female Presenting, Age: 40 to 60

Bill Slank – The vicious orphaned captain of the Neverland. Does not possess the capacity to lead anyone but himself, which constantly puts him in danger. Greedy enough to send boys to their doom for the chance of gaining starstuff. Gender: Male, Age: 35 to 55. Optional Doubling as HAWKING CLAM.

Smee – Black Stache’s first mate. He is single-mindedly dedicated to his captain’s every whim. Gender: Male, Age: 25 to 55

Prentiss – An orphan, ambitious, hyper-articulate, and logical. He yearns to be a leader, even when he knows in his heart that he’ll never be one. A bit of a blowhard with a touch of cowardice. Gender: Male, Age: 16 to 25

Alf – A seafarer, an old sea dog proud of his tenure. His kind heart appeals to the feminine sensibility. Gender: Male, Age: 50 to 65

Lord Leonard Aster – Molly’s father, a loyal subject to the Queen. The very model of a Victorian English gentleman, he is a faithful friend and a secret Starcatcher. Gender: Male, Age: 40 to 60

Captain Robert Falcon Scott – Lord Aster’s old school friend, the captain of the Wasp, Britain’s fastest frigate. Lives with nautical bravura and heroic patriotism. Gender: Male, Age: 35 to 45

Ted – An orphan obsessed with food. A natural performer with easy wit and quite poetic language. Gender: Male, Age: 16 to 25

Ensemble – Sailors; Seamen; Seafarers; Orphans; Pirates; Mermaids; Mollusks; Narrators

John and his daughter Caitlyn are birders. As they scan the skies over their backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, years go by. Relationships begin and end. Children grow up and parents age. This lyrical and endearing family portrait unfolds in delicate, detailed layers like the scattered leaves of each passing year.

Birds of North America is presented through special arrangement with TRW Plays. trwplays.com

A comedy about how we remember the dead – and how that memorialization changes us. It is the journey of a woman forced to confront her presumptions about isolation in a technological society. Everything we thought we knew, everything we thought was dead, can be uncovered, re-discovered, and brought to life again.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com

In this hilarious, twisted take on the holiday classic, it’s one year after A Christmas Carol and Scrooge has returned to his miserly ways… The Ghosts of Christmas are on trial for breaking and entering, kidnapping, slander, pain and suffering, attempted murder, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress as Scrooge rants and raves to the court. Both silly and sweet, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge is a heartwarming comedy for the whole family!

The Trial of Ebeneezer Scrooge is presented by special arrangement with DRAMATIC PUBLISHING, Woodstock, Illinois.

Abigail/1702 is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. dramatists.com