BALEFIRE PRODUCTIONS – CALL FOR AUDITIONS!
[AUDITION SIGN-UPS:] https://www.balefireproductions.org/band
PRODUCTION:
‘THE BOYS IN THE BAND’
by Mart Crowley
DIRECTED BY:
Leo Jordan
STAGE MANAGEMENT:
Milo Mercurio
AUDITIONS:
May 21st & 22nd
6:00-8:00pm
WHERE:
Gallery Z
167 Market Street
Lowell, MA
SYNOPSIS:
Emory, Larry, Hank, Bernard, and Donald all gather at Michael’s apartment to celebrate their friend, Harold’s, birthday. Michael didn’t plan, though, for the unexpected arrival of Alan, his friend from college. Alan has no idea that Michael nor any of his friends are gay, Michael never having come out of the closet to him. As the drinks keep coming, the fun soon takes a nasty turn as secrets are revealed, arguments are unearthed, and blows are thrown, culminating in a shocking drunken phone “game” that may ruin more than one life. The Boys in the Band was a groundbreaking piece of theatre when it premiered in 1968, with playwright Mart Crowley depicting gay men’s lives on stage with honesty, truth, and no apologies. Half a century later, the play proves to be as entertaining, bold, and inspiring as ever.
CAST SIZE:
9
CHARACTERS:
(Open to all ethnicities, genders, orientations, sizes, ages (18+), abilities, and experience levels)
MICHAEL – He is a screenwriter from the South, living in New York. In this specific instance, he is hosting a birthday party for his friend Harold, which is the reason everyone has been brought together. He’s also currently sober and not smoking.
DONALD – Donald is the long-suffering, ever-faithful ex/close friend of Michael, who is trying to see beyond his current life circumstances, but doesn’t necessarily make the best choices for himself.
EMORY – A courageous, radical queen way ahead of his time. Someone who is well aware of their authenticity and sexuality. Emory refuses to compromise himself in a world that wants to reduce him.
BERNARD – Bernard is an intellectual in New York City, he is a librarian, he is a quiet, more repressed spirit. People call him a wallflower, the guy in the room that doesn’t need to be ‘on’ to get all the attention.
LARRY – Larry thinks of himself as the life of the party, most of the time. Larry and Hank are also the only two men in a committed relationship. Even though he’s obviously very much in love with Hank, he struggles with monogamy as a whole.
HANK – Hank left his wife and children to be with Larry. He gave up all that he had because he could no longer live an unauthentic life. Hank is more quiet and centered than some of the others, but it’s because he’s already been through his own pain.
HAROLD – Harold is the honorary of the party, and probably the most self-aware of the guys. He’s someone who has transmuted his self-loathing into power. He knows himself completely through and through, for all of his shortcomings and all the things about himself that he hates.
COWBOY – Cowboy is a young hustler introduced to the group as a birthday gift for Harold. He’s the only true stranger to everyone, but his youth and open heart quickly endear him to some and make him a target for others. Despite his relative innocence, his non-judgmental nature makes him quite a good listener and points to a different kind of knowingness.
ALAN – Alan is the catalyst for much of the conflict in the play. Alan is a lawyer and the former college roommate of Michael. So, Alan’s arrival at the party is met with various degrees of irritation and caution, since Alan is straight and married to a woman. He represents so much of what these other guys had to hide from in their world in 1968 and they resent him for being there uninvited.
PRODUCTION DATES:
AUGUST 18, 19, 20 & 25, 26, 27
(6 total performances)
REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:
SUN & WED EVENINGS
6:30-9:30PM
TECH WEEK:
AUGUST 13TH-17TH* (5:30-10PM)
*Brush-Up Rehearsal on August 23rd, 5:30-10pm
Unable to Make in-person Auditions? Don’t fret!:
If you are unable to attend the Audition dates listed above and would like to submit a VIDEO AUDITION all you will have to do is prepare an audition with a 1-3 minute Comedic OR Dramatic Monologue of your choosing, record yourself performing said monologue, fill out our fancy AUDITION FORM and…you’re done!
PLEASE NOTE: Our Production Team may reach out via ZOOM for follow-up readings from the script (should they be required).
If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to email us at:
THEATRE@BALEFIREPRODUCTIONS.INFO
SEE YOU AT AUDITIONS!
