Auditions for Sam Shepard's "True West".
Directed by KC Hofer
Auditions will be Saturday, August 3rd at 1pm and Sunday, August 4th at 1pm.
at Wausau Community Theatre, 136 Summer St. Schofield, WI 54467.
Rehearsal/Performance Schedule
Performances will be at Whitewater Music Hall on October 24th, 25th and 26th at 7pm.
October 23rd will be our one dress/tech rehearsal at Whitewater Music Hall.
The day of October 23rd will be dedicated to moving in the set and technical elements.
Rehearsals will be weekday evenings, 3-4 days per week August- October, with some flexibility based on the cast’s schedule.
About the Play
True West is a play by American playwright Sam Shepard, and first premiered in 1980. The play follows a sibling rivalry between two brothers: Austin and Lee. The siblings have been estranged for five years, but meet again when Austin is house-sitting for their mother in the desert foothills outside of Los Angeles, and Lee makes an unexpected visit. Austin is a Hollywood screenwriter trying to sell his latest project, while Lee is a drifter with a criminal past. The play examines their relationship as well as ideas of nature vs nurture as the brothers compete with each other and each try their hands at the other’s lifestyle.
The two lead characters require a lot of memorization and versatility as they carry the whole show and find themselves even switching personalities throughout a series of slow burning scenes. Auditions will consist of cold readings of scenes from the play. Please show up at times stated as we will have auditioners reading scenes multiple times trying different character and actor combinations. There are also roles available for two smaller characters: Saul Kimmer and Mom. Any gender will be considered for the role of Saul. Actors interested in these roles should show up at the stated audition times as well and we will work scenes involving those characters.
Characters
Austin: The younger brother. A Hollywood screenwriter. College-educated and lives in northern California with a wife and kids.
Lee: The older brother. A criminal and drifter. Austin has not heard from him for five years, and he has supposedly been living alone in the Mojave Desert for an unknown period of time.
Saul Kimmer: A Hollywood producer who is interested in producing Austin’s latest screenplay. Appears in two scenes. (Any gender will be considered)
Mom: The mother of Austin and Lee. Appears at the end of the play.
Contact
Any questions can be sent to director KC Hofer at kcahofer@gmail.com or call/text 605-415-2449. You may reach out to arrange a video audition or special audition time, as well as any other requests.
