THE PLAY: 

THE PITMEN PAINTERS

by Lee Hall

 
This wonderful play, fresh from an acclaimed run in London and on Broadway, tells the true story of a group of Newcastle (UK) miners whose lives were changed when they found themselves taking an art class by mistake in the 1930′s. They went on to gain worldwide attention as artists known as the Ashington Group. Like Hall’s acclaimed film and musical Billy Elliot, this script tells another inspiring story of what happens when working class laborers (or any disenfranchised group) are exposed to the arts and have the opportunity to realize their potential. The action of the play takes place between 1934 and 1947.

AUDITION BASICS: 

PRESENTED BY The 5 & Dime and The Cummer Museum

DIRECTOR: Lee Hamby and Staci Grant

AUDITION DATE & TIME: Monday, April 15 at 6:30pm

AUDITION LOCATION: CoRK East, 2689 Rosselle Street
(signs will lead you to Al Letson’s office) MAP

PERFORMANCE DATES: July 26 thru August 4, 2013 at The Cummer Museum

REHEARSAL DATES: Rehearsals will begin in May.

AVAILABLE ROLES: 

The 5 & Dime is committed to casting considerations which reflect the diversity of the people of Jacksonville, while recognizing that a specific gender, ethnicity and age is often a crucial aspect of a particular role or of the piece as a whole. We will include gender, ethnicity and age in the breakdown, where needed, and encourage all actors to audition where none is stated.

Needed: 7 MEN / 2 WOMEN | All characters are caucasian and British. Most of the characters are based on real people and age through the piece. Note: The miners must all have GEORDIE ACCENTS. We will work with dialect in rehearsals, but actors are encouraged to take a “stab” at the accents in the readings.

GEORGE BROWN: M, 40-60’s. The oldest & leader of the group, a stickler on details, bossy labor representative.

OLIVER KILBOURN: M, mid 30-40’s. Thoughtful, becomes the most famous and accomplished of the miner/artists.

JIMMY FLOYD: M, 40-60’s. A regular hard-working bloke, timid, curious, always surprised by life.

YOUNG LAD: M, 20’s. Youthful, eager to find regular work in the mines, to find out where he fits in.

HARRY WILSON: M, 45-60. Not able to work as miner since being gassed in WWI, a dental engineer, a Marxist.

ROBERT LYON: M, 40-55. British painter and Art professor, upper class, unintentionally self-involved & elitist.

SUSAN PARKS: F, 20’s. An earnest young art student and life model, later in her 30’s. (very brief nudity)

HELEN SUTHERLAND: F, 40-50. Wealthy, cultured, and influential patron of the arts, posh, beautiful, well-meaning.

BEN NICHOLSON: M, 30-40. (1 nice scene) a famous young British artist, helped found arts colony at St. Ives.

PREPARATION: 

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Sides will be available for downloading. Please fill out form below and you will be emailed a download link as soon as the sides become available.

REQUEST SIDES

by RON SHREVE, director, All New People

 
We all have that point in our lives where we feel like we are the star of “The Truman Show” and the rest of the world is our supporting cast, but reality sets in and we know that although it sometimes feels like the universe has some grand design to make life difficult, we are not at its center. And though we know this fact, how often do we think about the lives of others. I’m not talking about the idea of thinking of those less fortunate in another country, or sending positive vibes and a donation after some major disaster but the simple act of thinking about what someone else’s day has been like, the high school student who bagged your groceries, or the mom jogging with a stroller who simply waved while you glanced at her from your car. They all have their own lives, their own stories, their own families, their own pain. We all need to take the time and realize as a nation, as a city we all feel a little lost in the woods, most of us getting stuck walking in circles and screaming for someone to find us. Perhaps if we took a moment and listened we would hear the other voices in the trees searching for an answer. “You’re lonely and here you are surrounded by other people.” Everyday all new people enter your lives and everyday all new people leave your lives but maybe if we extended our hand more often to help even when we feel helpless you may just find something extraordinary… friendship, love, faith, a job, simply knowing someone sees you and in turn finding a way out of this Snow White/Hansel and Gretel/Little Red Riding Hood entrapment together.

I welcome you to meet the all new people in my life and now yours. They won’t be the same people tomorrow and they are not the same people they were earlier today but they all want to let you know that you, yes you, are not alone.

ABOUT  THE DIRECTOR

RON SHREVE is a University of Florida graduate returning to Florida after a two year adventure in NYC. Past directing credits include DOG SEES GOD, PIPPIN, The Edge’s ROCKY HORROR LIVE (asst. dir.), and most recently asst. dir. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY at Theatre Jacksonville. 

The 5 & Dime seeks to unite artists of all genres in innovative approaches to production. Hedwig and The Angry Inch offered the opportunity to do so through the inclusion of the work of some talented local visual artists.

The show’s director, Christopher P Farrell, explains that “Hedwig is a creator… I imagine Hedwig is always working on ‘The Show.’ In the back of a tour bus, on the wall of a bathroom stall, on a bar napkin. She creates, refines, and manipulates images… Hedwig curates her life daily.”

Images from Hedwig’s Blog: HEDWIG DOES JAX

It was important to Mr. Farrell that visual arts be incorporated into the design of the show. So, Sarah van Goidtsnoven, Christina A Boykin, Steven Foster, and Maya Adkins were brought onto the design team as contributing visual artists.

Artwork for Hedwig by (left to right) Sarah van Goidtsnoven, Christina A Boykin, Steven Foster, and Maya Adkins

5D: How did you come to be involved with this production?

CB: The director saw my chalk pastel murals in a local Riverside park and we became friends. He eventually asked me to be a part of Hedwig and I attended an early planning meeting. I had never seen the production and was knocked out! Of course I wanted to be a part of it!

5D: How did the director describe his concept for the show to you; how have you worked to develop that visually to help support it in the show? What is your role in the show design?

CB: He felt the simplicity of the chalk pastel medium would express the diary images from Hedwig’s early years. He described a 70′s glam rock infused dark comedy musical. He had color schemes, reference photos, creative ideas for props to try, and a clear idea of what direction he was headed in. One of my larger roles in the production is the art for a stop-motion animation to the song “Origin of Love.” It was a challenge as I was working with a crew I had never worked with before using my regular tools in a brand new way. It is definitely something I’d try again.

5D: How do your designs help support the show’s themes?

CB: I tried to think like a child and draw from Hedwig’s perspective. My color choices were based on the director’s color schemes: bright pink, sky blue, neon green. My mother is from East Berlin, like Hedwig, so I tried to draw from what I know of her history and what it might have been like to be a child near the Wall.

5D: Have you ever done this kind of work for the theatre before? Is it fun/ inspiring/ motivating/ etc. for you? How does collaboration in the arts make the creative process more exciting?

CB: I do have a background in theatre but it was mostly performing. It’s a great perspective to be involved at this level to help enhance the production. It was A LOT of work and as all artists do, I wish I’d had more time (like 12 more months!). Researching how others had interpreted the lyrics to “Origin of Love” was great fun and really inspiring to see how other creatives approached the same challenges. Collaboration in art is always a great thing as long as communication is clear and everyone is on the same page. I have championed collaboration for many years and always felt it enhances the project when great minds think alike.

5D: Other thoughts? Things you want readers to understand?

CB: I had never been exposed to Hedwig prior to this project and so I was coming at it from the perspective of a newbie. I think that gave me a unique angle as I was bringing fresh eyes to an institution of a production. I hope my work adds to the show in the best way possible. Chalk pastel, while it does have its limitations, is much more versatile than I thought. Being involved in a theatre production has been great experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

To find out more about Christina and her work, visit www.boykinart.wordpress.com

THE PLAY: 

ALL NEW PEOPLE

by Zach Braff

 
It’s the dead of winter and the summer vacation getaway of Long Beach Island, New Jersey is desolate and blanketed in snow. Charlie is heartbroken and just wants some time away from the rest of the world. The island ghost town seems to be the perfect escape until his solitude is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. A hired beauty, the townie fireman, and an eccentric British real estate agent desperately trying to stay in the country suddenly find themselves tangled together in a beach house where the mood is anything but sunny.

Witty, a little dark and very honest, ALL NEW PEOPLE reminds us that with every new person that enters our lives we also become a character in their story.

AUDITION BASICS: 

DIRECTOR: Ron Shreve

AUDITION DATE & TIME: Monday, Dec 10 at 6:00pm

AUDITION LOCATION: CoRK West, 2689 Rosselle Street
(enter at door closest to train track) MAP

PERFORMANCE DATES: February 14-24. Exact dates and times TBD.

REHEARSAL DATES: Rehearsals will begin in January.

AVAILABLE ROLES: 

The 5 & Dime is committed to casting considerations which reflect the diversity of the people of Jacksonville, while recognizing that a specific gender, ethnicity and age is often a crucial aspect of a particular role or of the piece as a whole. We will include gender, ethnicity and age in the breakdown, where needed, and encourage all actors to audition where none is stated.

CHARLIE |  male, mid-twenties to mid-thirties | An everyman with a secret that has driven him to an attempted, quiet suicide.

EMMA |  female, mid-twenties to mid-thirties | A quirky, British, real estate agent that happens upon Charlie in the midst of his suicide attempt. With secrets of her own she has a level of empathy that convinces her she was brought to be Charlie’s salvation.

MYRON |  male, mid-twenties to mid-thirties | A local fireman, ex-drama teacher and town drug dealer. A bit of a slime ball with an irresistible, arrogant charm.

KIM |  female, mid-twenties to mid-thirties | A hired escort sent by Charlie’s good friend to lift his spirits. Friendly and naïve, this vacant beauty joins the motley crew in an attempt to steer Charlie away from his self proclaimed fate.

PREPARATION: 

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Sides are available for downloading. Please fill out form below and you will be emailed a download link.

REQUEST SIDES