Theater Audition for "Brighton Beach Memoirs" Play
ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE ADMITTED. Seeking actors for upcoming production: "Brighton Beach Memoirs". More details are below. About the play: Brighton Beach Memoirs", a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon is set in 1937 against the backdrop of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, during the Great Depression. A coming of age story told through the eyes of the main character Eugene Morris Jerome, a Jewish teenager who dreams of being a writer, and his relationship with his family. It is the first play in Simon’s Eugene trilogy including Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. Rate: This is a non-union, non paying production. Additional information: Performance Dates: October 30 – November 6. Actors selected for an audition will be contacted and given a time and the location. Actors will be required to prepare a short monologue and/or readings from the play. When applying, please submit your resume, head shot and indicate the role you are auditioning for.
7 roles
Must be able to play a 15 year old. A fifteen year old student, Jack and Kate’s son, and Stanley’s younger brother. Eugene is at the center of the play, observing and taking part in the action and commenting directly to the audience about what’s going on and what’s already happened. Eugene dreams of becoming either a writer or a baseball player, and often spins out elaborate fantasies of himself in these roles.
A middle-aged working man, Kate’s husband, and Eugene and Stanley’s father. Jack is a responsible family man, holding down two jobs so he can support his own family and his sister-in -law Blanche’s including his two nieces who live with them. He is the patriarch of both families since his brother-in-law Dave died.
A middle-aged housewife, Jack’s wife, Blanche’s sister, and Eugene and Stanley’s mother. Kate has spent her entire life taking care of others – first her parents, and now her husband and kids, as well as her sister’s family. She manages the household on little money but lets her husband Jack make the important decisions for the family. Kate feels like she has given up things in her own life for those she loves but she has repressed this anger for decades.
Kate’s younger sister, and Nora and Laurie’s mother, Blanche has been widowed for six years, and after her husband left her with no money, she was forced to depend upon Kate and Jack’s charity for the support of her and her daughters. Blanche is unable to get a job due to her poor eyesight and asthma, but she takes in sewing at home to help pay for Nora’s dance lessons. Blanche has never truly been independent but realizes that she needs to learn to take care of herself and her daughters.
MUST be able to play an 18 year old –Eighteen year old Stanley, Jack and Kate’s son, and Eugene’s older brother, went to work straight after high school to help support his family. He tries to live by the principles of fairness and risks his job standing up for a fellow employee. Stanley also is his brother’s confidante for issues and questions surrounding sexuality.
MUST be able to play a 16 year old – Nora .Blanche’s older daughter has spent many years studying dance and wants to be a performer on stage. She is angry when her mother Blanche follows Jack’s advice not to let her audition for a Broadway musical. Nora resents her mother’s inability to make the decision on her own or let her be part of the process, and she longs for more independence. Nora misses her father and feels like her mother neither pays attention to her nor shows her love.
MUST be able to play a 13 year old. A thirteen-year-old student, Blanche’s daughter, and Nora’s sister. Laurie has been diagnosed with a weak heart, so her mother believes she is fragile and keeps her in the house. Laurie uses her weak heart to get out of chores and has few responsibilities to the household. Laurie spends her time reading and studying. She has few memories of her father.
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