Casting Performers for "Threads: A New Musical" Show
The company is holding auditions for "Threads: A New Musical" and looking for performers, please see the details below. ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE CONSIDERED. About the project: THREADS is a new immersive folk musical rooted in the true story of the 1929 Loray Mill Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina. The story centers real-life heroine Ella May Wiggins, a single mother, labor organizer, and songwriter whose protest ballads became anthems of resilience for mill workers fighting for dignity and justice. Blending an original folk-inspired score, physical storytelling, and site-specific performance, the show weaves together voices of women, immigrants, Black and white Southerners, and working-class families whose lives and sacrifices shaped a turning point in American labor history. This is a story of community and solidarity told through the threads of music, struggle, and hope. Rate: All actors will receive a workshop stipend of $100. Transportation and housing are NOT provided. Only LOCAL NORTH CAROLINA actors or those with local housing will be considered at this time. Additional info: Rehearsals/Workshop: Evenings TBD in person and Zoom October 27-December 4, tech/dress December 5-10 TO PREPARE: Please prepare two contrasting songs (16-32 bars each), one from a contemporary musical, and one folk or traditional country song. Please bring sheet music for our provided accompanist. Instrumentalists encouraged to bring guitars and accompany themselves if desired. Please apply if interested.
11 roles
Big-hearted. Gritty country girl and proud of it. Genuine. Shows great leadership in her activism. Passionate, almost to a fault, regarding unionizing. Pulls no punches. Some guitar experience is preferred, but not essential. Strong country/folk vocalist.
The story-keeper. Daughter of Ella's best friend, Big Veena, who lives to tell about it. Warm. Keeps humor and joy alive in her heart.
Young, ambitious, and earnest journalist. Eager to understand the history and report in all its glory.
Country boy from the hills of Tennessee. Music is his life and Ella May is his love. A gentle imbiber. Wants more out of life. Also plays Bruce Abernathy: A boisterous bossman. Schemer. Seeking actor/musician: guitar and/or banjo. Strong country/folk vocalist.
Big personality. Full heart. Best friend of Ella May. Knows they do not live in an equal playing field society. Cautiously optimistic. Mother of our narrator, Melveena.
A gentle soul, but a fighter. Dedicated to the unionizing of the country. Northerner. Also plays Judge Burnhill: No nonsense in his courtroom. Straightforward. Justice is all that matters.
A beloved man of the people. Takes his job seriously to uphold peace and justice. Also plays Senator Overman: A feckless politician. Skittish.
A tough no no-nonsense activist for the union. Engaging. Scottish accent. Also plays Ensemble; Mabel Montgomery: 50s, Self-righteous. Feisty. Member of the Temperance movement; and Sophie Melvin: 30, Flirty. Enjoys the attention
A powerful man of the cloth. Southern Baptist cadence. Inspiring. Also plays Mill Worker #4, Buford Carrington, DC Reporter/Photographer, and Ensemble.
A man of faith and conviction. Protective of his family. Husband of Big Veena. Also plays Mill Worker #5, Bartender, and Ensemble.
Seeking strong actors and vocalists who will play a wide variety of dynamic historical roles. Instrumentalists a plus.
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