AUDITION NOTICE:
The University of Alberta’s Studio Theatre is inviting artists from across Alberta to submit for our upcoming production of INDECENT, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel.
Production Rehearsal Date:
10/23/23
Submission Deadline:
08/15/23
Contact Name:
Benjamin W. Smith
Submission email:
bwsmith@ualberta.ca
Agreement:
DOT (Theatre)
Ethnocultural Mandate or Casting Statement:
Studio Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming work environment. We strongly encourage submissions from actors of all cultures, gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and lived experiences.
About The Play
Indecent tells the story of Sholem Asch’s controversial play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to bring it to the stage. A small theatre troupe tells the story of the play from its inception in Poland in 1907. The story—about the daughter of a brothel owner who falls in love with one of her father’s prostitutes—was polarizing even at its first readings, with many of Asch’s fellows arising him to burn it. Nevertheless, it achieved great success on the stages of Europe and in the Yiddish theatre scene of downtown New York City. But when an English-translation was attempted on Broadway, the play—featuring the first kiss between women on a Broadway stage—proved too scandalous for the general public, and the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity. Vogel’s Indecent resurrects Sholem Asch’s great play, and celebrates the love, magic, and hope of the theatre even in the face of the greatest adversities.
Contract Dates:
Rehearsals Begin: October 23, 2023
Opening: November 30, 2023
Closing: December 9, 2023
Characters
For these auditions, we are seeking the following roles: (Ages are considered reference points for the characters, not the actors. Culture is a very important aspect of this play. Kindly consider self-identifying if you share cultural identity with the character you are submitting for.)
The Elder: Otto (50-70, male)
Portrays multiple characters, including I.L Peretz and Older Asch.
Peretz: Leader of a prestigious Polish Yiddish literary salon; upper-crust, educated, traditionalist. Sholem Asch: Late in life, he has retreated from the public eye; bitter and cynical, he disavows his masterpiece, The God of Vengeance. Must be able to sing, dance, and learn/do German and Yiddish accents.
The Elder: Vera (50-70, female)
Portrays multiple characters, including Mrs. Peretz and Esther.
Mrs. Peretz: Wife of the literary lion I.L. Peretz; protective; strong literary opinions; dismissive of upstart young writers. Esther: cast as Sarah in the New York production of Asch’s play; a seasoned and professional actor; she’s good at what she does and is frustrated by amateurism. Must be able to sing, dance, and learn/do Yiddish accents.
Submission Guidelines:
Please submit a headshot and resume (in a single PDF format) to bwsmith@ualberta.ca [bwsmith AT ualberta DOT ca] with the subject line: ‘INDECENT: [INSERT ROLE} Audition’
We thank all who submit but only those selected for an audition will be contacted.
Team
Playwright: Paula Vogel | Co-Creator: Rebecca Taichman
Score and Original Music: Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva
Director: Benjamin W. Smith
Jewish Cultural Consultant: Rabbah Gila Caine
Production Dramaturg: Dana Tanner-Kennedy
