Theatre Yes is currently accepting application from Edmonton-based actors for our upcoming production of The Pillowman in April 2024. Please see below for details.
Synopsis (The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh): In an interrogation room in an unnamed totalitarian dictatorship, Katurian Katurian, a writer, is being interrogated by two detectives. Next door, Katurian’s mentally disabled brother Michal waits. The detectives want to know why Katurian’s stories feature gruesome plots about child murder and torture, and in particular, why they seem to mirror a string of recent child murders in the area. This brutal dark comedy from Martin McDonagh, the master of the horror-comedy, poses unanswerable questions: Can stories hold the power to cause atrocities? Where is the line between truth and fairy tale? Is a life of horror worth living at all? Drawing on inspiration as diverse as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Kafka, and Antonin Artaud, The Pillowman is a dark, twisty, and utterly unforgettable masterpiece from one of Ireland’s most treasured writers.
Cast:
- Katurian Katurian (any gender, 30s-40s): A writer of gruesome fairy tales, many of which depict the murder of children. Katurian serves as a narrator of the short stories in the play, mostly writing unhappy endings. He is a tragic but witty figure with a sharp intellect and a grisly imagination.
- Detective Ariel (any gender, 30s-40s): Ariel claims to be “the bad cop”. He is exceedingly hot-headed and violent, and claims that he wants to protect children at all costs.
- Michal (male, 30s): Michal is Katurian’s mentally disabled brother. He is responsible for killing the children, but maintains an innocence by virtue of his brain damage. He is a tragic figure, the victim of their parents’ physical torture and abuse at a young age, but he remains loyal to Katurian, who has looked after him.
- Father (male): Katurian’s father. He tortures Michal as part of an artistic experiment to see how it influences Katurian’s work. **This role will be double-cast.
- Mother (female): Katurian’s mother. He tortures Michal as part of an artistic experiment to see how it influences Katurian’s work. **This role will be double-cast.
**The role of Detective Tupolski has already been cast.
Contracts Dates:
Rehearsals – Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm from March 18, 2024 to April 5, 2024
Tech – April 8-10, 2024
Performances – April 11, 2024 to April 21, 2024
Compensation: Payment will be in accordance with D.O.T Equity minimum fees. Equity and non-equity performers are welcome to apply.
Audition Requirements: Please prepare a monologue from the play no more than 2 minutes in length. Auditions will consist of a prepared monologue to be explored, and cold readings of the play. Selected auditioners will be sent a copy of the script to review prior to their audition.
Present at the auditions will be Artistic Directors Max Rubin and Ruth Alexander, and Resident Producer Monica Gate. All auditions will take place at the playhouse on 10033 80 Ave on December 8th from 10am to 6pm.
Submissions: To submit your interest, please email your headshot and resume to producer@theatreyes.com with the subject line ‘Pillowman Auditions’. Please indicate your desired role in the body of your email. Submissions close November 24th at 10am. All applicants will be notified.
