Open audition notice for MARY JANE by Amy Herzog
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Dec 8 & 9, 2025, starting at 7:00 pm both nights.
We may hold callbacks on Wed, Dec 10
Production dates: Jan 30‐Feb 15, 2026
The Dayton Theatre Guild at the Caryl D. Philip TheatreScape
430 Wayne Ave, Dayton OH, 45410
937-278-5993 — www.daytontheatreguild.org
Directed by Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard
Produced by Rhea Smith
Mary Jane navigates both the mundane and the unfathomable realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son. She finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life, and dealing with all of life’s realities. Mary Jane is Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog’s remarkably powerful and compassionate portrait of a contemporary American woman striving for grace. It ran on Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club during the 2023/2024 season.
Casting Requirements:
- Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
- A résumé and headshot are not required but are appreciated.
- Please provide a list of all known conflicts between between Dec 10, 2025 & Feb 15, 2026.
- Note: We may hold callbacks on Wednesday, Dec 10.
*WE WILL BE OFF DEC 24-JAN 2 FOR THE HOLIDAYS*
The directing team is looking for actors who can embrace the joy of this play and see it as a love letter to motherhood. For the four actors playing dual roles, we’d like to see a physical and vocal differentiation between the two roles you’d play. Most of all, we are looking for connection between the characters with actors listening and responding to each other. This is an ensemble piece.
- Mary Jane: late 20s to early 40s
Mary Jane, a single mother, is the central figure. She is resilient, optimistic, and finds true joy in her son, Alex, despite the constant challenges of caregiving. She tries to maintain a sunny disposition, but the play explores the reality of her situation. - Ruthie / Tenkei: 60s-80s
Ruthie is the superintendent of Mary Jane’s apartment building. She is a straight shooter.
Tenkei is a Buddhist Nun that supports hospice care for families in the hospital. She has come to Buddhism late, after a lifetime as a Catholic. She is warm, flexible, and strong spiritually. - Sherry / Dr. Toros
Sherry is the night nurse that takes care of Alex. She is Mary Jane’s and Alex’s friend and genuinely loves them. Sherry has a knowledgeable command of her job and the system that allows her to ground her role as a caregiver in the humanity of Mary Jane and Alex. She doesn’t see them as a charity case.
Dr. Toros is good at her job: she is smart, experienced and self-aware. She understands when to turn down the “clinician” and when to tap into and share her own role as a mom. - Brianne / Chaya: 35-early 40s
These two are the opposite sides of mothering a special needs child.
Brianne the new mother of a special needs child who, through friends, connected with Mary Jane on Facebook to learn the ins and outs of caring for her child.
On the other side, Chaya is a Hasidic woman who is the mother of seven children including seven-month-old twins at home. She has the life experience to share tough truths and to commiserate with Mary Jane. - Amelia / Kat: 18-22
Amelia is a college student in town to visit her Aunt, Sherry, who is the night nurse for Alex.
Kat is the music therapist at the hospital. Both are very compassionate women but they approach the world very differently.
Where Amelia has a young spirit, she is somewhat closed off and a little skeptical while Kat is open, bright and dynamic. Both are full of love.
For more information please contact Director Melissa Kerr Ertsgaard at melistima@gmail.com
Dayton Theatre Guild is a community theatre that values community representation, and we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion on and off stage. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate and will be given full consideration in casting and all volunteer opportunities. Unless explicitly specified by the playwright in the text of the play, all roles will be open to all performers.
The show runs weekends Jan 30‐Feb 15, 2026
First Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
Second & Third Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 3pm
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 