Theater Arts Productions

Auditions will take place on Sunday, November 10 beginning at 11 AM. Roles are open to all interested students of any gender. All those auditioning should arrive promptly at 11 AM (arriving a few minutes early is a great idea to ensure you're prepared and on time). There will be a group warm up at 11 AM and individual audition slots will be assigned after that. Please register for auditions here and prepare one of the monologues from the "What to Prepare for the Audition" section of this website.

Content Awareness: This play's text deals with war crimes, violence and police brutality. There are references to war violence and sexual violence. All those auditioning should read the entire play before auditioning. 

sign up for AUDITIONS

Please prepare one of the following 3 monolgues from Intractable Woman for your audition:

This story could start in many ways.
With a name, for instance.
Vladislav Surkov.
This gentleman works in the office of the Russian president.
They trust him at the Kremlin.
And they listen to him.
In 2005
Surkov writes in an internal circular that
quote:
“Enemies of the state are divided into two categories:
the kind you can re-educate and the intractables.
Discussion is not possible with the second kind
and this makes re-education impossible.
The State requires us to
clear our territory of these intractables.

9 a.m.
Breakfast.
Second problem: you have nothing to eat.
But you have to eat something
because for 8 months a year it’s freezing cold
and if you don’t eat you pass out.
That’s happened to me too, by the way.
So you try to solve the problem
by searching for provisions.
Warning: not what you like, which would be a luxury.
No, I mean whatever’s edible.
Like half a tin of meat, say.
Powdered milk.
Anchovies.
Bran flakes ... yes, the diet food.
I promise you, the stomach cramps are that painful.
Otherwise, if you want to eat,
The only food in Grozny belongs to the army.
They bring it in from Russia in vans.
In fact, an extremely long line extends from their camps:
they make you pay – on the black market – for 1 package with 1 slice of bread in it
Sometimes – I swear – I’ve gone there myself.

 

7 a.m.
You wake up.
First problem: bathing.
The aqueduct was blown up.
There’s no water. You turn on the tap and ... nothing.
Bottled water is expensive.
And even if you could pay for it, you can’t find it.
The only water in Grozny belongs to the army:
they bring it in from Russia in tankers.
In fact, an extremely long line extends from their camps:
they make you pay – on the black market – for a 3 minute
shower timed to the second.

Scripts are available for 24 hour check-out by contacting shelbyart@brandeis.edu.
You are expected to read the entire script before accepting any role in a mainstage production, and preferably before the auditions themselves. You should only accept a role if you know what the show entails and that you are comfortable performing all content indicated in the script. Though the director may make adjustments, you are accepting the role and plot as written by the playwright.

A riveting theatrical portrait of the journalist and activist Anna Politkovskaya, this powerful play, by one of Italy’s most celebrated writers, takes us behind the headlines she generated while exposing details of Russia’s war in Chechnya.

Please note: this play's text deals with war crimes, violence and police brutality.  All those auditioning should read the entire play before auditioning. 

Department Information & Conflict Acknowledgement

In consultation with the Center for Spiritual Life at Brandeis, the Department of Theater Arts has updated its auditions and casting with regards to religious observance and our production season. The Department invites and encourages all students to audition, including students who have religious observances which may have previously prevented them from participating as actors in our productions. Requests for religious observances will not adversely affect casting decisions. Please know that accommodations for religious observances – such as but not limited to Shabbat observance, religious services and prayer times, private spaces for prayer, private bathroom space, clothing/costume adjustments, and dressing room assignments – will be made to the best of our abilities. In a situation where additional expertise is needed about a student’s request for a religious accommodation, the Department will consult with the Center for Spiritual Life.

Conflict Policy

Students cast in a production with the Department of Theater Arts are expected to attend all rehearsals unless they have an academic conflict or an accommodation as detailed above. In general, rehearsals are held weekday evenings and weekend days. Cast members are expected to arrive on time to all rehearsals and performances. At the beginning of the rehearsal process, all academic conflicts must be communicated to the Stage Manager. Should other conflicts arise, the Stage Manager and the Director have the discretion to decide upon conflict approval on a case-by-case basis, based on the size of the actor’s role, nature of the conflict, and timing in regards to the rehearsal schedule. Tech Week conflicts, other than academic or accommodation-related, are not permitted. While it may be that a weekly schedule is utilized, the Daily Call (your daily specific schedule) will be sent out each night with 24 hours’ notice.

Any questions or concerns regarding the conflict decisions of the Stage Manager and Director should be brought to Cameron Anderson, Chair of the department.