NEW LINE SEEKS TWO ACTORS OF COLOR
FOR READING OF A REEFER MADNESS CHRISTMAS,
AUDITION VIDEOS ARE BEING ACCEPTED.
New Line Theatre is seeking actors of color to fill two roles for its one-night public reading of the new satirical musical A REEFER MADNESS CHRISTMAS, Jan. 9, 2023. New Line is currently accepting audition videos for these roles. Performers are asked to sing a comic theatre song. New Line is always open to non-traditional casting. The roles are a teenage boy and a teenage girl. Rehearsals will be on Monday and Thursday nights starting Dec. 9, at First Congregational Church on Wydown.
The show is set on Christmas Eve 1959, and though the characters onstage are all white people, the script calls for most of the family to be played by actors of color. Act I is a family gathering together on Christmas Eve, during which way too many secrets are revealed; and Act II is the father's fever dream (very loosely based on A Christmas Carol), in which he encounters Jesus, his own dead twin, Sandra Dee, and Johnny Appleweed, before he learns his lesson.
There are two roles open:
CHIP (tenor/high baritone) is the son of the family, 17 years old, and secretly in love with another boy named Dick. In Act II, the same actor plays Jesus Christ in the father's dream, with a musical number not unlike "Sweet Transvestite." In Act I he sings a 50s ballad number called, "Love Doesn't Suck With My Dick;" and in Act II he sings the strutting "Jesus Christ!"
TAMMY (mezzo) is the daughter of the family, 19 years old, and secretly in love with a jazz trumpeter named Miles. In Act II, Tammy returns in the dream as an alcoholic Sandra Dee. In Act I, she sings a blues number called, "Miles and Miles," and in Act II she sings a tango, "Don't Look at Me! I'm Sandra Dee!" about her childhood abuse.
New Line is a non-union company and performers will not be paid for the reading. Although the company hopes to hire the same actors for the full production of A Reefer Madness Christmas in Nov./Dec. 2023 at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. Those will be paid positions.
New Line continues its long-standing policy of considering people of all
backgrounds for all roles that are not ethnically specified. We are proud to
be part of a diverse community, and our stage represents that inclusivity. To read New Line's Diversity Statement,
click here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
All auditions for future shows will be announced on this page. All details will be posted here when they become available.
Can I sing something from the show? The answer is almost always YES at New Line. Other companies often have different preferences.
Do you want me to sing only 16 bars, or more than that? Our best advice is to find a great piece of music about 32 bars, so we don't have to cut you off if we're running late...
What if I have conflicts with the rehearsal schedule? If you have one or two schedule conflicts, we may be able to make accommodations in the schedule. If it's more than that, we will not cast you.
Do I need a picture and resume? If you have those, bring them. If not, it's not a problem.
I've never worked with New Line before -- can I still get a lead? Yes! We often give leading roles to actors who have not worked with us, and we regularly practice colorblind casting.
