**The deadline to submit auditions has been extended to October 27**
Project Summary:
The play follows a story of a town eccentric, Meena, who has to prove the existence of a mythical folklore entity; The Strid. The Strid is a river who takes what it is given, and reciprocates in an extreme form. When a child is taken, a family must uncover how to get their child back, and form a relationship with this antagonistic myth. A story of loving too tightly, generosity and seeing the value in what we have to offer each other.
This project is a part of the STAGE IT program at Downstage Theatre, where participants work in a cohort to develop new work that will premiere at the inaugural Shake Up! Festival in spring of 2021.
Rehearsals will take place late March 2021 for 3-4 weeks before the festival starts in late April.
Monetary compensation will be provided. Amount TBD and based on received funding.
Creative Team:
Written & Produced by Kiana Wu
Directed by Chantelle Han
Mentored by Jenna Rodgers, Mieko Ouchi, Ellen Close
Programmed with Downstage Theatre (Clare Preuss & Danielle Whyte)
Character Breakdown:
We will be casting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour folks in the roles listed below (view anti-racism value statement).
Rachel:
To play early to mid thirties.
Eli’s parent, Leon’s partner. Works in the nearby city, has always loved her job and is dedicated to her life, which happens to include a family. Passionate, caring, and has high spirits. Can be a little high strung and has high expectations for her child and partner.
Leon:
To play early to mid thirties.
Eli’s parent, Rachel’s partner. Works in the town as a labourer for long days, has always craved a family of his own, is reliable, sensitive and kind-hearted. Has been a stay at home parent the last few years.
Meena:
To play late twenties-late thirties.
Eli’s art teacher. Has been in town longer than Leon and Rachel, is driven by her imagination. Lives alone, and doesn’t care about her reputation. Has a relationship with the river that feels mystical and special. She has lost her partner and longs for a family.
Eli:
Open to varying gender identities and gender expression.
A very curious but cautious child. The sort that confuses the average adult. Can hear the Earth speak and is constantly watching their surroundings. Loves lessons with Meena and gets along better with Leon than with Rachel.
How to Audition:
Please view the sides for the role(s) you’d like to audition for here:
https://drive.google.com/drive
Send an email to kianaw925@gmail.com with “Strid/ (role) / (your name)” in the subject line. The email should include:
- a video audition reading the side(s) of the character you’re interested in
- a resume in pdf form
- a headshot/picture of you
Non-Equity actors are highly encouraged to submit. If there are further access needs, please feel free to email the address above with specific needs or questions and we are happy to accommodate.
What is Stage It?
STAGE IT is focused on emerging theatre artists who want to develop themselves as creator-producers. We define a creator-producer as someone who would like to produce work that they also perform, direct, design or write/devise. STAGE IT offers staff facilitated learning, peer to peer learning and guest artist workshops to a small group of participants. It also offers participants the opportunity to stage their piece at Downstage’s new festival, The ShakeUp in 2021! More information at : http://www.downstage.ca/stage-it-1
Submissions will close Oct. 27th, 2020. All questions & concerns may be sent to kianaw925@gmail.com.
