Description:

Blank Theatre Company is seeking actors to submit for their 2024 Season. Productions include On the Twentieth Century with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman and The Mad Ones by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk.

On the Twentieth Century will be directed by Blank Theatre's co-artistic director Danny Kapinos with music direction by Aaron Kaplan and choreography by Jennifer Cupani. The Mad Ones will be directed by Wyatt Kent with music direction by Aaron Kaplan.

AUDITION INFORMATION
Auditions by appointment will be held Saturday, February 10th from 12:00-5:00pm, Sunday, February 11th from 12:00-3:00pm and Monday, February 12th from 6:00-10:00pm at Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614.

Callbacks will be held by individual appointment for On the Twentieth Century on Monday, February 19th and Tuesday, February 20th from 6:00-10:00pm at Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614.

Callbacks will be held by individual appointment for The Mad Ones at a time and date TBA in early March.

There is a $300 stipend for each production. These productions are Jeff Eligible. Please note: An MRE will be included in each contract. We will have NO 10 out of 12s during either rehearsal process.

SEEKING:
On the Twentieth Century
LILY GARLAND - Soprano - late 20s to 40s - A star of stage and screen who knows her worth and is unafraid to speak her mind. She has invented for herself the image of a classy ingenue, but at heart she is a tough girl unafraid to fight for what she wants and to play dirty in the process.

OSCAR JAFFE - Baritone - 30s to 50s - A delusionally optimistic director and producer who won't let his continual failure deter him from feeling utterly confident that his next project will be a gigantic hit. Willing to risk everything at any given moment in order to move just one rung up the ladder.

LETITIA PEABODY PRIMROSE - Mezzo-Soprano - 50+ - An evangelical zealot who has escaped from an institution and convinced herself she is a wealthy benefactress intent on spreading her gospel. She may seem kind and harmless at first, but she is willing to make a mess of things to spread her message.

BRUCE GRANIT - Tenor - 20s to 30s - Lily's current (and soon to be ex-) boyfriend, a rising star with no talent who realizes his only path to fame is attaching himself to whichever genuine talents are willing to put up with him.

OWEN O'MALLEY - Baritone - any age - Oscar's press agent, a heavy drinker, utterly cynical about show business, but with no intention of leaving it. THIS ROLE IS CAST, SEEKING UNDERSTUDY ONLY.

OLIVER WEBB - Baritone - any age - Oscar's company manager, he is perpetually anxious and trying to look several steps ahead and warn everyone, fully aware that Oscar will never heed any of his advice.

ENSEMBLE - all genders, voice types, ages - 4-6 versatile performers, strong singers, dancers, and actors who will play a variety of roles, including: Senator Lockwood, Anita, Maxwell Finch, Imelda Thornton, Agnes, Dr. Johnson, Conductor Flanagan, Max Jacobs, Porters, Conductors, Passengers, Photographers, Reporters, and more.

The Mad Ones
Please note: In the name of casting transparency, either Samatha or Kelly will be played by a company member. At this time both roles are open and this will be decided during the callback process.

SAMANTHA BROWN - Strong contemporary MT Mezzo-Soprano - 18 - Book smart, funny; fearful and anxious, she takes herself too seriously. She may doubt herself, but a strong powerhouse is waiting to come out.

KELLY MANNING - Strong contemporary MT Mezzo-Soprano - 18 - Carefree, spontaneous, and adventurous; embraces life and defies risk; extroverted would be an understatement.

BEVERLY - Strong contemporary MT Mezzo-Soprano - early 50s - Sam's mom, a statistician; logical and brilliant; has become emotional and unusually attentive towards Sam recently.

ADAM - Strong contemporary MT Tenor - 18 - Sam's boyfriend; loves food and loves Sam.

Both productions will utilize both internal and external understudies for all roles.

Most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns. However, our casting seeks to be as inclusive as possible, and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they are most interested in being seen for. We are also looking to cast performers of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or if there are any accommodations we can provide.

Covid Policy - We will not be hiring any unvaccinated artists. If cast, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination. Everyone behind the table is fully vaccinated. Blank will continue to evaluate best practices to ensure the safety of our artists and audience members.