Description:

Prop Thtr announces auditions for their upcoming development process including a virtual workshop and two virtual staged readings of UNDERDROWN, devised by the Ensemble, written by Derek McPhatter and directed by Mikael Burke. The actors cast in this project will have right of first refusal for the full production which Prop Thtr has committed to hopefully producing in their 21-22 season. The workshop, rehearsals, and readings will all be conducted over Zoom. The two staged readings will happen TBD in Winter/Spring 2021 (January - April).

Seeking non-AEA actors of all backgrounds for all principal positions. We strongly encourage performers of all ethnicities, ages, sizes, genders, and abilities to apply.

Pay: $700 stipend ($400 for workshop, $150 for each reading)

Synopsis:
As Chicago sinks, a queer black public intellectual researches a problematic fantasy video game in search of a platform to tell his truth. Setting: Dr Ezekiel Haight's Mobile Home Office, in Chicagoland; first in his South Side coastal condo, and also in the guest house at Jamie's home on the North side. The virtual worlds, particularly Halls of Thunder, a vintage fantasy Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Game augmented reality environment (MMORPG).

Time: the near future, during a time of coinciding crises: social unrest at failed racial /class reforms + widening panic at surging water levels due to climate change.

Seeking:
ZEKE - Ezekiel Haight Black, Early 30's M/NB
Semi-famous black intellectual; Presents male. Grad Student, Doctoral Candidate, ABD (All But Dissertation). Official expertise is digital movements and ethnomusicology. Chatty. Queer.

THE PRIESTESS DARK - Black, Open Age F/NB
Independent, impulsive, imposing. Curious. A fan favorite character on the Halls of Thunder MMORPG. A visitor from another time and place. On a journey.

IX (Nine) - open age, open ethnicity, F/NB
Artificial Intelligence system. Deadpan. Insufferably neutral, open ethnicity. The IX is the operating system for Zeke's virtual office. Speaks with a femme-of-center voice.

JAMIE - white / white passing, early 30's M/NB
Earnest, impatient. Friends with Zeke from 2nd grade through college. Gaming partners on Hall of Thunder back in the day. Never wanted to label what they had.

Note About Devising:
This play will be developed through a devising process. In this particular instance, working with playwright Derek McPhatter and director Mikael Burke, devising means creating opportunities for discussion and listening to what the ensemble thinks and feels as artists and humans, exploring characters, arcs, and the world of the play as a group. The script will evolve over the course of this workshop and these two readings in response to the work that is being done.

Tech Requirements:
Access to Computer/Laptop/Phone w/ Zoom
Access to Internet
The ability to be able to stand on Zoom as opposed to just sitting in a chair

Auditions:
Initial auditions will be self-tape submissions (instructions will be emailed upon applying).
Invited callbacks will be scheduled live on Zoom and held on Oct 24 and Oct 25 6-9pm CST. Callbacks will be a combination of working sides and devising exercises in groups.

Time Commitment:
Workshop Dates:
Thursday 11/12 6pm - 10pm CST
Sunday 11/ 15 2pm - 6pm CST
Thursday 11/19 6pm - 10pm CST
Sunday 11/22 2pm - 6pm CST
Thursday 12/10 6pm - 10pm CST
Sunday 12/13 2pm - 6pm CST
Thursday 12/17 6pm - 10pm CST
Sunday 12/20 2pm - 6pm CST

The readings and rehearsals will take place between January - April 2021. Rehearsals for readings will total no more than 6 hours. Specific schedule TBD based on availability.