At the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre
619 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601
Open Auditions:
Sunday & Monday, March 20 & 21, at 7:00 pm at the theater
And online through March 17
August: Osage County
Play by Tracy Letts
Directed by Jay Nixon
Assistant Directed by Virginia Martinez
A vanished father. A pill-popping mother. Three sisters harboring shady little secrets. When the large Weston family unexpectedly reunites after Dad disappears, their Oklahoman family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you’ve got a major play that unflinchingly—and uproariously—exposes the dark side of the Midwestern American family.
Performance dates: May 13 – 29, 2022, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.
Don’t be shy, you were born to be a star! Join us at open auditions for August: Osage County, on March 20 & 21 at the theater– 619 South Main Street in South Main Station (formerly known as the Baird Hardware complex), next door to Akira Wood and across from Heartwood Soundstage, or audition online (we’ll let you know if we need you for callbacks and when). Regardless of whether you submit a video audition, filling out the rest of the form at the link below will streamline the auditioning process.
If submitting a video audition, please choose either a one-minute contemporary monologue or a monologue from this link.
Online audition materials here: https://forms.gle/wRWmDAqLJsFhZYie7
***Masks are required while not on stage
***We request that all cast and crew be vaccinated
Because of the subject matter of this show, auditions will only be accepted from ages 16 and up. If you are a minor and choose to do either live auditions or video submissions, consent must be shown by a parent/guardian.
Roles:
- Beverly Weston: The father of the Weston family, aged 69, an alcoholic and washed-up poet. His mysterious disappearance one evening and eventually discovered death are the reasons for the family’s reunion.
- Violet Weston: The mother of the Weston family, aged 65. Undergoing treatment for oral cancer, she is addicted to several prescription drugs, mostly depressants and narcotics. Despite her drug-induced episodes, she is sharp-tongued and shrewd; she is aware of the family’s many secrets and not hesitant to reveal them for her own benefit.
- Barbara Fordham: The oldest daughter of the Weston Family, age 46. Mother of Jean and wife of Bill, though they are currently separated. She is a college professor in Boulder, Colorado. She wants to save her marriage, but has the intense need to control everything around her as it falls apart.
- Ivy Weston: The middle daughter of the Weston family, age 44. The only daughter to stay in Oklahoma, she works as a librarian at the local college, and her calm and patient exterior hides a passionate woman who is gradually growing cynical.
- Karen Weston: The youngest daughter in the Weston family, age 40. She is newly engaged to Steve, whom she considers the “perfect man”, and lives with him in Florida, planning to marry him soon.
- Bill Fordham: Barbara’s estranged husband and Jean’s father, age 49. A college professor, he has left his wife for a younger woman named Cindy, one of his students, but wants to be there for his family. His marriage is disintegrating and his patience is slowly running thin.
- Jean Fordham: Bill and Barbara’s smart-tongued 14-year-old daughter. She smokes pot and cigarettes, is a vegetarian, loves old movies, and is bitter about her parents’ split. THE ROLE OF JEAN HAS BEEN PRECAST. AN UNDERSTUDY ROLE IS AVAILABLE.
- Steve Heidebrecht: Karen’s fiancé, age 50. A businessman in Florida (whose business, it is hinted, centers on the Middle East and may be less than legitimate), and not the “perfect man” that Karen considers him.
- Mattie Fae Aiken: Violet’s sister, Charlie’s wife and Little Charles’ mother, age 57. Just as jaded as her sister, Mattie Fae constantly belittles her son and antagonizes her husband.
- Charlie Aiken: Husband of Mattie Fae and the presumed father of Little Charles, age 60. Charlie, a genial man, was a lifelong friend of Beverly. He struggles to get Mattie Fae to respect Little Charles.
- “Little” Charles Aiken: Son of Mattie Fae and Beverly, 37 years old—but, like everyone else, he believes Charlie is his father. Unemployed and clumsy, his mother calls him a “screw-up”, which may be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Johnna Monevata: A Cheyenne Indian woman, age 26, whom Beverly hires as a live-in housekeeper shortly before he disappears. Violet is prejudiced against her, but she wins over the other family members with her cooking skills, hard work, and empathy. Johnna is the silent witness to much of the mayhem in the house.
- Sheriff Deon Gilbeau: A high-school classmate and former boyfriend of Barbara’s, age 47.
We are also seeking all sorts of backstage personnel! We are specifically seeking set builders, stage hands, and board ops.
Ages and genders are flexible, at the discretion of the director. All races, colors, sizes, genders, gender-identities and experience levels welcome! Although this IS an audition, we’re not judgmental, and we hope you feel welcome here and have a great time. If cast, you will be compensated by the roar of applause and the joy of being part of the Acrosstown family.
About the ART:
Founded in 1980, the ART develops new talent, plays, audiences and ideas while also celebrating and revivifying the great plays of the past. The ART provides a safe place where people of all ages, genders, races, and beliefs can create unsafe theater– thinking people’s theatre– theater that transforms.
We continually respect, and challenge:
- ourselves as actors, designers, artists and visionaries to achieve more,
- our audiences as living, thinking and feeling human beings to engage more,
- other local theaters and arts organizations to collaborate more,
…and by doing so, help nurture and develop Gainesville, Florida into the center of arts and culture in North Central Florida.
As a 501c3 non-profit organization, the ART is especially dedicated to providing multi-cultural opportunities to the members of our community. The theater is open to all and presents experiences for which there are no other venues in the area. It is also entirely volunteer-staffed and operated.