Actors Needed for 2024-2025 Theatre Season

"RUTKA" (14) A spirited, headstrong 14-year-old, unconventional and bold, funny, on that cusp of girl to woman. Rutka is charismatic and unconventional. She speaks her mind. She can be moody and mercurial and hard on herself for being hard on others, a dry wit and sarcastic sense of humor but also passionate and joyful. In the throes of adolescence, she is trying to make sense of a million conflicting emotions.

"RUTKA" A good friend, loyal and kind and a little secretive as she makes her way in a world she doesn’t agree with but doesn’t know how to change. She finds in Rutka a kindred spirit sees her as a younger sister but also a funny friend. Stasia wishes she were as bold and nonconformist as her friend and tries hard to stay optimistic; she is in denial about what is happening in the war.

"RUTKA" (14/15) Rutka’s great friend, loves a little mischief and gossip; she and Rutka get each other and like to tease each other. Micka is a little more concerned with popularity and fitting in; she satisfies her own crushes vicariously by pushing Rutka forward.

"RUTKA" (14/15/16) Very gossipy and a little more advanced, she acts more sophisticated and knowledgeable than she is; has at times been jealous of Rutka but underneath she looks up to her. She’s a fun, upbeat person but sometimes acts on her more superficial impulses.

"RUTKA" (14/15) a studious, hard worker, she is very practical, always does the right thing if she can. A little earnest and sometimes awkward, she shares Rutka’s love of books. She has grit; things don’t come as easily sometimes but she is willing to push through.

"RUTKA" (14) quiet and steady and a good listener; a little shy, a gentle daydreamer, she is easy to confide in.

"RUTKA" (15/16/17) Rutka’s main romantic interest, he’s handsome and smart. In different circumstances, he’d have been Head Boy, with an easy manner, confident and sometimes a little cocky. Rutka makes him want to recite poetry, but she is also the one person who makes him get tongue-tied and awkward.

"RUTKA" (17) Bookish and philosophical, an intellectual, passionate, and political. He’s a book worm but also unexpectedly brave and a natural leader. He doesn’t care what people think of him, marches to the beat of his own drum.

"RUTKA" (14) Fun-loving, sees himself as much suaver than he is — which is really a bit of a goofball. Crushed out on Rutka and all the girls, really. Janek’s best friend.

"RUTKA" Rutka’s father. A protective family man, idealistic, intellectual, musical and hardworking, he knew affluence and success before the war and was devoted to giving his wife and children a nice life. He is trying not to drown in world events and sees his job as continuing to look for a way out for his family and to keep them all from sinking into despair. He hides his own worries in order to keep the family as buoyant as possible.

"RUTKA" Rutka’s mother, trying to keep a semblance of normalcy and parent her children, but more and more desperate. She’s overwhelmed by having a baby, a teenager, and no way to maintain the order she used to take pride in. She can be stern but only because she is trying to keep some control. The spark between her and Yaacov is clearly still there beneath the anxiety and stress.

"RUTKA" He has joined the Judenrat/Kahal to enforce Nazi laws in the ghetto. A fellow Jew, he hopes to survive and believes if everyone follows strict laws maybe things will work out. He’s constantly warning people to follow orders and is like the strict hall monitor wielding his scrap of power.

"RUTKA" This is STASIA many decades later. She sees herself as the keeper of the flame and still converses with Rutka through the diary she has held onto. Though outwardly you would never know it, she has kept the unconventional spirit alive; she never married, has a mischievous twinkle, and enjoys young people and sharing the truth. She has seen the worst of humanity’s potential for cruelty but has been able to find and hold onto joy, which she sees as Rutka’s legacy.

"PRIMARY TRUST" Smart, sensitive, Kenneth lives a small life in a small town. He has a big imagination and longs to live bigger but is afraid, and when change comes, he must learn to live past his comfort zone.

"PRIMARY TRUST" Kenneth’s imaginary friend. Solid, practical, warm, encouraging.

"PRIMARY TRUST" Doubles as Bank Customers. Open and friendly to Kenneth, quirky and funny.

"PRIMARY TRUST" Doubles as Sam and Le Pousselet. Gruff and masculine with a heart underneath.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" Pronounced “Ah-nuh.” Beautiful. Charming. Smart. Accomplished. Organized. A columnist for a daily paper. The “Mother Bee.” Her grace masks a need to control.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" ANA’s golden-boy handsome, charismatic, underachiever husband who is starting to search for meaning. Met in college. Upper-crust background.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" ROB’s conservative, well-read, well-dressed, disciplined college roommate. ANA’s former boyfriend. History buf. Unmarried.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" ANA’s friend. Pretty. Shy. Smart. Tends to burst out with awkward truthful comments. Despite some lack of self-confdence, she is the grounding center of the group. Unorganized and oblivious to her own attractiveness. Unmarried.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" A go-getter. Former debate captain who is on the cusp of all current trends and yet can still put her foot in her mouth in social occasions. Laughs at appropriate and inappropriate times. A great lover of books and ANA’s protégé at the paper.

"BOOK CLUB PLAY" The new guy. A very smart, well-read academic who has lost his moorings and is searching for real connection. Professor of comparative literature.

"ENGLISH" The teacher. She was taught American English, lived in Britan for 9 years, but came back to Iran. She loves the English language and wants to impart that to her students. She speaks with a slight Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.

"ENGLISH" A student. She is a med student who needs to pass this exam and is highly anxious about it. She’s extroverted, smart, confident, and gets frustrated easily. She speaks with a very thick Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.

"ENGLISH" A student. “Not a girl, not yet a woman.” She is open and kind, full of openness and hope. She speaks with a light to moderate Persian accent, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.

"ENGLISH" A student. She is a dignified mother and grandmother. Very loving, very grounded. She is learning English to stay connected to family in Canada. She has the thickest Persian accent of the class, actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.

"ENGLISH" A student. Charismatic and charming, he is disarming with his confidence. He is outgoing but private. His ability to speak English is impressive, and his Persian accent is almost undetectable, and he has mastery over it. Actors with comfort in Farsi are encouraged to audition.

"BIRTHDAY CANDLES" Alice: selfless, strong, Ernestine’s Mother. Madeline: Troubled. Bemused. Erudite. Ernestine’s daughter. Ernie: Ethereal. Vivacious. She doesn’t walk, she glides. Alex’s daughter.

"BIRTHDAY CANDLES" Ernestine’s awkward and annoying next-door neighbor.

"BIRTHDAY CANDLES" Matt: Chiseled jawline. A middle linebacker on the high school football team. Ernestine’s boyfriend then husband. William: Thirteen. Grand.

"BIRTHDAY CANDLES" Billy: Sensitive. An ear for music. Ernestine’s son. John: A man woken up in the middle of the night.

"BIRTHDAY CANDLES" Joan: Anxious. Very Anxious. Billy’s wife. Alex: Takes no bullshit. Billy and Joan’s daughter. Beth: John’s domestic partner, she quit smoking ten years ago and hasn’t been in a good mood since.