Auditions for Describe the Night

Name: Auditions for Describe the Night
Start: 2025-02-04T18:00:00-05:00
Location: St. Mark's & St. John's Episcopal Church

Schedule

Tue, 04 Feb, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

St. Mark's & St. John's Episcopal Church | Rochester, NY

Out of Pocket is excited to announce auditions for its final mainstage show of its 2024-2025 season, the epic thriller "Describe the Night" by Rajiv Joseph, directed by Rachel Solomon.
Auditions will be held at St. Mark’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church (1245 Culver Road) on Tuesday, February 4th. Callbacks will be held on Wednesday, February 5th. All auditions are by appointment only. Please email [email protected] to reserve an audition slot.
Those auditioning are asked to provide an acting resume, schedule of conflicts between March 9th and May 18th, and a headshot, if available. Please note: additional conflicts following the audition process may result in the recasting of the role.
Auditionees will be asked to read sides from the play. Those auditioning should be familiar with the play if possible - a copy of the script is available here: .https://drive.google.com/file/d/14REP7OG9WdLU8qNf2bHs4ClnPRtOCZo3/view?usp=sharing
Rehearsal Period: Rehearsals begin March 9th, typically rehearsing Sunday through Thursday evenings. Friday and Saturday rehearsals may be scheduled based on rehearsal progress and cast availability.

Tech Schedule: Sunday, May 4th through Thursday, May 8th
Production Dates: 5/9 (7:30), 5/10 (7:30), 5/11 (2:00), 5/15 (7:30), 5/16 (7:30), 5/17 (7:30)
Strike: Sunday, 5/18
Please note - actors can have no conflicts during tech week and strike.
Production will be staged at the Multi-Use Community Cultural Center.
Synopsis: In 1920, the Russian writer Isaac Babel is a war correspondent with the Red Cavalry. Seventy years later, a mysterious Stasi agent spies on a woman in Dresden and falls in love. In 2010, an aircraft carrying most of the Polish government crashes in the Russian city of Smolensk. Set in Russia and East Germany over the course of ninety years, this thrilling and epic play traces the stories of seven people connected by history, myth, and conspiracy theories.
Characters:
Isaac: Russian, Jewish. He is the writer Isaac Babel. In 1920 he is 25 years old. A quiet, shy young man with dreams of being a successful writer, but traumatized from the Polish-Russo war.
In 1937-1940 he is a successful writer of fiction and films. He has robust appetites, and is far more self-assured, he is not intimidated by anyone. He craves danger. Kisses Yevgenia.
Nikolai: Russian. Last name is Yezhov. A Captain in the Russian Red Cavalry in 1920, when he is 30 years old. He is enormously self-assured, an accomplished military man. A violent man. In 1937-1940, he is the head of Stalin’s Secret Police which will become the KGB. In 1989, when he is 99, he is a living relic of Russian history, and knows it. He enjoys tormenting young KGB agents.
Yevgenia: Russian, the wife of Nikolai Yezhov. In 1940, she is 40. Bright, beautiful, drawn to astrology and supernatural topics. Unhappy in her marriage, but would never say so. In 1989 she is 89 years old. Mischievous, with a humor that is rooted in pain and tragedy. Kisses Isaac.
Vova: Russian, a KGB agent stationed in Dresden, East Germany, in 1989, at which time he is 35 years old. In 1999-2010, he is a politician of enormous stature. Deeply self-assured, yet terrified of the world. Kisses Urzula.
Urzula: Polish, 20s, and in 1989, an immigrant living in Dresden. The grand-daughter of Yevgenia. Kisses Vova.
Feliks: Polish. Thin, covered with tattoos, a dreary disposition. An orphan. At 21, in 2010, he feels middle-aged.
Mariya: Russian, 30s, a journalist for a state-run newspaper in 2010. Moscow born and bred. Strong and steady.
Mrs. Petrovna: Russian, 70s, the owner of a laundromat. Played by the actress who plays Mariya.
Notes on Casting: Ages listed below are the ages of the characters during the course of the play. The play moves backwards and forwards through time, and our interpretation and presentation of the characters’ ages will be most affected by physicality and vocal choices. Per the playwright’s instructions, actors should not speak in any dialect. Out of Pocket practices color-conscious and body-positive casting.