MCCARTER THEATRE CENTER 17-18 SEASON BREAKDOWN
SIMPATICO
By Sam Shepard. Directed by Dado. 1st Rehearsal: August 15, 2017. Runs September 16 –
October 15, 2017. Berlind Theatre.
Buried secrets, blackmail, and false identities intertwine in this tragicomedy that explores the
slippery netherworld of thoroughbred racing.
Carter: 40’s – 50’s. Suave and well groomed. He is a race horse breeder from Kentucky with a
temper and less control over his situation than he thinks. This role is cast.
Vinnie: 40’s – 50’s. He appears to be a self-pitying disheveled bum. Deceptive, intelligent, and
broken. This role is cast.
Cecilia: 20s – 40s. Beautiful and manipulative with dreams of the high life. Has an innocence to
her, despite the company she keeps. This role is cast.
Simms: 45 – 65. Gruff, nostalgic and resigned to his station in life. He is a disgraced racetrack
commissioner who was the victim of a blackmailing scheme. This role is cast.
Kelly: 18 – 25. Attractive, perplexed, and sincere in her concern for Rosie. The maid to Rosie
and Carter. The role is cast.
Rosie: 20 – 30s. Flamboyant, boozy, and cynical. She is married to Carter and used to be
married to Vinnie. This role is cast.
A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN
Written and Directed by Randy Johnson. 1st Rehearsal: September 26, 2017. Runs October 14 –
October 29, 2017. Matthews Theatre.
With a live band and psychedelic performances of her unforgettable songs, this music driven
theater event is a powerful celebration of the women who made the music that changed history.
This event focuses on the artist, her music, and her musical influences.
Janis Joplin: 20’s. Caucasian. Charismatic, raw, and electric. Powerhouse rock vocals.
5 Joplinaires: 20s – 40s. African-American. Strong vocals.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens, adaptation by David Thompson. Directed by Adam Immerwahr.
1st rehearsal: November 9, 2017. Runs December 9 – December 31, 2017. Matthews Theatre.
Ebenezer Scrooge: 50s-mid 60s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Quintessential
curmudgeon, nasty and miserly; must have superb comic and dramatic range. Beneath the crusty
exterior is a man seeking a connection. London Accent. Not posh, not cockney. This role is cast.
Bob Cratchit: 30s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Scrooge’s clerk who has been
worked to the bone. Once a lively man, he now worries about putting food on the table. A true
family man, his children fill him with hope and humor despite his difficult existence.
Old Jacob Marley / Old Joe: 50s-mid 60s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Old
Jacob Marley - Scrooge’s deceased business partner. In life he was an ambitious, practical man
with no sentimentality. Now a ghost, he is waiting desperately for Scrooge to see him and hear
his lesson and words of regret. Physical actors preferred as this character will fly. Old Joe Cockney pawnshop dealer who trades in stolen goods. Witty, dark and devious, Joe is a distant
relative of Dickens’ Fagin and has a bawdy sense of humor.
Fred / Undertaker: 20s-early 30s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Fred - Scrooge's
nephew. An optimistic and kind young man, a goofball at heart. Witty and able to trade barbs
with his Uncle. Should be an attractive leading man with a slightly comic edge. Undertaker - A
professional undertaker of Victorian England. Cockney accent.
Young Jacob Marley: Early 20s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Young Jacob
Marley - Scrooge’s partner, an ambitious, practical man, with no sentimentality. Marley is a
product of a newly industrialized England and places money and financial stability above all
else.
Young Scrooge / Solicitor: Early 20s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Young
Scrooge - Scrooge before he is corrupted. A conflicted young man torn between the need for
financial security and the desire to connect with other human beings. Solicitor - A wealthy and
respected man of business. He is charitable and warm and is seeking donations with his friend
and colleague.
Mr. Fezziwig / Solicitor: Late 40s-50s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Fezziwig Young Scrooge and Marley’s boss, generous and expansive. Fezziwig is a kind hearted and jolly
man, but not a fool. He has great integrity and great love for everyone around him. Solicitor - A
wealthy and respected man of business. He is charitable and warm and is seeking donations with
his friend and colleague.
Mrs. Fezziwig / Laundress: 30s-50s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Mrs.
Fezziwig - Ditzy, gabby, and overflowing with warmth. A good-hearted meddler who is in love
with her husband and entirely convinced of the goodness of those around her and the bounty of
the world. Laundress - She desperately sells the stuff dead people leave behind. Competitive and
funny. Cockney accent.
Mrs. Dilber: 30s-early 60s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Scrooge’s dedicated and
dithering servant. Working class British. Quirky, funny, and resigned. A character woman.
Comedienne with heart.
Mrs. Cratchit: 30s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Caring but fiery, she will
defend her family at any price. She is the glue that holds her family together. Nurturing, warm,
the salt of the earth. Working class London accent. This role is cast.
Lily / Belle: 20s-early 30s. Actively seeking all ethnicities for this role. Lily - Fred’s wife and an
extremely kind and graceful young woman. Lily always sees the best in people. She is tenacious
and refuses to give up on Scrooge because she realizes how much family means to her husband.
Belle - Scrooge’s fiancée who leaves him because of his obsession with money. A woman ahead
of her time, Belle is fiercely idealistic. There is a sadness about her; she holds people to high
standards and has been disappointed.
Stones in His Pockets
By Marie Jones. Directed by Lindsay Posner. 1st Rehearsal: Dec 12, 2017. Runs: Jan 20 - Feb
11, 2018, with possible extension to Feb 18, 2018. Berlind.
Charlie and Jake, a couple of small town Irishmen, hope to hit it big when they’re hired as extras
for an epic American movie filming in their scenic County Kerry village. These two actors
portray a colorful cast of eccentric characters in this tale that pits harsh reality against Hollywood
endings.
Jake Quinn: 30's – 40’s. Irish. Character actor with natural comic ability. Working class. A
handsome charismatic man with dreams of being a film star that have failed to materialize. Can
be cynical and sharp, but does have a soft spot for Sean and the people of his town.
Charlie Conlon: 30’s – 40’s. Irish. Character actor with natural comic ability. Earnest,
bumbling, and an open book. Former owner of a failed video store and an aspiring screenwriter.
Fanciful, a romantic at heart, and he tries to remain positive despite what he has been through.
Crowns
Written and Directed by Regina Taylor. 1st Rehearsal: Feb 13, 2018. Run: March 17 – April 1,
2018. Matthews. Co-Production with Long Wharf Theatre. 1st Rehearsal: April 3, 2018. Run:
April 18 – May 13, 2018
After the death of her brother, Yolanda is sent to live with her grandmother in South Carolina. At
her grandmother’s church, she finds herself immersed in the tales that the women share with her.
They reenact experiences of love, strength, perseverance, and grief; all from under the brim of a
fabulous hat. Yolanda is resistant at first, but eventually finds a sense of belonging and a
connection to her culture through this congregation of queens.
Yolanda: African-American. Teenager. A true New Yorker. Has a tough, proud veneer that tries
to conceal her feelings of alienation and grief. Rebellious, passionate, in an exploratory phase of
her life. Must have a strong singing voice and move well.
Mother Shaw: African-American. Yolanda’s grandmother, the matriarch. Powerful spiritual
leader, greatly respected by her congregation. Mediates between the other women. Selfpossessed, graceful, and carries herself with a quiet strength. Strong gospel voice.
Wanda: African-American. Proper, lady-like, delicate. Invested in propriety and modesty. Has
strong opinions on how appropriate or flattering certain hats are. Strong vocalist and moves well.
Velma: African- American. Self-proclaimed “hat queen”. Warm, fun, tougher than she looks. A
funeral director who makes a point of burying women in their hats. Blues/Jazz vocalist.
Jeanette: African-American. Exuberant and full of life. Flirtatious, joyful, funny. Greatly
admires Mother Shaw’s musical and spiritual abilities. Strong vocalist and moves well.
Mabel: African-American. Minister’s wife. Feisty and unapologetic, with strict rules on manners
and modesty. She’s a rule follower, but with a bit of pride. Owns about 200 hats. Strong vocalist
and moves well.
Man: African-American. Versatile actor. Commanding stature. Strong presence and vocal
power.
Turning Off the Morning News
By Christopher Durang. Directed by Emily Mann. 1st Rehearsal: April 6, 2018. Run: May 12 –
June 3, 2018. Berlind.
Jimmy is angry, illogical, and dangerous. His wife Polly is oblivious to his threats, and dreams of
a red carpet event in heaven. This black comedy examines the normalcy of violence in our
everyday lives with satirical commentary and eccentric characters.
Jimmy: mid 40s. Troubled, neurotic, violent. Doesn’t follow through on anything he starts.
Blames his family and the world for all of his perceived faults.
Polly: 30s-40s. Talkative, oblivious, and perky. Her thoughts are stream-of-consciousness and
without filter, which often sounds like nonsense to everyone else, but everything she says makes
sense to her.
Cliff: 30s – 40s. Introverted, well-meaning, and approachable. He is trying to maintain control
over his grief. Listens to classical music to soothe himself and avoids the news.
Salena: 30s. African-American. Energetic, vibrant, and beautiful. Tells it like it is.
Timmy: 13, but played by a young adult. Shy, awkward, and often ignored. An observant,
nervous boy who is aware of how dangerous his father is, but feels powerless to do anything
about it.
Rosalind: 30s. Kooky, confident, and particularly interested in illnesses.
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Theatre’s statement: McCarter does not discriminate against any person because of race, color,
sex, age, handicap, national origin, religious or political beliefs, marital status or sexual
preference. McCarter acknowledges the need for expanding the participation of women and all
ethnic groups and minorities in the Theatre's artistic process and is committed to nondiscrimination and a flexible, imaginative, non-traditional casting policy. "Non-traditional
casting" is defined as the casting of ethnic minorities or female Actors in roles where race,
ethnicity or sex is not germane. We are interested in seeing actors of all ages and ethnicities,
appropriate for a wide range of productions.