Description:

Jackalope Theatre is looking for understudies to start immediately for our upcoming production of P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle, By Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, Directed by Lili-Anne Brown.

Dorian Belle is a big deal. He's a Canadian pop sweetheart, and he's ready to be taken seriously. So his people hire his favorite hip-hop artists-Black and Alexand, the 'bad boy' rappers of Petty Young Goons-to help him toughen up his image. They're black, he's white. They're from Chicago, he's from Canada. It's all on reality TV. What could go wrong? Inspired by Shaw's Pygmalion, this play is a blistering and entertaining look at cultural and racial appropriation in a fictionalized exchange of ideologies, vernacular, and alleged street cred.

Characters:

All actors must be able to rap and have knowledge of hip-hop culture.

Dorian Belle: male, 21, white, a former child star, pop singer, whose career was largely directed by his mother from whom he has now split. Dorian is looking for street cred/blackness to improve his popular image. A TV show follows his efforts to work on this with the other two characters. Dorian is wealthy, famous, largely naïve, seemingly superficial but ultimately finds his strength.

Blacky Blackerson, aka Black: male, 21, black, one part of P.Y.G. rap/hip hop performers. Wants to be more 'street' than his background supports. Angry but curious. Willing to compromise for money and flirts with success through a whitening of his product. Verbally more outrageous than his partner but often poetic. Participates initially reluctantly in the TV show about Dorian then starts enjoying himself more, until Charlottesville.

Alexand Da Great: male, 21, black, the other half of P.Y.G. Initially more polite than Black, and often translates for him. Eloquent, often poetic too, also idealistic and politically motivated. Also had a pushing mother with ambitions for him. Dry humor. Seems to be driving the duo's participation in the TV show but eventually pulls away from it more fully than Black.

Pay: $150 stipend and $25 per show you go on.

Time Commitment:
1st Reh.: Monday Sept. 23rd
Tech: Sunday Oct. 20th - Saturday Oct. 26th
Dress Reh.: Monday Oct. 28th
Previews: Tuesday Oct. 29th-31st, Nov. 2nd & Nov. 4th
Opening: Tuesday Nov. 5th
Closing: Saturday Dec. 14th
Pot. Extension: Saturday Dec. 21st

Understudies agree to attend designer runs throughout the rehearsal process and be present for as many technical rehearsals as possible and to attend all scheduled costume fittings, photo calls, and other meetings necessary for the Play, as requested. In addition, you must attend three (3) Understudy Rehearsals. The dates of the Understudy Rehearsals will be mutually agreed upon between the Understudy and Production Team. The Understudy agrees to be in Chicago and available for the entire term of the production