NOISES OFF, VIOLET, AND LEAN-TO Casting Breakdowns:

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Noises Off

by Michael Frayn

directed by Sarah Norris

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Dotty Otley / Mrs. Clacket - ROLE FILLED:  (Off stage Dotty) A late-middle-aged American actress. Forgetful. Dating a younger man. (On Stage Character: Mrs. Clackett): A Cockney Housekeeper for the Brent's home in England. Hospitable, though slow.  

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Brooke Ashton / Vicki - ROLE FILLED: (Off Stage: Brooke) A young inexperienced American actress. Pays no attention to other performers. Is always losing her contact lenses. (On Stage Character: Vicki): An English woman who works for Inland Revenue and is trying to woo Roger.  

 

Belinda Blair / Flavia Brent - ROLE FILLED: (Off stage Belinda) Cheerful and sensible, a reliable American actress. (On Stage Character: Flavia Brent): Phillip Brent's English wife. She is dependable, though not one for household duties.  

 

Poppy Norton-Taylor - ROLE FILLED: American Stage Manager. Emotional and over-sensitive, and envious of Brooke, whom she understudies. Carrying Lloyd's child.  

 

Lloyd Dallas - ROLE FILLED: The director of the play, Nothing On. Temperamental.  

 

Garry Lejeune / Roger - ROLE FILLED: (Off stage: Garry) An American actor with speech affectations that disappear onstage but are everpresent offstage. (On Stage Character: Roger): An English Real estate agent who is attempting to rent Flavia's and Phillip's home, but uses it for his own personal benefit.  

 

Frederick Fellows /Phillip Brent - ROLE FILLED: (Off stage: Freddy) An American actor with a serious fear of violence and blood. (On Stage Character: Phillip Brent): An Englishman who lives out of the country with his wife Flavia to avoid paying taxes.

 

Selsdon Mowbray / Burglar - ROLE FILLED: (Off Stage: Selsdon Mowbray): An elderly alcoholic Englishman who hides his bottles onstage. Is hard of hearing when he wants to be. (On Stage Character: Burglar): Old Cockney man in his seventies, breaking into the Brent's home.  

 

Timothy Allgood - ROLE FILLED: An over-worked American Assistant Stage Manager. Understudies Selsdon and Freddy.  

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VIOLET

music by Jeanine Tesori 

book & lyrics by Brian Crawley

directed by Sarah Norris

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Violet - ROLE FILLED:  25. Mezzo, belt. She is stubborn and prickly, but filled with equal parts hope and obsession that she may be healed and be made beautiful.  She’s direct with people who stare at her scar (which is quite prominently located on her face, although not literally visible to the theatre audience).  Violet has a sarcasm and toughness to her. Range: G3 – F5

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Young Vi: 13 year old younger version of Violet. Mezzo Soprano.  Not quite as guarded or prickly as her older self, but still tough and stubborn. She has a keen curiosity and the rough edges of being brought up solely by her father.   Range: A3 – E5   

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Flick: Late 20’s. Baritone. Real name:  Grady Fliggins.  An African-American soldier who looks for the positive in life – a dreamer and a go-getter.  “You do what you gotta’ do, but in the end you do it alone.  You choose your road, then you walk it, one step at a time.”  He doesn’t enjoy the army, but enjoys the respect it garners him.  There is something gentle and good about him, not to be interpreted or confused with weakness or lack of authority.  He is not moved much by Violet’s scar.  Flick carries a flask with him most of the time.  He was in basic training with Monty.  Range: C4 – E6   Gospel and blues.

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MONTY:  Mid 20’s. Tenor. Real name: Montgomery Harrill (from Raleigh, N.C.). A white paratrooper and corporal. Believes himself to be fearless and irresistible to most – especially women. He is a bit full of himself. Although self-consumed, it is not necessarily purposefully so. As described by Violet, he’s “a boy in the skin of a man.” He’s rough around the edges and he’s fighting his own demons. Monty was in basic training with Flick, and now he trains young men to jump out of airplanes. Range: A3 – G5 Country Western

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FATHER: Late 30s – mid 40s. Baritone. A simple, widowed man who lovingly raises his daughter, Violet, alone, doing the best he can with the little knowledge and resources he has to do so. Stern but friendly, smart but uneducated. He accidentally scars 13 year-old Violet’s face while he is chopping wood. Can be stern with her. Protects and toughens her. Teaches her to hide from others so she won’t be tortured by them. He took Violet to see doctors in Charlotte for her 18th birthday. He died of a heart attack when Violet was 22 and left her a little money. Range: A3 – F5  

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E1-FEMALE - ROLE FILLED:  55-65 yrs old. Plays multiple characters. Range: F3 – E5

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E2-FEMALE: 35-45 yrs old. African American. Plays multiple characters. Range: A3 – G5

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E3-FEMALE - ROLE FILLED: African American. Plays multiple characters. Range: F3 – G5

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E4-MALE - ROLE FILLED: 30-40 yrs old. Plays multiple characters. Range: B3 – G5

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E5-MALE:  50-70 yrs old. Plays multiple characters. Range: B3 – F5

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E6-MALE:  20-25 yrs old. Plays multiple characters. Range: B3 – B5

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LEAN-TO

a new play by Stephen Dasen Pearce Sheffer

directed by Jesse Jou

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SYNOPSIS

On a fall hiking trip, Xavier, a friendly queer man, meets Yvonne and Zed, a couple in a

struggling relationship. They agree to share shelter in an isolated lean-to on the trail, spending a

funny, vulnerable, and surprising night together. As they reach out to each other, surrounded by

the beauty of nature, their shifting allegiances and attractions navigate the modern world’s

loneliness and hunger for authentic connection.

 

A NOTE ON CASTING AND TONE:

We are especially seeking actors who can embody the existential comedic tone of the play,

balancing humor and an almost-clownish commitment to moments of playful and physical

silliness with the moments of genuine yearning and self-discovery.

 

All three actors participate in an a capella group performance of a pop medley. They do not need to be strong singers or dancers, just willing to commit themselves to the moment.

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XAVIER, early 40s, any race or ethnicity.

Queer, outdoorsy. Xavier has the spirit of an explorer and a knowledgeable guide, with a love for

nature. Welcoming and friendly in public, but lonely and uncertain in private. Capable of

committing to big gestures without self-consciousness, like leading a full-throated Britney Spears singalong. A bartender. Character has moments of intense intimacy with Zed and has a brief moment of undress, exposing his backside while changing clothes.

 

YVONNE, mid-30s, any race or ethnicity.

Wanna-be outdoorsy. Yvonne has an engaging, free-spirited presence, but resists letting go of

things, even when they no longer serve her, like her relationship with Zed. She thinks she is more adventurous than she actually is. This trip feels like a last attempt to reignite something that has died out. She will bury her own needs in order to maintain the status quo, but is perhaps close to a breaking point. She’s a corporate lawyer. The role requires an actor who can exquisitely handle explosions of language. Character has moments of intimacy with Zed. 

 

ZED, late-30s, Black.

Not very outdoorsy at all. Born in Jamaica, with several years growing up in Canada and

studying in London (to become a therapist), Zed is a charismatic man who would be more comfortable in the city, but is game to try most things. He sees the failing relationship with Yvonne more clearly than she does, perhaps, but cannot seem to end it. Seeking an actor capable of creating the rich accent a character with this international background would possess. Character has moments of intimacy with both Yvonne and Xavier.