CALL FOR PERFORMERS – Summer 2023 | Journeys to Freedom: (UN)Known Project River Cruise
Journeys to Freedom: (Un)Known Project River Cruise
CALL FOR PERFORMERS – Summer 2023
THE PRODUCTION:
Journeys to Freedom: (Un)Known Project River Cruise is an immersive experience commissioned by IDEAS xLab and written and directed by Sidney Monroe Williams (they/them) that will take place aboard the Belle of Louisville in May-June 2023. Learn more about the experience in 2022.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
We seek to collaborate/engage with actors for May-June 2023 rehearsal & performances. Rehearsals will be in-person and follow Covid guidelines. Qualified candidates should have performance experience and some familiarity with improvisational acting. We seek to cast a diverse/dynamic/inclusive ensemble with special attention to Kentucky’s (un)known histories.
Duties/Responsibilities: Dates of Contract: 23 MAY – 23 JUN 2023
Rehearsals: 30 MAY – 19 JUN 2023
General Rehearsal: M-Th 6-10PM
TBD Weekend Rehearsal(s): 10 + 17 JUN 2023 10AM-4PM
Performances: 20-21 JUN 2023
Wrap up: 23 JUN 2023
● Collaborate with an ensemble of actors and production team.
● Respond to production communication within 12 hours.
● Come to rehearsals on time and prepared.
● Follow Covid safety protocols.
● Maintain a professional and inclusive attitude.
Available Roles/Character Breakdown:
Frannie: Black; female-identifying; impulsive, articulate, and passionate; age 20-30.
Newt: Black; non-binary identifying; divine, graceful, and ancestral; age 20-30.
Brotha: Black; male-identifying; brave, musical, and protective; age 15-20.
Sista: Black; female-identifying; attractive, musical, and assertive; age 15-20.
Play Cousin: Black, male or female-identifying; a natural MC, musical, and playful; age 15-25.
Wytees: White, male or female-identifying; chorus; age 20- 40.
Compensation:
$15.00 an hour for rehearsals/performances
IDEAS xLab is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, and Americans with Disabilities Employer, committed to diversity, and in that spirit, seeks applications from a broad variety of candidates. This is a contractor position that will be under management of Sidney Monroe Williams.
Application/Audition Instructions:
Application review will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled with preference for applications submitted by 30 APR 2023
Auditions:
Send the following in one email to SidWilliams@GWU.edu by 30 APR 2023:
Letter of Interest (Why you’re interested in theproject and/or role?)
Headshot (or a clear photo of you.)
Resume (any experience or training that aligns with the project and/or character.)
Recorded Monologue/YouTube Link – record yourself performing the text provided below and upload it as an unlisted YouTube Video link. Include this link in your audition materials email. Other platforms (like Vimeo) are acceptable considering they are accessible to application reviewers.
Here’s a link on how to upload an unlisted YouTube Video link.
If auditioning for Sista, Brotha, or Play Cousin please include your singing a verse/chorus from a R&B song (acapella or with instrumental track).
Monologue Text:
Finding Me
If I close my eyes, I can see them.
And if I quiet myself, I can hear them.
Their voices carry on the wind like the tune from chimes floating
in the distant breeze.
Who are you?
Where did you come from?
When you dreamed, what did you dream of?
What is your story?
What was your name before they gave you that name?
Was the name passed down through our family?
Am I your descendant?
I stare at my face and wonder if I look like you.
I try to put faces to shadows.
Can I find pieces of your memory in cotton fields and red mud?
Scattered bones in unmarked graves that attempt to erase you from history.
But you were here.
You were always here.
You existed.
Unknown no longer.
I found your name…I found you
And in finding you, I found me.
Callbacks:
Will take place in-person 06 MAY 2023 (11AM-3PM). You must submit the audition materials to receive an invitation to callbacks.