UPCOMING AUDITIONS
Virginia Stage Company follows Actor's Equity policy regarding casting for both Equity and non-Equity contracts with regards to diversity: Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.
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Virginia Stage Company Presents
Blues for an Alabama Sky
By Pearl Cleage
Directed by Jerrell Henderson
Performances Run April 17 - May 5
Local Auditions (In-Person)
By appointment only with Resident Casting Director Emel Ertugrul
Thursday, February 15 6:00 - 9:00p
Callback Auditions (In-Person)
By invite only with Casting Director and Director
Friday, February 16 6:00 - 9:00p
The Wells Theatre
108 E. Tazewell St. Norfolk, VA
Virginia Stage Company is seeking actors for their production of Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage.
Equity and non-Equity will be considered for all roles. Members of Actor’s Equity Association will receive prior access to audition slots.
Please be prepared to:
Read the side corresponding to your desired role below, a reader will be provided. No dialects required.
Read the side corresponding to your desired role below, a reader will be provided.
If you are not available for an in-person appointment, but still interested, please complete the Blues for an Alabama Sky Video Audition Submission Form. Video submissions are due by Thursday, February 15.
If you have previously submitted an audition via Equity Principal Actor Auditions, there is no need to resubmit unless you wish to perform a selected side. Your initial audition is under consideration.
To request an in-person audition appointment, please click below and complete the audition request form. You will be contacted by Casting Director, Emel Ertugrul to confirm your assigned time.
Blues for an Alabama Sky - Important Dates
1st Day Rehearsal Tuesday – March 26, 2024
Tech Begins Friday – April 12, 2024
First Preview Wednesday – April 17, 2024
Opening Saturday – April 20, 2024
Closing Sunday – May 5, 2024
Blues for an Alabama Sky - Role Descriptions & Sides
Harlem, 1930. The Blues are getting bluer and the gin is running dry. A free-spirited Cotton Club singer has just been fired with nowhere left to go but down. So, she turns to her best friend, an extravagant costume designer with plans to dress Josephine Baker in Paris. Maybe they can run away together? Or maybe the handsome southerner that just came knocking can offer an even better life? But the saxophone dreams of Harlem rarely end as smoothly as they start.
Angel Allen: Black/African-American, Female Presenting, Age 34. Looks 29. That’s important.
(Back-up) Singer. Currently Un-Employed. That’s Important.
Influenced by: Nina Mae McKinney. Ethel Waters. Bessie Smith.
The ultimate poker player; at her best one never knows just how good a hand Angel is holding. Through the façade of make-up and dress, Angel is used to being able to bluff and flirt her way into some exciting situations. In this world, the audience meets Angel just as this reality is beginning to dissipate. Confidence is still present but the realities of what a free Black woman has to do in order to survive is knocking at her door. The knocking is a call Angel takes quite seriously. (Side: w/Leland)
Guy Jacobs: Black/African-American, Male Presenting, Age 30.
Costume Designer.
Influenced by: Langston Hughes. Geoffrey Holder. Duke Ellington.
Guy knows exactly what he wants and remains diligent throughout the story in his quest to obtain his goals. This is non-negotiable. Angel is a sister to him. Their love was forged as children in the fires of survival. It’s lasting. This is non-negotiable. Guy has never and will never pretend to be someone he is not. Not for anyone (this is important). This is non-negotiable. He does not leave the house without being sure he looks good. This is non-negotiable. Everything else is on the table. (Side: w/Delia)
Delia Patterson: Black/African-American, Female Presenting, Age 25.
Social Worker at the Margaret Sanger Family Planning Clinic.
Influenced by: Cora Catherine Calhoun Horne. Mary Church Terrell. Mary McLeod Bethune.
Delia suffers somewhat from Amos Hart syndrome. With so many large and colorful personalities around, it is easy for her to fade into the background. What most large personalities don’t realize, though, is this is a short falling of theirs. Delia is intelligent, compassionate, and driven. Those elements alone are enough to reset the universe and she’s content to do just that. She speaks warmly, loves deeply, and knows how to be firm. Her sense of humor is evolving. (Side: w/Sam)
Sam Thomas: Black/African-American, Male Presenting, Age 40.
Doctor (this is important).
Influenced by: Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Charles Drew. Fats Waller.
Sam is simply one of the most skilled, experienced, and kind baby doctors Harlem has ever seen. He loves Black people in general but especially when he gets to guide them, by hand, into our world. Perhaps the privilege which allowed him to successfully pursue medicine at a time filled with so many barriers spills into his professional life and he can get a bit messy in-between work hours. Sam is going to squeeze every drop of life out of this experience and die with no regrets. (Side: w/Delia)
Leland Cunningham: Black/African-American, Male Presenting, Age 28.
Recent Migrant from Alabama (the American South).
Influenced by: Rex Ingram. Robert Johnson. Southern Black Preacher.
The mysterious or dark stranger. Isn’t it interesting that his gait isn’t slow? Isn’t it fascinating that the energy of the blues comes in the form of a young man from the old country with a few psychological and emotional hellhounds on his trail? Trying to heal but mired in the pain of the past and bound within the forced structure of religion; Leland wishes to see the streets of New York as if they are Sodom and Gomorrah and Angel is his salvation. The problem with this is, nothing in Harlem in the early 1930s comes close to being that simple. (Side: w/Angel)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I audition for a Virginia Stage Company production?
Virginia Stage Company employs both Equity (LOA referencing LORT) and Non Equity Performers. All positions are paid. Non Equity pay ranges depending on the role.
Q. How often are auditions held?
Auditions are held throughout our season, typically beginning in August. The best way to know when auditions happen is to sign up for email notifications, see below. (You will only receive emails about upcoming auditions.)
Q: What do I prepare for the audition?
For individual show auditions, please prepare the side that is appropriate for your character. We will provide a reader to interact with you when presenting your audition. While you are not required to have the lines memorized, we recommend that you at least be highly familiar with them. Make sure to check individual audition listings for recommended sides and show-specific requirements.
Q: What if I can’t make it to the audition?
If you absolutely cannot make it to the audition, video submissions will be accepted. E-Mail auditions@vastage.org for more information.
Q: Can I send you my headshot/resume?
Yes please! E-mail it to auditions@vastage.org with the title of the show you are interested in as the subject line – or mail it to the theatre: Virginia Stage Company, PO Box 3770, Norfolk, VA 23514.
Q: What if I do not have a headshot/resume?
We will be taking a photo of you with your audition number at the auditions, but we’d always appreciate a good quality & recent shot of you in lieu of a professional headshot. If you do not have a resume, there will be a space on our audition form for you to fill out any theatre experience you may have.
For specific inquiries, please contact auditions@vastage.org.
Audition Email List
We hold a few show-specific auditions throughout each season. Sign up below to get an email when we've got one coming up! (You will only be emailed about auditions.)