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Breakdown
McCarter Theatre 2014-2015 Season
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
By William Shakespeare. Adapted and directed by Emily Mann.
1st reh: 8/1/14. Runs 9/12 - 10/5, with possible one week extension to 10/12
In the Berlind Theatre.
She was the seductive queen of Egypt, and he one of the generals of Rome. Their fiery longing and sensuous love affair would tear empires apart. Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is one of literature’s great masterpieces, full of romance, passion, and betrayal. The roles in this production will be played by an ensemble of actors; all doublings are subject to change.
Seeking:
Marc Antony:
Late 30s- mid 50s. Member of the triumverate of the Roman Empire. Fierce and feared soldier. A clever strategist. Torn between his love for Cleopatra and his sense of duty.
Cleopatra:
30s – early 40s. Queen of Egypt. Fiery, passionate, and brilliant with words. This role is cast.
Enobarbus:
40s-50s. Antony’s most loyal supporter. A warrior and pragmatist. Worldly and cynical. Loyal to a fault. Skeptical of the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra.
Charmain:
Early 30s - 40s. Cleopatra’s closest confidant. Skillfully navigates her mistress’ rapidly changing moods. This role is cast.
Octavia/Iras:
Mid 20s – 30s. Octavia: The beautiful sister of Caesar who marries Marc Antony. She is the quintessential political wife. Iras: One of Cleopatra’s faithful waiting women.
Octavius Caesar:
Early 20s. One of three rulers of the Roman Empire. The adopted son of Julius Caesar. Icy, ambitious, and brilliant. A political animal.
Agrippa/Soldier:
Agrippa: A vital friend to the young Caesar. He is clever and confident. May also double as a soldier in the Roman Army.
Eros/Soldier:
Eros: A loyal attendant serving Antony. May also double as a soldier in the Roman Army.
Mardian/Clown:
Mardian: The musical eunuch who lifts Cleopatra’s spirits. Clown: Delivers the poisonous snakes to Cleopatra. Must be a confident singer who can play an instrument.
Lepidius/Soothsayer/Proculeius/Soldier:
Lepidius: The weakest member of the triumvirate, politically and personally. Small and somewhat timid. Soothsayer: Fortune-teller who predicts Antony’s future. Proculeius: One of Caesar’s soldiers who proves himself untrustworthy. May also double as a soldier in the Roman Army.
Menas/Scarus/Diomedes/Seleucus:
Mid – late 20s. Menas: Ambitious soldier of Pompey. Scarus: Brave soldier serving Antony. Diomedes: Cleopatra’s servant. Seleucus: Cleopatra’s treasurer, who betrays his master.
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THE UNDERSTUDY
By Theresa Rebeck. Directed By Adam Immerwahr.
1st reh: 9/16/14. Runs 10/17 – 11/2/14. Matthews Theatre.
The show must go on—even when everything seems to be going hilariously wrong. It’s the understudy rehearsal for a hit new Broadway play, but the set technician is high, the cocky movie star doesn’t understand the script, and the understudy is surprised to find that the stage manager is his jilted ex-fiancée. Backstage friction takes center stage in a biting comedy about art, celebrity, and the things we do for the business we love.
Seeking:
Harry:
30s-40s. Jake’s understudy. A sometimes-working actor who is definitely not bitter about his lack of success. Opinionated, stubborn, and artistically high-minded. Harry would consider himself a realist.
Roxanne:
30s-40s. A stage manager. Sharp, sarcastic, and commanding. Utterly pragmatic about the hierarchy of theater. Normally cool and collected, she is blind-sided by her emotions. Gets a bit high-strung when she’s stressed.
Jake:
20s-30s. An action movie star eager to prove himself by working on Broadway. Painfully handsome, oozes confidence. A little out of touch with reality, but earnest.
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A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens, adaptation by David Thompson. Directed by Michael Unger with Choreography by Rob Ashford.
1st reh: 11/14/14.. Runs 12/11 – 12/28/14. Matthews Theatre.
Ebenezer Scrooge:
50s-mid 60s. Quintessential curmudgeon, must have superb comic and dramatic range. Beneath the crusty exterior is a man seeking a connection. Involves flying. London Accent. Not posh, not cockney.
Bob Cratchit:
30s. Scrooge’s clerk, Cratchit has been worked to the bone. Once a lively man, he now worries about putting food on the table, but is still filled with hope and humor, despite his difficult existence. Any ethnicity.
Jacob Marley:
Late 20s-Late 30s. Scrooge’s partner, an ambitious, practical man, with no sentimentality. Marley is a product of industrial England, he places money and financial stability above all else. Must move well. Any ethnicity.
Fred:
20s. High Baritone. Scrooge's nephew. An optimistic and kind young man. Witty and able to trade barbs with his Uncle. Should be an attractive leading man with a slightly goofy edge. Also plays the undertaker – a leering, creepy, grasping example of the underworld in Victorian England – cockney accent. Funny. Any ethnicity.
Young Scrooge:
Early 20s. Scrooge before he is corrupted, a conflicted youth torn between the need for financial security and the desire to connect with other human beings. At this point, he still possesses a sense of fun and humor and, most importantly, he is still redeemable.
Fan / Solicitor 2:
20s. Fan is young and fragile. Scrooge’s devoted sister and Fred’s mother. Solicitor 2 is a giddy but determined young woman, who loves to tease, is good hearted and well-intentioned. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Fezziwig / Solicitor 1 / Laundress:
30s-40s. Mrs. Fezziwig: Ditzy and gabby, warm, convinced she and her daughter are great beauties. A good hearted meddler. In love with her husband and entirely convinced of the goodness of those around her and the bounty of the world. Solicitor 1: A strong woman who works for right. Quick with a joke though hard on those she considers stingy; Laundress: cockney, making what she can out of the despair of others; competitive, funny. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Dilber:
30s-early 40s. Scrooge’s dithering servant. Working class British. Quirky, funny and resigned. Comedienne with heart. A character woman. Any ethnicity.
Mrs. Cratchit:
30s. Caring but fiery, she will defend her family at any price. She is the glue that holds her family together. Nurturing, warm, the salt of the earth. Working class London accent.
Lily/Belle:
20s-early 30s. Lily: Fred’s wife is a kind, graceful young woman. Lily always sees the best in people. She is tenacious and refuses to give up on Scrooge because she realizes how much family means to Fred. Belle: Scrooge’s fiancée who leaves him because of his obsession with money. A woman ahead of her time, Belle is fiercely idealistic. There is a sadness about her; she holds people to high standards and has been disappointed. Must sing and move extremely well. Dancer preferred. Chest mix to a D.
Mr. Fezziwig/Old Joe:
50s. Character man. Fezziwig: Young Scrooge’s boss, generous, expansive. Fezziwig is a kind hearted and jolly man, but not a fool. Has integrity. Old Joe: Cockney Pawnshop dealer who trades in stolen goods. Witty and devious, Joe is a distant relative of Dickens’ Fagin with a bawdy sense of humor. Any Ethnicity.
Christmas Present:
30s. Female. African American. Infectious spirit and warmth. Must have a real presence and sense of humor, wit, and mischief. Though maternal and earthy, she is powerful and has an implicit understanding of right and wrong.
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Ken Ludwig’s BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY
Adapted by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Gary Griffin. Produced in association with Arena Stage.
1st reh: 2/23/15. Runs 3/9 – 3/29/15. Matthews Theatre.
Sherlock Holmes is on the case. Ken Ludwig transforms Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. The male heirs of the Baskerville line are being dispatched one by one. To find their ingenious killer, Holmes and Watson must brave the desolate moors. Five transformable actors will bring this spine-tingling Victorian whodunit to life with sheer inventiveness and enormous heart.
Seeking:
Sherlock Holmes:
30s. The iconic detective. Lean and eccentric. A bundle of energy and intelligence. Must have immense stage presence, great endurance, and superb comic timing.
Doctor Watson:
30s. Holmes’ sidekick. Solid, straightforward, and reliable. Must have immense stage presence, great endurance, and superb comic timing.
Actors One, Two and Three:
20s-40s. 2 Men, 1 Woman. Actors will play over 25 secondary roles. Must be versatile and playful with excellent verbal and physical comic timing. Must be adept with multiple accents.
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FIVE MILE LAKE
By Rachel Bonds. Directed by Emily Mann.
1st reh: 4/3/15. Runs 5/8 – 5/31/15, with possible one week extension to 6/7. Berlind Theatre.
With sublime care, Bonds paints a moving portrait of a group of young people, yearning to make the right choices as they journey into their thirties in a rapidly transforming world.
Seeking:
Jamie:
30s. Rufus’ brother. Happily living in his hometown. He has a big heart, but not much of a way with words. Easy going and optimistic. Covers up his vulnerability around the people he cares about, but secretly wishing for a real connection.
Mary:
30s. Danny’s sister. Tightly wound. Drowning in her responsibility and stuck in her hometown. Introspective, emotional and protective.
Rufus:
30s. Jamie’s brother. An academic floundering on his PhD. Probably a genius, and prone to nerding out on ancient Greek theater, but struggles to open up to other people. Thinks that avoiding his problems might make them go away. Selfish at times.
Peta:
30s. Born in Pakistan, raised in London. An intellectual, and a workaholic. Driven, prolific, and practical. Fiery and often independent, but realizes that she can’t fix her relationship alone.
Danny:
30s. Mary’s brother. Served two tours in Afghanistan. Strong sense of duty. Lively and hyper. Showing signs of PTSD.
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