The Band’s Visit

Currently casting  the role of SIMON and understudies for all roles for our upcoming co-production of The Band’s Visit written by Itamar Moses and David Yazbek and directed by Zi Alikhan, co-produced with TheatreSquared.

SIMON: male, 20s-30s, Egyptian/SWANA, plays Clarinet or another reed instrument; the band’s second in command. Quiet and reserved, yet eager to try his hand at conducting. He’s composed a yet unfinished concerto.

SUMMARY: The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix-up at the border, they are sent to Bet Hatikva, a remote village in the middle of the desert instead of their expected destination. For the residents of Bet Hatikva, life is aimless and monotonous. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, the unexpected travelers from the orchestra are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways.

CONTRACT:

• TheatreSquared – AEA Rate $800/wk *Actors do not need to be Equity to audition
• Writers Theatre – CAT V AEA Rate $865/wk *Actors do not need to be Equity to audition; non-union rate $800/wk.

This casting call is for BOTH productions – actors should prepare to be available for both runs of the shows, dates included below.

LOCATION: Fayetteville, AR and Glencoe, IL

*We are auditioning Chicago actors for both productions, and can consider non-local actors for a small portion of the roles. Please indicate on your submission form whether or not you are local to Chicago.

T2 DATES:  

• Rehearsals begin: September 15, 2023 (begins with a short, prorated week)
• Tech begins: October 6, 2023
• Final dress: October 10, 2023
• Previews begin: October 11, 2023
• Opening: October 13, 2023
• Closing: November 5, 2023

WT DATES:

• Rehearsal begins: week of Jan 22, 2024
• Tech begins: Jan 31, 2024
• Final dress: Feb 7, 2024
• Previews begin: Feb 8, 2024
• Opening: Feb 16, 2024
• Closing: Mar 17, 2024 (6 week run)
• Extension possible: 1 week thru Mar 24, 2024
• Five-day work week with daytime rehearsals.  For tech, 10 out of 12’s have been eliminated.

SUBMISSIONS:

We’ll be accepting this round as taped auditions. Please submit your basic info, headshot, resume, and self-tape link of the provided sides through the following link: https://bit.ly/WT-T2-BandsVisitGeneralSubmission

AUDITION DATES: 

Audition Videos will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but must be submitted by June 1st to be considered.

CHARACTERS/MATERIALS TO PREPARE:

SIDES: https://bit.ly/WT-T2-TBVSides (Script and sides available here).

Please prepare and submit a self tape of the following material:

SIMON: male, 20s-30s, Egyptian/SWANA, plays Clarinet or another instrument; the band’s second in command. Quiet and reserved, yet eager to try his hand at conducting. He’s composed a yet unfinished concerto.

• TBV – Simon Side 1
• TBV – Simon Side 2
• SONG  – play a short song or piece on a reeds instrument of your choice.
• Simon music side

Writers Theatre and TheatreSquared are proud to be equal opportunity employers. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, ability, age, or veteran status.

For more information about working at Writers Theater go to the following resources:

https://www.writerstheatre.org/working-at-wt 

https://www.writerstheatre.org/edi-at-wt 

To promote the health and safety of all participants, Writers Theatre requires that all members of the cast, crew, production team, and staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.(Please note: full vaccination is defined as receiving both doses of a two-dose vaccine or a single-dose vaccine at least two weeks prior to an individual’s first day of work on the project.)

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.