St Mark's Players

St. Mark's Players Presents Auditions for

PUFFS, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years At A Certain School of Magic and Magic 

by Matt Cox

 

St. Mark’s Players is pleased to announce auditions for Matt Cox’s “PUFFS, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years At A Certain School of Magic and Magic,” directed by Ruth Sturm, with performances on October 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18. If you have any questions about auditions or rehearsals, please contact Puffs Producers at puffsproducers@gmail.com.

 

About the Show: For seven years a very famous boy wizard went to a certain Wizarding School and fought evil. This is…not his story. This is the story of the Puffs, a group of sweet, gentle youngins who were also physically present during these evil happenings – just not as important. Puffs is a hilarious parody of everything nonsensical about wizarding stories, and a celebration of all the things we love about them. Puffs is not authorized, licensed, or endorsed by any wizard, author, or movie company that shall not be named.

 

Auditions: Auditions will be held by assigned time slot on Thursday, July 17 7:00pm-9:30pm and Saturday, July 19 11:30am-3:00pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 301 A Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Actors will read from selected scenes from the play with a provided reader. Scenes will be sent out in advance and you are not expected to have them memorized. Please sign up for an audition time slot here.
 

Callbacks: Callbacks will be held on Monday, July 21, 7:00pm-10:00pm by invitation only.
 

Rehearsals: Most if not all rehearsals will take place at St. Mark’s Church.

• Rehearsals will be on three weeknights and one weekend morning/afternoon per week based on availability. 

• The first readthrough will be in early August, and rehearsals will start afterward.

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Tech and Performances: All shows will be at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. 

• Load-In will be Sunday, September 28 (afternoon and evening)

• Tech will be Monday, September 29, Tuesday, September 30, and Wednesday, October 1 in the evening.

• There are 9 performances: Friday, October 3 (evening), Saturday, October 4 (evening), Thursday, October 9 (evening), Friday, October 10 (evening), Saturday, October 11 (matinee and evening), Thursday, October 16 (evening), Friday, October 17 (evening), Saturday, October 18 (evening)

• St. Mark’s Players is a participatory, all-volunteer, community theater. All roles are unpaid. 

• There are strikes on each Saturday night, and resets on Tuesday or Wednesday in between show weekends.  All cast members are required to participate in strikes and resets. We can provide physical accommodations for those who need it.
   

Characters:

We're looking for actors who can be both genuine and silly. Besides that, all roles are open to everyone! All roles are open to people aged 18 to 100. All roles are open to people of all races and ethnicities. All roles, even those that use gendered pronouns, are open to actors of all gender identities. Trans and nonbinary actors are welcome and encouraged to audition. Please note again, Puffs is what we call “its own thing,” and an author who shall not be named does not receive financial gain nor view-point credibility from this production.

 

• Narrator: Our trustworthy, if slightly melodramatic narrator. The Narrator will guide the audience through seven years worth of laughter and drama. 

 

• Wayne Hopkins*: Our show’s dubious hero. Wayne is convinced that he will become the star of the school, only to be consistently outshined by another young lightning-scarred man.

 

• Oliver Rogers*: A “Mug”-born nerd from New Jersey, Oliver’s school smarts have unfortunately not translated into wizard school smarts.

 

• Megan Jones*: The sarcastic goth daughter of a Dark Wizard, Megan doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Puffs – or does she?

 

• The Puffs: The Puffs are the ensemble, and the heart of the show. Puffs play multiple roles, and therefore must have to have the flexibility to portray different voices, postures, etc. They also wear many wigs and hats. Not important, just fun to note.

  • Ernie Mac/Mr. Moody/Second Headmaster & More* 

  • Hannah/Professor McG/First Headmaster & More

  • J Finch/Zach Smith/Hermeeone #3 & More*

  • Leanne/Ginny/Dragon & More

  • Sally Perks/Blondo Malfoy/Rita Scooter & More*

  • Susie Bones/Harry/Myrtle & More

  • Cedric and Mr. Voldy

 

*Requires onstage kiss. No intimacy will be required during auditions.

 

FAQs

How will auditions work?

Each actor will sign up within a 30 minute timeslot. Please arrive 10 minutes before your timeslot begins to get yourself checked in and settled. Actors will be called into the audition room one by one. Each actor will read 1-2 sides with a provided reader. And that’s it! Easy peasy. 

 

When should I get there?

We recommend 10 minutes before your audition slot starts so you can be ready to go. If you drive, reserve extra time for finding street parking near the church.

 

Do I need to bring a headshot and resume?
Nope! We’ll email you an audition form ahead of time where you can provide your experience and upload a photo. If you’re not able to fill out the audition form in advance, we’ll have blank copies available to fill out at the auditions and can take your picture there. 

 

I can’t make the audition dates! Do you accept video submissions?

Listen, we get it - July is summer vacation season! If you can’t make the auditions in person, please reach out to the Puffs Producers at puffsproducers@gmail.com for guidance on video submissions.

 

When will I hear back after my audition?
We strive to contact everyone and let you know whether or not you have been cast within a week of auditions.

 

What should I wear?
As long as it is clean and allows you to move, wear whatever you are most comfortable in. Auditionees at St. Mark’s usually wear anything from a neutral t-shirt to a button-down or casual dress.