Details
Union:
Union or Non union
Area of media:
Workshop
Network:
Paid?:
Yes
Rates:
All rates conform to the CAEA DOT (2024 rates): $18.69 per hour for workshop + $56.70 per presentation + $24 per week
Deadline:
Jan 19, 2024
Callbacks:
Jan 26, 2024 Callbacks may not be necessary.
Cities for response:
Toronto, Halifax
Comments
This is a WORKSHOP production. Actors will be seated and reading from script, in front of live audience. There will be no movement (blocking) or costumes, but there will be some pre-recorded background music and occasional sound effects. Lighting will be general stage wash. Rehearsals will begin in Toronto, and take place on March 4, 6, 8, 9. Rehearsals will continue in Halifax on March 13, 14, 15. Readings will take place in multiple venues in Halifax (March 15, 16, 17) and Toronto (March 20, 21, 22, 23). NOTE: Most roles will be double-cast (i.e. local Halifax actors for the Halifax dates, and local Toronto actors for the Toronto dates). However, there is the possibility that one or two actors may be cast for both cities. In this case, all transportation, accommodations, and per diems will be paid according to the terms set out in the CAEA DOT.
Storyline
It is the mid-1960s. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael emerge as just three of the undisputed heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. A Canadian hero is also rising: Nova Scotia's Rocky Jones, supported by his wife, Joan Jones. Walter Borden has barely reached his mid-twenties when he meets the Joneses (long before he becomes Canada's preeminent actor of Black-Indigenous origin). Committed to making positive change for Black Nova Scotians, these three very nearly incite a revolution, all while the RCMP tries to suppress them.
Roles
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Walter Borden | Male 21 - 28 Years old |
Description BLACK NOVA SCOTIAN. Young, bright, highly articulate, but a bit lost until he meets Rocky and Joan, at which point his dual passions ignite: activism and theatre. Deeply supportive and loyal, especially to Joan. Proud of his Blackness. Homosexual, but not in any way conforming to gay stereotypes. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Rocky Jones | Male 22 - 29 Years old |
Description BLACK NOVA SCOTIAN. Tall, articulate, charismatic, handsome. Aimless adventure-seeker until he gets put on the spot, and his inner activist comes to life. Transforms into a "Black radical", and the face of a growing liberation movement. Loves and respects his wife, Joan, but has a wandering eye. Fearless in the face of opposition. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 1 | Male 22 - 30 Years old |
Description BLACK MALE. This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include middle school student, university student, protester, W. P. Oliver (church minister), Buddy Daye (community organizer), rough-and-tumble club patron, and doo-wop singer (some singing ability would be beneficial). | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 2 | Male 22 - 30 Years old |
Description BLACK MALE. This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include Stokely Carmichael (legendary African-American activist - New York raised but Caribbean-born), Buddy Daye (Halifax community organizer, Black Nova Scotian), student, resident, and conference attendee. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 3 | Female 22 - 30 Years old |
Description BLACK FEMALE. This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include Miriam Makeba (legendary South African singer and activist), Leontyne Price (legendary Black opera star), Caribbean woman, student, and protester. Singing ability in multiple styles is a real asset. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 4 | Male 30 - 40 Years old |
Description WHITE MALE: This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include middle school Principal, medical doctor, White ally (activist), School Headmaster, prosecution lawyer. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 5 | Male 30 - 40 Years old |
Description WHITE MALE: This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include news reporter, Treasury department boss, student, police officer, judge. Most important character for this role is Inspector J. Mudge - an undercover RCMP officer who tracks the Jones' every move. This character must have the stereotypical sound of 1960s-era law enforcement officer. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Multi-Character 6 | Female 23 - 30 Years old |
Description WHITE FEMALE: This is one of six multi-character roles, and requires real flexibility in terms of the actor's ability to convincingly perform distinct character voices. Characters include Lynn Burrows (White ally/activist), Margie Davis (daughter to Bishop Davis), White Scotian woman in relationship with a Black Nova Scotian man, and Sharon, who will later become Rocky's second wife. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Narrator | All 20 - 50 Years old |
Description BLACK. This role is to read stage directions and context. It is open to any gender, but as this is a Black story, only Black-identifying persons will be considered. | ||