CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: HIGHLAND ARTS THEATRE AUDITIONS
LAY-UP
A NEW MUSICAL BY AARON JAN & RIEL REDDICK-STEVENS
AUDITION CALL FOR MALE, FEMALE & NON-BINARY ACTORS
Ages 15 & Up (Equity and Non-Equity)
The Highland Arts Theatre is excited to announce a two-part Workshop of a brand new Musical: LAY-UP!
Winner of the inaugural Rita Joe Playwriting Award, this new piece was commissioned by the Highland Arts Theatre in 2021 and we are so excited to launch this next phase of it’s development.
After a violent incident ends her dreams of playing ball professionally, former high school champ Sydney Ashe, is forced to return to her maritime hometown to regain her ticket to the big leagues. Sydney must wrangle together a group of misfits to defeat the best team in the province, or risk being trapped in Cole Harbour forever.
LAY-UP is an epic anti-coming of age musical that blends Hip hop, R&B and beatmaking to tell a story exploring “made it out” culture as a BIPOC athlete. What happens when we do not achieve Black excellence? How do we need to transform ourselves in our desire to be exceptional?
This workshop will allow the writers (Aaron Jan and Riel Reddick-Stevens) to hear the play aloud and work with actors, under the guidance of Director/Dramaturg Luke Reece.
WORKSHOP DATES:
April 20th, 1:00 to 5:00 AST - Zoom Reading and Discussion (Remote Participation Possible)
July 16th to 21st, 2024 - In Person Workshop (Highland Arts Theatre, Sydney, NS)
At this time, we will be receiving only video auditions for this workshop. Please see below for full submission details.
Please Note: Equity performers will be engaged under a D.O.T. contract agreement. Priority consideration will be given to artists from or living in Nova Scotia and especially Cape Breton, however, artists from across Canada are encouraged to submit.
All roles will be paid at Equity D.O.T. Workshop rates, regardless of membership. Funding for this workshop provided in part by the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Highland Arts Theatre is always seeking to mirror the vast diversity of culture in the social fabric of Unama’ki/Cape Breton Island. Our work seeks to provoke discussion and redefine traditions of identity and character. Therefore, we encourage submissions from artists of all backgrounds, including, but not limited to, race, gender, body type, ethnicity, ability, and members of other under-represented communities. We welcome applicants to inform us of their pronouns and to include details about how their identity informs their artistic practice, should they wish.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
60-90 seconds of an R & B, Pop, Hip-Hop or Rap song and a scene (sides will be provided upon submission).
NOTE: All interested parties must submit in advance of this date in order to receive audition materials. Upon your submission, you will be provided with a short scene from the play from the character of your choice.
IN YOUR SUBMISSION PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1) Recent headshot or photo (professional quality not necessary)
2) Theatrical Resumé
3) A link to your song choice video (unlisted YouTube link)
4) What role you would like to be considered for.
At this time, we will be auditioning for the following roles:
(Please note, the ages listed are that of the character, NOT necessarily the actor. Especially for workshop purposes, we will consider actors for roles of any age.)
Characters:
Sydney
Black/Femme identifying - 19, All star player from Cole Harbour, who’s just been kicked off her college basketball team at Duke University. Mixed race.
Lizzie “Chowder” Chen
East Asian/Femme identifying - 17 - basketball fan with dreams of playing despite her heavy asthma. Naive, innocent, chronically unpopular, Sydney is her hero. Sells chowder during the day.
TJ
BIPOC/Masc identifying - 19, Sydney’s ex who’s been with Britni since she left. Wannabe scatter in a jazz band that hates scatting.
Britni
Black/Femme identifying - 19, captain of the Eagles, a local streetball team. Sydney’s former best friend, now rival. Mixed race.
Portland/Destroyers
Black/Femme identifying - 19, a member of the Eagles who’s very organized. Also, plays an opposing streeball team that’s ferocious and cruel.
Cherry/Flowers
Black/Femme identifying - 19 - a member of the Eagles who’s not very smart. Also plays an opposing streetball team who’s composed of children.
Forrest
Black/Femme identifying - 19, a member of the Eagles who’s trying to be a streamer.
Female Ensemble (Announcer/WNBA Player/Unlicensed Disney black character/Other Team 1/Toronto)
Black/Femme identifying - Various roles.
Male Ensemble (Kid/DJ/Barrack Obama/Band Leader/Dwayne the Rock Johnson/Other Team 2/Bystander/President)
Black/Masc identifying Various roles.
Upon submission, you will be sent a package with a scene for your character of choice. You may be given a second character to prepare as well. Scenes do not need to be memorized, but the more prepared you are, the better.
A draft of the full script will be provided for reference, if requested.
