Theatre Arts Program
Audition Information
Auditions available by appointment. E-mail Margit Edwards at margitne@sas.upenn.edu for more information.
You do not need to prepare any sides/monologues, or bring anything to the audition. Plan to be available for a minimum of 20 minutes. You will need to select an available audition time slot at the link above. Please fill out the cast information form which will be sent to you when your audition slot is confirmed.
About the Play
Bulrusher by Eisa Davis delicately explores the intricacies of an emerging racial awareness and self-identity in a small, isolated, idyllic town in the redwood country north of San Francisco. Set in 1955 with the murder of Emmet Till distantly haunting the background, Bulrusher, is about an orphaned multiracial girl, with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even amongst the strange: the taciturn schoolteacher who adopted her, the madam who runs her brothel with a fierce discipline, the logger with a zest for horses and women, and a guitar-slinging boy who is after Bulrusher’s heart. Just when she thought her world might close in on her, she discovers an entirely new sense of self when a black girl from Alabama comes to town. In the process, a nuanced coming of age story, set within the complex interconnections of black, white, and indigenous people in US, is revealed.
Available Roles
We will be casting 6 roles:
1 young woman, black/mixed-race
1 young woman, black
1 young man, white, who plays guitar
1 man, black
1 woman, Native American/indigenous, white-passing
1 man, white
We are also looking for:
Stage manager
Assistant stage manager
Rehearsal and Performance Schedule
All cast members must be be able to register for THAR3500 (see below) which will meet on Tuesdays from 3:30pm-6:30pm from the start of the spring 2023 semester through April 3rd. Starting after spring break on March 14th, additional rehearsals will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. Tech week will be April 3rd-April 6th, and April 10th-April 12th. Performances will run April 13th-16th.
About Theatre Arts 3500 (a credit-bearing course)
Theatre Arts 3500: Rehearsal and Performance is designed to provide students with deep intellectual and artistic immersion in the theatrical process through intensive research, rehearsal, and performance of a full-length stage piece. Students may enroll in this course as actors through audition, or as stage managers through interview. Other non-credit bearing positions, such as scenery build and running crew, with accordingly fewer hours of commitment, are available as well. Please contact Cat Johnson, catj@sas.upenn.edu, if you are interested in non-acting roles.
Students who are offered acting roles or stage management roles will be required to register for THAR3500. The course meets on Tuesdays from 3:30pm to 6:30pm and provides 1 CU, which will count towards your course limit for the semester.