Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar
Location: Washington, DC
Type: Theater
Peace Mountain Theatre Company is holding auditions for Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, directed by Bill Hurlbut. The production will run for six live performances (plus a preview) at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, November 11-21, 2021.
Audition Dates and Times:
September 12 and 13, 7:00pm-9:30pm in-person auditions at the Writer’s Center
September 14, 7:30pm callbacks (if needed) at the Writer’s Center
Sign up for auditions at whurlbut@yahoo.com or https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084ea8aa29a0fd0-auditions1
Cast Breakdown:
NOTE: Ethnicity and race are central issues in this play. Roles will be cast as close as possible to the descriptions.
AMIR: Male, Pakistani-American, late 30s to early 40s. He is Emily’s husband and Abe’s uncle. Amir is a brilliant, ambitious, and successful lawyer. He is so sharply dressed and sophisticated it nearly masks his deep self-consciousness and insecurity. He is very “liberal” in his view of religion and a critic of Islam. He feels he is on the verge of a career breakthrough but is insecure about his standing at the firm.
EMILY: Female, White, early to mid 30s. Amir’s wife is warm, articulate, and compassionate, a complement and contrast with Amir. She is a talented painter on the cusp of significant success. She developed an interested in the art of Islam as a way to understand her husband’s culture and has worked hard to educate herself and broaden her personal and world views.
ABE: Male, Pakistani-American, early 20s. Amir’s nephew is “As American as American gets,” vibrant and endearing in his hoodie, skinny jeans, and high-tops. He is strong, quiet, and a thoughtful, passionate young man of conviction. He is smart and engaging with an awakening sense of social and personal justice.
ISAAC: Male, White, late 30s to early 40s. Isaac is a curator at the Whitney Museum, a man with immense power in the art world, which he knows but doesn’t often flaunt. As part of the intellectual elite in New York City he is quick with a quip and a sharp critical eye and tongue. He would be irritatingly snobbish if he weren’t also charming. He is not political by nature but he is a committed Jewish liberal.
JORY: Female, African-American, mid to late-30s. Jory, Isaac’s wife, is an ambitious and savvy lawyer, intelligent, commanding, forthright. She is confident and self-assured having wrestled her way to the top of the law firm where she and Amir work. She is not afraid to fight for what she wants and get her hands dirty if necessary.
Synopsis:
Amir Kapoor, an upwardly mobile New York acquisitions lawyer, has distanced himself from his Muslim upbringing, but meanwhile, his artist wife Emily, is drawing inspiration from Islam to inform a new direction in her painting. When Amir’s nephew Abe convinces him to help an imam in legal trouble, Amir’s carefully constructed career and relationships are at potential risk. Subsequently, Emily and Amir host a dinner party with Emily’s agent, Isaac, and his wife Jory, also a rising star in Amir’s law firm; at the party, a discussion of the imam’s case devolves into a bitter argument about Middle East politics. Disgraced depicts underlying racial and ethnic prejudices that can find sanctuary in the highest social tiers and without regard to liberal sentiments.
Payment: Paid
City or Location of call: Washington, DC
Please submit to: whurlbut@yahoo.com by 2021-08-23
All roles are open; actors will be paid a stipend. Auditions will consist of reading from sides. In-person auditions are preferred, but video auditions will be accepted on request. Please submit a headshot and resume in advance. Actors and production staff are required to be fully vaccinated (proof will be required). In addition, actors will be required to complete a daily screening form before working in-person. Peace Mountain Theatre Company and The Writer’s Center follow all federal, state, and local health security guidelines.
This casting notice was posted by: Peace Mountain Theatre Company
