AMERICAN SON by Christopher Demos-Brown
Audition Dates: July 19 & 20, 2021
Performance Dates: September 17 – 26, 2021
Directed by Tim Rezash
Auditions will begin each evening at 7:00 PM and will be held at The Dayton Playhouse (1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., inside Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark). Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
Auditioners are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before the beginning of auditions to complete the audition form, and should be prepared to list all schedule conflicts between July 21 and September 26. Theater resumes and headshots are welcome, but not required. Auditioners may, but are not required to, attend both evenings of auditions.
An estranged bi-racial couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their 18-year-old son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to find out what happened to their son.
Roles
Please pay close attention to ages and ethnicities. These are very specific in the play and attention needs to be paid to described types.
- Kendra Ellis-Connor (Lead): Female, 35-50
A professor of psychology and the mother of a teenage son, is recently separated from her white husband; she is emotionally raw but trying to keep it together behind a professional façade; she is exceptionally intelligent and self-possessed.
Ethnicity: Black / African descent - Scott Connor (Lead): Male, 35-55
Kendra’s estranged husband; Scott is an FBI agent of Irish ancestry; he takes pride in his family’s long tradition of military service; though he can be rigid in his views, he has a warm, sensitive side and is a deeply loving and devoted father; has obvious contained power, but when pushed can explode.
Ethnicity: White / European descent - Officer Paul Larkin (Supporting): Male, 25-35
An intelligent, congenial young police officer with bold career ambitions who lacks actual life experience; while always trying to do the right thing, he often says the wrong thing at the wrong time; his naivety can appear comic at times.
Ethnicity; White / European descent - Officer John Stokes (Supporting): Male 45-65
A tough, no-nonsense career police officer who is used to having people listen when he talks; he has paid his dues, knows the rules, and has no hesitation enforcing them.
Ethnicity: Black / African descent
For more information visit http://wordpress.thedaytonplayhouse.com/auditions/.
