St Mark's Players

St. Mark's Players Presents Auditions for

The Metromaniacs by David Ives

 

St. Mark’s Players is pleased to announce auditions for David Ives’s The Metromaniacs directed by Ward Kay, with performances on February 21, 22, 27, 28, March 1, 6, 7, 8. If you have any questions about auditions or rehearsals, please contact Producer Ruth Sturm at ruthsturm94@gmail.com.

 

About the Show: In 18th-century Paris, poets are the rock stars of the day, and young people like Damis have gone “métromanie” - aka, crazy for poetry. Damis has a serious case of verse-mania, so much so that he falls in love with his favorite poetess, not knowing that his idol is actually a middle-aged gentleman writing under a pen name! Soon we're off and running in a series of complications, plot twists, and mistaken identities that The Washington Post called ‘a marvel of old and new, with punchlines that glisten with classical flair and contemporary savvy.’

 

To make it even more fun, this entire play is written in iambic pentameter rhyming couplets – but modern language. We hope you will join us for this hilarious comedy with St. Mark’s Players this winter!

 

Auditions: Auditions will be during multiple group slots on Sunday, October 20 between 2pm-5 pm and Monday, October 21 between 7pm-9pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 301 A Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Actors will read from selected scenes from the play, sent out after signing up for a slot, but you will not be expected to have them memorized. You will have the opportunity to read for all roles you are interested in. Please sign up for an audition time slot here.
 

Callbacks: Callbacks will be held on Thursday October 24, 7 - 10pm by invitation only.
 

Rehearsals: All rehearsals will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

 

• Rehearsals will be on two weeknights and Saturday morning/afternoon based on availability. Most rehearsals will take place at St. Mark’s Church.

• The first readthrough will be on Saturday, November 2 from 1 - 5 pm.

• Rehearsals will begin after the first readthrough in November.

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

 

• Tech will begin on Sunday, February 16 and run daily through February 20.

• Shows are February 21, 22, 27, 28, 3/1 (with a matinee on 3/1); March 6, 7, 8

• 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:

 

The characters in this play fall into 3 groups: young men, young women and older men (apologies older women!) 

 

The Young Men: 

• Damis (Dah-mee) - the poet, fancy and fanciful. Is in love with a poet he has never met. Should be played with a flair. 

• Dorante (Dor-ahnt) - the lover. He is more athletic and doesn’t get poetry. Fell in love with Lucille at first sight. Should be played as earnest. 

• Mondor (Mahn-dorr) Damis’ servant. He is the lusty comic relief. Drinks too much. Tries to get his master Damis’s head out of the poetry. Falls for Lisette. 

 

The Young Women:

• Lucille - the young aristocrat just home from school. Loves poetry above all else. A little scatterbrained at first. Her affections keep changing based on who she thinks is the true poet. Should be played as naive but lustful. 

• Lisette - Lucille’s servant. The one character who is mostly aware of all of the mistaken identities. Smart, savvy and amused at the expense of the others. In the play-within-the-play is asked to play a version of Lucille. Should be played as smart and a smart aleck. 

 

The Older Men:

• Francalou (Fraynk-a-loo) The owner of the estate, Lucille’s father and a want-to-be poet. He wants to see his daughter paired-off. He wants to be admired for his writing, but most people do like his stuff. Should be played as a little out of touch. 

• Baliveau (Bal-a-voe) The uncle of Damis. He thought he was paying for Damis’s law education, but finds his money has been frittered away. He is an angry man. However, his friend Francalou has persuaded him to be in the play where he tries to howl (and fails). And briefly is moved to accept Damis, but it doesn’t last long. 

 

Notes: We are open to actors of all gender identities and the above roles will be cast as “male-presenting” and “female-presenting”. We will also actively cast people of all races and ethnicities. Each of the young characters kiss at least one person of the opposite sex during the show. No intimacy will be required during auditions. 

 

FAQs

How will auditions work?

The director, Ward, will give you an intro to the characters at the start of auditions. Then everyone in your audition group will take turns reading from the script with each other, in different configurations, until everyone has read for all parts you are interested in. Ward may give you feedback or ask you to read again in a slightly different way. You will likely spend a small amount of time sitting and waiting for your next turn to read, but we will make the process as fast and fun as possible!

 

Do I need to have experience with a rhyming script to audition?
No! Our directing team will work with you on the script during rehearsals.

 

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.

 

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.

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