Equity Performers Needed for 2026 Season Show in VA
Casting Equity actors for 2026 season show "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom". ONLY LOCAL, MD & DC TALENT WILL BE CONSIDERED. More information is provided below. Rate: LORT Non-Rep $889 weekly minimum (LORT D) Additional info: PREPARATION: Please prepare one of the following options: A 2- minute contemporary monologue, OR A 1-minute monologue and 32-bars of a song playing one of the musical instruments listed in the breakdowns in a BLUES or FOLK Style.” Please bring a HARD COPY of your headshot & resume. Be prepared to show your Equity membership card upon arrival. An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition. Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition. Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions. DMV local performers are encouraged to audition. All roles will be understudied. 1st Rehearsal – Aug. 4, 2026 1st Preview – Sept. 9, 2026 Opening – Sept. 14, 2026 Closing – Oct. 11, 2026 Possible Extension – Oct. 18, 2026 Please note – performers who play instruments (the blues) are encouraged to audition. Performers who do not play instruments will also be considered. If you are interested, please apply.
8 role s
Recording studio owner, he has no patience for artist attitudes. Insensitive to black performers and prefers to deal with them at arm's length. Quick to jump to the worst conclusions, anxious, and self-serving. He and Ma are like oil and water – they do NOT get along.
Ma’s long-time manager. A tall, fleshy man who prides himself on his knowledge of black people and his ability to work with them. Always putting out fires and used to managing stress, he knows that the best way to calm someone down is to make them feel heard, but don’t confuse his outward compassion with being a pushover. Self-serving and calculated.
Plays guitar and trombone. The leader of the group, and the most sensible of the band members. This is not his first rodeo; he really just wants to clock his time and go home. He’s been in the game a long time and he’s seen it all, he has very little patience for cocky young musicians. Well aware of the dangers and societal limitations that come with being a black man, His playing is solid and almost totally without embellishments, he has all the qualities of a loner except the introspection.
Plays piano. The only member of the band that can read, he is selftaught and proud of his learned qualities but has a tendency to misunderstand and misapply his knowledge. Quick to penetrate to the core of a situation with thought provoking insights. Outspoken and frustrated with his band member’s lack of education, he’s quick to take the bait when provoked.
Plays bass. Deceptively intelligent but appears slow. The band member most bored by life, he physically resembles Cutler but lacks Cutler’s energy and leadership skills. Don’t underestimate him. A large man with a wicked smile, innate African rhythms underlie everything he plays, and he plays with an ease that is at times startling.
A young dark-skinned woman with a natural sexual energy. Ma’s lover, though always careful to keep their relationship quiet. She’s off limits to these men and if they’re smart, they’ll know that. Beautiful, funny, alluring, always dressed in the best, Ma will make sure that she never wants for anything as long as she remains loyal.
Ma’s nephew. An Arkansas country boy the size of a fullback, he is a very anxious young man. Stutters, easily steamrolled, Ma is intent on him making something of himself, but he really hates being the center of attention.
A true product of his time, he doesn’t have a lot of patience for black folx but is willing to look the other way to line his pocket.
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