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2023 Festival Season Role Descriptions

Home / 2023 Festival Season Role Descriptions

PLEASE NOTE: In reference to the character descriptions below – The characters in these shows are written on the binary and with he/him or she/her pronouns as you will see in the following descriptions. However,  Glow is committed to inclusive and conscious casting. We cast auditionees of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender expression (including self-identifying trans, non-binary and gender-queer), physical abilities, body types and backgrounds. We also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character, but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities. Unless otherwise noted, roles will be open for consideration of actors of all ethnicities, and we will be intentionally seeking BIPOC actors. 

 

CABARET 

By Kander & Ebb 

Synopsis: Cabaret takes place in Berlin from 1929-1930. Clifford Bradshaw, a struggling American writer, is looking for inspiration for his next novel. On his first night in Berlin, Cliff wanders into the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub overseen by the strange, omniscient and gender-bending Master of Ceremonies, “the Emcee.” Here, Cliff meets Sally Bowles, a vivacious cabaret performer, and an utterly lost soul. Sally and Cliff begin a relationship, which blossoms into romance, however tumultuous. As time passes, however, the situation in Berlin changes from exciting and vital to ominous and violent and things turn for the worst in the world of our protagonists. With a distinctly Brechtian dose of provocation and a score featuring songs that have become classics of the American Musical Theater, Cabaret is a fierce, meaty musical that pushes the boundaries of the form and literally holds “the mirror up to nature.”

Trigger Warning: All roles within this production perform or witness bawdy/sexually suggestive staging/choreography, revealing clothing, moments of intimacy with other actors, moments of stage violence, suggested sexual violence, prostitution, ethnic/Jewish slurs, suggestive/foul language, Nazi imagery/themes, and suggested abortion. The cast will be led by an intimacy director through the entire rehearsal period.  A perusal script is included here so you may become knowledgeable about what the production entails and the context of the sides. 

ROLES: 

Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) Host at the Kit Kat Club– a gender-nonconforming-presenting exuberant figure; comfortable with being close to the audience; dark, comedic, sinister, vulgar…yet lovable; requires a strong presence that is playful and mysterious. Must act, sing (some in German), move well.  Tenor 

Sally Bowles A British cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Club. Quirky and flighty, but independent.  Struggles with knowing the darkness of the reality of her life, while searching for a better one. Mezzo-Soprano

Clifford Bradshaw An American novelist and English teacher traveling to Berlin. Through his journey he explores the many facets and complexities of his sexuality, politics, and artistic goals.  Baritone

Ernst Ludwig A friendly and likable German, takes English lessons from Cliff, and smuggles funds for the Nazi party; comfortable with stage movement and light dance (waltz); and sing in German. 

Fräulein Schneider A landlady who rents rooms to Cliff, Sally, and several other characters in her large flat. She is alone and is resigned to her place in life, but secretly longs for companionship. She is very critical of some people while looking the other way with others; comfortable with stage movement and light dance (waltz). Alto 

Fräulein Kost (doubles as Fritzie)  A prostitute who rents in Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house; larger than life personality, quick witted and sharp tongued; sexual and commanding nature; must act and move well and sing in German. Mezzo-Soprano 

Herr Schultz A Jewish fruit shop owner who falls in love with Fraulein Schneider; sweet, lovable, and adoring; heartbreakingly naive about the political turmoil in Germany. Baritone 

The Kit Kat “Girls” & “Boys” These performers are often in salacious situations and costumes. They are an eclectic mix of types and aren’t necessarily a matching unit. It is very important they act, sing, dance/move well and with confidence. They will be part of various scenes in and out of the Club; should be comfortable interacting with the audience and with bawdy/suggestive staging/choreography; also sing in German.

Rosie 

Lulu 

Frenchie 

Texas Fritzie (doubles as Fräulein Kost)

Helga  

Bobby 

Victor 

Hans (doubles as Rudy, a sailor)

Herman (doubles as Customs Official and Max)

Gorilla (Gorilla doubles as a Kit Kat Girl/Boy) 

 

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

By Paol Ruder

Synopsis

Set in the United States in the early 21st Century, the country is run by a theocratic Protestant fundamentalist dictatorship known as the Republic of Gilead. Political and religious dissidents live in daily fear of deportation to a gulag of labor camps or public execution. Offred, having been caught attempting to flee from Gilead, is sentenced to become a Handmaid – a surrogate mother for a high-ranking couple suffering from fertility problems. She makes contacts with the underground resistance and is smuggled on the underground railroad to Canada. At the end of the opera, it is learned that the tape on which her story is revealed was retold in a safe house within Gilead. The success or failure of her attempt to flee to Canada is therefore unknown.

Trigger Warning: All roles within this production perform or witness racism, sexism, staged sexual assault, non-consensual polygamy, domestic abuse, hanging, depression, suicide, forced pregnancy, and family separation. 

Roles: 

Offred: the protagonist of the opera. Offred is a Handmaid, a class of person in Gilead who is forced to bear children for the elite, specifically the commanders and their wives. Her name is a combination of the word “of” and the name of her commander, Fred. She was married to a man named Luke and had a daughter. Age 30s Mezzo-Soprano 

The Double: Offred in The Time Before,  Mid-20s Mezzo-Soprano

Luke: Offred’s pre-Gilead husband and father of her daughter. He tried to help his family escape over the border and out of Gilead. Mid-30s, Tenor

Luke & Offred’s Daughter: Speaking role, age 5

Offred’s Mother: a firm, almost militant supporter of the women’s rights movement. She was heavily involved in the movement as a young woman, including participating in Take Back the Night marches and pro-choice rallies. 50s, mezzo-soprano 

Aunt Lydia: Lydia is one of another class of people in Gilead, the Aunts. They are responsible for indoctrinating the Handmaids and ensuring their compliance with the Ceremony. She works at the Red Center where Offred was reeducated. She is commanding and brutal, and she and Offred have a tumultuous relationship. 40s-50s. Dramatic Soprano 

Moira: One of Offred’s closest friends, Moira is a feminist and lesbian who is unconquerably defiant in the face of Gilead’s rules. She refuses to accept her fate as a Handmaid and instead ends up working as a prostitute in a club for Commanders. 20s-30s Soprano 

Janine (Ofwarren): Offred met Janine while she was at the Red Center. Unlike Offred and Ofglen, she is a conformist and is prepared to go along with what the Commander and his Wife tell her. 20s-30s.  Soprano 

Serena Joy: Serena is Fred’s wife. She spends her days living as a traditional, upper-class wife. She hates Offred but due to her barrenness and the value of children in Gilead’s society, she has to tolerate her presence. Serena is deeply unhappy despite her status. 40s-60s. Alto 

Rita: Rita is a Martha or a domestic servant in Gilead. She works in the Commander’s household and appears to support the Handmaid’s more than some others. She is infertile, as are all the Marthas. 40s-60. Alto 

The Commander (Fred): The Commander is, under the laws of Gilead, in possession of Offred, his Handmaid. He is an elite in Gilead society, ranking towards the top of their military hierarchy. He r*pes Offered once a month in what is known as the Ceremony. The Commander treats Offred as a child, constantly teasing her with the possibility of more freedom. 40s-60s. Bass

Nick: Nick is a Guardian or a low-level official in Gilead society who has been assigned to the Commander’s home. He watches over the household and works as a grander and chauffeur. It is suspected that he may be a member of the Eyes- a higher ranking official. Nick and Offred have sex under Serena’s instruction in order to try to produce a child for the Commander’s household. They fall in love. 30s Tenor 

Ofglen: A Handmaid who is assigned as Offred’s shopping partner and is a member of the Mayday resistance group. 20s-30 Soprano 

Newofglen: replaces Ofglen with her Commander after her death, 20s-30s mezzo-soprano

The Doctor: An obstetrician/gynecologist-type doctor who checks on Offred’s sexual health, then offers to try to impregnate her. 40s-50s Tenor

Warren’s Wife: the Wife of Commander Warren Putnam, to whom Janine was assigned  Mezzo Soprano 

Commander X:  50s, tenor

Eye and Guard 1: 20s-60s Bass

Eye and Guard 2: 20s-60s Bass

Moira’s Aunt: alto

 

Black Broadway

Black Broadway is an original musical theatre revue celebrating the legacies of Black and African American artists on the theatrical stage.  A live band accompanies an ensemble of singers performing from hit musicals like “The Wiz,” “The Color Purple,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and “Dreamgirls.”  Interwoven with dance and spoken word, Black Broadway recognizes the rich history and revolutionary contributions of Black Musical Theatre.This production will be devised and created with the help of the cast of actors. 

Trigger Warning: Due to the subject matter of its source material, this show may include references to current events, racial themes, slurs, racial violence, and intimacy. 

Roles:

Seeking 4-6 performers of Black/African American/African descent, considering all voice types, body types, abilities, ages, genders, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

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