We are now casting for Lines, a meta-comedy premiering at the Hollywood Fringe this June. Below is a dedicated page with all of the information we have to share with you: character bios, key dates, rehearsal commitment details, and next steps! Check out our Instagram to meet the team and chat with us!

****🌟Audition due by Friday, March 22nd at 11:59pm PST🌟

<aside> 📝 Summary

Lines opens on a blank stage with nothing but an empty hospital bed. One by one, members of the Jennings family enter the hospice room to say goodbye to Gladys, their dying matriarch. This repeats the next day, and the next…and family tensions are revealed as they deliver monologues of regret, resentment, and gratitude to the sound of a heart rate monitor. Without any warning, the Playwright stands and calls the whole thing off, declaring their work ‘a piece of shit.’ From the back row, an Audience Member convinces them to finish. The Playwright, with nudges and advice from the Audience Member, begins to write new scenes in real time; experimenting with different themes, introducing and then retracting new plot points, changing character’s traits, and struggling to generate something that feels authentic and true to the story—especially for the character of Gerry. Gerry remains inconsistent, mysterious, or absent, until the climax of the play when it’s revealed that Gerry is in fact the self-insert of the Playwright, who is reckoning with their complicated relationship with their own recently deceased mother. Only by acknowledging their grief does the Playwright finally figure out how to write Gerry’s goodbye to their mother—and they enter the play themself to deliver the final monologue in a moment of long-awaited catharsis and vulnerability.

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<aside> 🗯️ Roles

The Playwright (20s-40s, any gender)

• They suffer from acute bouts of grandiosity and insecurity. Goofy and dramatic; swinging from being defeatist about their own work to believing themself to be a genius. Curiously guarded, considering they’ve written a play about grief.

Audience Member (20-30s, any gender)

• Earnest, genuine, and loyal. Even though they are ~allegedly~ an extension of the playwright’s ego, they serve as the audience’s ‘in’ to the story. They just want to know why the playwright is so blocked, and will stop at almost nothing to coach the Playwright through finishing the play.

Lucy (late 40s - early 50s, woman)

• Gladys’ middle child, methodical and precise. She’s taking the lead on orchestrating all of the death paperwork that comes with someone’s passing—it seems like she’s had to take the lead of most of this family’s issues throughout her life. She’s burnt out, overwhelmed, and most of all, wishing her mom could guide her through it.

Adam (late 40s - early 50s, man)

• Lucy’s husband, loud and goofy, but also sincere. Loves a dad joke, loves teasing his kids, and loves making his wife laugh. Not afraid to be stern with Lucy about the importance of rest.

Stella (early twenties, woman)

• Lucy and Adam’s daughter, scattered and sweet. She’s back from her first year of college and misses her grandma. Very much an ‘older sister’ archetype. Adores her younger brother.

Jefferson (late teens, man)

• Lucy and Adam’s son, surprisingly really smart. He’s obsessed with art. He’s not very good at communicating his feelings—he’s a teenage boy—but he’s got big ones. He’s big on respect especially towards Gladys.

Lester (early sixties, woman)

• Gladys’ eldest daughter, she’s seen it all. Vaguely southern, for some reason? Wise, has a quip for everything, but lets Lucy take the lead with everything.

Gerry (early 40s, man)

• Gladys’ youngest child, uncertain, earthy, and vague. Lives out in the middle of nowhere and rarely has contact with his family. Only came to see his mom in the last weeks of her life. Gerry’s character is vague, undetermined, and unmotivated—until the end of the play. </aside>

Links to sides

Playwright

Audience Member

Lucy

Adam

Stella

Jefferson

Lester

Gerry

<aside> 💻 How to audition

Please email [email protected] with the subject line:

‘LINES Audition - Your Last Name, Your First Name’

ex. LINES Audition - Bland, Marie

Include:

• Headshot
• Brief bio & pronouns
• Resume
• A monologue, less than 5 minutes (memorized, can be recorded many months or years ago, we just want to see you read something you are affected by)
• A video submission of the sides for the character you are interested in auditioning for
  • this does not need to be memorized!
  • if you’re open to being considered for multiple characters, please mention that in your email. if there’s a character you’d rather not be considered for, feel free to mention that as well!
  • Please note that if you don’t fit the ‘age’ descriptor for a character, but are interested in playing them, please still send in your sides! Part of the charm of the meta-ness of Lines is that anyone can play any character regardless of age

Send in your audition by March 22nd at 11:59pm PST and we’ll be in touch about scheduling callbacks!

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<aside> 🗓️ Key Dates*

REHEARSALS (location tbd)

• will occur throughout May on weekday evenings (hoping for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), but are amenable to our casts’ constraints. We’d guess the commitment is around 6 hours of rehearsing per week with additional hours for the week of the design run, and tech rehearsal
• Here is the link to the tentative rehearsal schedule, if you want to give that a look

DESIGN RUN (location tbd)

• Sunday May 19th 12pm-4pm

TECH at the Hudson Theatre

• Sunday June 2nd 10am-2:30pm

PREVIEW at the Hudson Theatre

• Thursday June 6th 6:30-8:30pm

SHOW 1 at the Hudson Theatre

• Thursday June 20th 6:30-8:30pm

SHOW 2 at the Hudson Theatre

• Friday June 21st 5:30-7:30pm

SHOW 3 at the Hudson Theatre

• Saturday June 29th 6:30-8:30pm

*****There is a chance for an extension into July based on audience/critic’s awards

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<aside> 💰 Compensation

Putting on any Fringe show is a labor of love. Katie and I are self-producing this entire production and are hoping to break even! We can provide a $150 stipend for each of our actors and…

• lunches on design run and tech days, snacks (homemade bread??) and tea in rehearsal
• attendance to Fringe mixers with producers, directors, and other actors!
• exposure to the greater LA theater world
• a respectful and nurturing rehearsal environment (ie. ALWAYS honoring your time and letting you out exactly when stated)
• fun vibes and community <3 </aside>