NJ Rep to Hold Auditions for 2025 Season

THE DROP-OFF - a world premiere by James Anthony Tyler; Director: Joe Cacaci. January 9 - February 2, 2025. The funny, heartfelt, and poignant story of a mother and daughter trying to overcome the challenges of aging and the mistakes of the past. At Deer Lakes Assisted Living Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, Allain drops off her mother, Delphina, who has the beginning stages of dementia. When Delphina refuses to stay at the facility, memories of loss, dreams broken, and an impending eviction come to the surface in a way that may break this mother and daughter bond forever.

CAST BREAKDOWN:

DELPHINA (70’s) a feisty, no nonsense, headstrong, proud, elegant woman.

ALLAIN (40’s) Delphina’s daughter, overwhelmed by money problems due to her gambling addiction, desperate – torn between her responsibly to her mother and her untenable financial situation.

CRYSTAL (70’s) a long-time resident of Deer Lake Assisted Living. Funny, a busybody who knows everything about everyone.

MIMI (20’s-30’s) A nurses aid – Compassionate, patient and likable.

All are African American

CASANOVA AT TWILIGHT - a world premiere by Richard Vetere; Director: Evan Bergman. Dates: TBA. Rachel is a widow who has embraced her situation and spends most of her time in her garden. The only chaos in her life is her debonair next-door neighbor, a retired professor of literature, Walter Parnell. Walter, in the twilight of his years, has always been a Casanova and has repeatedly proclaimed his love for Rachel. Rachel, on the other hand, has no interest in his romantic intentions, that is, until her younger friend Stacey gives into Walter's charms.

CAST BREAKDOWN:

WALTER PARNELL (70’s) is a man of irresistible charm and wit. He is also handsome, well-groomed and has a pleasant intelligence, and has bedded most of the widows in Westchester County.

RACHEL DAVIS (Late 60’s) A pretty woman, a retired literature professor and once the Chair of her Department. She has sharp, intelligent eyes, a practical nature and is not afraid to take responsibility. She has been a widow for six years.

STACEY BARBER (50’s) A very attractive woman, she has piercing eyes and wears her hair long and streaked proudly with grey. Having grown up in the late 60's, she is open-minded to any experience and at her core, she has a good nature.

CAN’T RUN CAN’T DANCE - a world premiere by Gregg Henry; Director: Lisa James. Dates: TBA. Squeak, Ingrid, Ray, and Ronnie, four small time grifters, meet at an isolated cabin in Washington State to pull off a heist that has all the earmarks of a disaster about to happen.

CAST BREAKDOWN:

SQUEAK (Late 20-Early 30’s) She is smallish, looks younger than her years. Obsessive, annoying, loyal, probably a genius, but talks too much so folks tend to tune out.

INGRID (Late 20-30’s) Tough. Strong. She has been around the block but owns it.

RONNIE (30's-40’s) Ingrid’s boyfriend and Ray’s older brother. Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

RAY (20's-40's) Ronnie’s younger brother. Smart, steely, geeky could explode at a second’s notice.

MAKE BELIEVE - a world premiere by John Biguenet; Director: SuzAnne Barabas. Dates: TBA. In 1935 Los Angeles, a gossip columnist has published rumors that Bailey Hunter, a Depression-era matinee idol is a homosexual. To combat the negative press and save his career, Bailey’s press agent concocts a scheme to have him caught in bed with a woman. The press agent has hired a prostitute, Eleanor, to play her. Waiting for a reporter and a photographer to burst into their hotel room to capture their feigned illicit romance, Bailey and Eleanor begin to reveal more and more about themselves as they undress little by little. Can the actor’s faith in the imagined and the prostitute’s hard-earned realism be reconciled before “the door bursts open and everything goes to hell”?

CAST BREAKDOWN:

BAILEY (Late 20s, early 30s) Matinee idol handsome. Polite, gentlemanly, shy underneath, a bit naive. Takes his acting seriously. Should be able to sing both poorly and then well the first four verses of Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do?”

ELEANOR (Late 20s, early 30s) Attractive, smart, tough but still open, seemingly unsentimental but sympathetic when justified. Doesn’t try to disguise her New Jersey accent.

HOW MY GRANDPARENTS FELL IN LOVE - a world premiere musical by Cary Gitter and Neil Berg; Director: TBA; Dates: TBA. Rovno, Poland. 1933. Charlie, a Jewish immigrant with a romantic streak, returns to the old country from America and meets the strong-minded Chava in a hat shop. As their unlikely relationship blooms, the political situation in Europe darkens. Inspired by the true story of the playwright’s grandparents, this new musical is a heartfelt exploration of love, family, and Jewish identity.

CAST BREAKDOWN:

CHAVA (Early/mid-20s) A Polish Jew. Smart, strong-willed, independent, with a wry sense of humor.

Vocal Requirements: Belt with a high mix (in other words, can do belting and has a soprano range). Hopefully has a bit of rich darkness to their voice.

CHARLIE (Late 20s/early 30s) A Polish Jew who immigrated to America a decade ago. A dreamer. Charmingly awkward. Vocal Requirements: Baritone with a tenor extension. Hopefully has a voice with lushness and character.

Theatre’s statement: "Age is not as important as the spirit of the actor. We are looking for actors who embody the sense of youth or age needed for each role. Open to AEA, EMC and non union actors. We promote inclusion in casting in regard to ethnicity, age, race, gender identity, LGBTQIA+, people with disability and all are encouraged to audition for all of the plays."

Plays and dates subject to change.

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) was founded in 1997 by SuzAnne and Gabor Barabas. Its current central headquarters is the Lumia Theater, located on lower Broadway in Long Branch. The theater's mission is to develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American Stage. Over two decades, NJ Rep has produced 151 plays, of which 126 have been world premieres. The theater has the additional distinction of having had many of its plays produced by other theaters around the country, totaling over 200 subsequent productions in the US and overseas. In 2012 and 2018, NJ Rep was the recipient of a National Theater Company Grant from the American Theater Wing that sponsors the annual Tony Awards for Broadway in recognition of its contribution to the repertoire of the American Stage. Only seven theaters have had this distinction. In addition, the theater has presented over 400 developmental readings as well as introduced 136 new works through its Theatre Brut Short-Play Festivals that focus on visionary and avant-garde works. NJRep acquired a new property, a 28,000 square foot school situated on 2 ½ acres and located just five minutes from its Main Stage Lumia Theater and two blocks from the Jersey Shore. The theater plans on gradually transforming the school in stages into a cultural center that will house additional performance spaces, an art cinema, an art museum, a rooftop café, an arts education wing, and residences for out-of-town actors and playwrights. When completed, the center will present a wide array of programs in acting, playwriting, art, sculpture, poetry, music, and photography and will serve as a catalyst for economic development and as the foundation for the cultural renaissance of the community.

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