Audition Notice – BLT 3 & 4 at the University of Alberta
BLT 3: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Heath Jones, MFA Directing Candidate
BLT 4: Cock by Mike Bartlett
Directed by Jorden Charley-Whatley, MFA Directing Candidate
Auditions:
Tuesday, October 20th, 5:00-9:00pm | Fine Arts Building – University of Alberta (FAB 2-43)
Saturday, October 24th, 11:00am-3:00pm | Fine Arts Building – University of Alberta (FAB 3-125)
This is a volunteer commitment – interested CAEA members must have an affiliation/history with the University of Alberta’s Drama Department. Production photos will be provided for portfolio purposes.
Rehearsals M-F evenings (approx. 6:00-10:00pm) and Saturdays (approx. 10:00am-6:00pm)
BLT 3: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams’ celebrated autobiographical memory play – a drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty – is a moving portrait of a troubled American family led by a determined but delusional mother.
Approximate Dates:
First Rehearsal: Monday, January 4th, 2027
Performance Dates: February 11-13, 2027
*Please indicate if you have any immovable commitments during January and February in your submission.
Casting:
*Note: The pronouns listed represent those of the characters
Amanda Wingfield: 40-55. She/Her. Any Ethnicity. A voracious (but fading) Southern Belle from Blue Mountain, Mississippi, Amanda is Tom and Laura’s mother. Abandoned by her children’s father, she fights and strives for her children to have the life she once dreamed of. Amanda is perpetually torn between her ideals of the past and present duties toward her children. A “mother lion” in every sense, she is capable of fierce cruelty and deepest love.
Tom Wingfield: 20-30. He/Him. Any Ethnicity. Amanda’s son and Laura’s brother, Tom is a closested homosexual who dreams of being a poet. Sleep-deprived and overworked, the burden of supporting the family has fallen on him. However, Tom’s nightly visits to the “movies” provide the temporary escape he so desperately wants. Constantly torn between his dreams and his family, Tom ultimately abandons his mother and sister in his search for freedom.
Tom Wingfield: 40-55. He/Him. Any Ethnicity. An older, more “wisened” version of Tom. This Tom has lived a full life, open and free to be the person and poet he wanted to be. This Tom acts as the master of ceremonies, bringing his memories to life as he searches for forgiveness for the family he abandoned. His gain was their loss.
Laura Wingfield: 20-30. She/Her. Any Ethnicity. Amanda’s daughter and Tom’s sister, Laura suffered with pleurosis as a child, a condition which has left her physically weak and instilled in her a deep inferiority complex. A wallflower in every sense of the word, Laura often retreats into the world of her glass menagerie (a collection of glass animals), a world where she does not have to grow up.
Jim O’Connor: 20-30. He/Him. Any Ethnicity. The quintessential all-American male, Jim is an old school friend to Tom and potential “gentleman caller” for Laura. Charming, attractive, and hard-working, Jim is the light in every room he enters and he knows how to put people at ease. It is easy to see why Laura’s crush on him has lasted since high school.
BLT 4: Cock by Mike Bartlett
John is caught in a crisis of identity and sexuality. After a brief break from his long-term male partner (M), he falls in love with a woman (W). The play culminates in a tense dinner where M, W, and M’s father (F) force John to choose.
Approximate Dates:
First Rehearsal: Monday, February 22nd, 2027
Performance Dates: April 1-3, 2027
*Please indicate if you have any immovable commitments during February, March, and April in your submission.
Casting:
John: Mid-20s – Mid-30s. Male. Any Ethnicity. He has been in a relationship with M for seven years, and has identified as a gay man for most of his life. He is indecisive and mercurial, but equally charming and electric. A tad self-centered.
M: Mid-20s – Mid-30s. Male. Any Ethnicity. He has been in a relationship with John for seven years. Has identified as gay his entire life and does not intend to change that. Grounded and witty, he can be affable or acerbic, depending on the situation. A streak of insecurity runs beneath his confidence.
W: Mid-20s – Mid-30s. Female. Any Ethnicity. The woman that John sleeps with while he’s on hiatus with M. She is confident, articulate, and assertive– and doesn’t tolerate bullshit.
F: 40s+. Male. Any Ethnicity. M’s father. A devoted and understanding father who fiercely supports M and John’s relationship as gay men, but his dated tolerance means he doesn’t really understand John’s situation.
Please fill out and submit the “BLT 3 & 4 Audition Form” found at https://forms.gle/j4Hsh6qimzSbxBAJ9
Please reach out to heath2@ualberta.ca or charleyw@ualberta.ca if you have any questions/concerns.
Those selected to audition will be contacted with an audition time and further details.