Auditions

This American classic by Sam Shepard was nominated for the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  The show follows a sibling rivalry between two brothers who are housesitting their mother’s home on the outskirts of the California desert.  Austin, the achiever, is working on a script he has sold to a producer when his brother Lee, a demented petty thief, drops in and creates tension by pitching his own script. The play uses dark humor and escalating violence to highlight family dysfunction, the search for authenticity, and disillusionment with the American Dream.  Dialogue is both funny and tense as the brothers test their relationship.

Audition Dates

• Sunday January 11 at 2:00pm-4pm
• Tuesday January 13 at 7:00pm-9pm
• Callbacks (upon request) Saturday Jan 17^th – 12pm-4pm
• Link to signup for audition slot
• Link to audition application
• Link to audition sides

Performance Dates (three weekends):

• April 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24 & 25 at 8:00pm
• April 12, 19 & 25^th at 2pm

AUDITIONS:  The two lead characters, Austin and Lee, require a lot of memorization and versatility as they carry the whole show and find themselves ultimately switching personalities throughout a series of slow burning scenes. These roles will require active stage combat.

Auditions will consist of cold readings of scenes from the play.

Signup for a scheduled audition slot here.   Others who arrive without an appointment will be considered, but those with appointments will be accommodated first.

If you are auditioning, please fill out this audition form in advance.

• Link to audition application

• CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

  AUSTIN (M 20-40, on stage for virtually the entire show). Lee’s brother.  A squeaky-clean Ivy League graduate who works as a scriptwriter, somewhat accomplished but really l ooking for his big break.  Has worked hard and played by the rules.  He is jealous of his brother’s free spirit.  Austin inhabits a neat world constructed of middle-class values of rationality, self-discipline, and hard work.  By all accounts, he is a success.  Actor will need to be versatile, able to switch personalities, appear drunk, and handle physical stage combat.  

  LEE (M 30-50, on stage for virtually the entire show) Austin’s brother.  A beer-swilling desert rat and recluse, petty thief and a drifter. Short tempered, obnoxious and a little wild.  Jealous of his brother’s success, family and stability.  He is the exact opposite of his brother in looks, sensibility, and degree of success. He lacks discipline and cannot tolerate frustration. Lee will be shirtless for some of the play.  Actor will need to be versatile, able to switch personalities, appear drunk, and handle physical stage combat.

  SAUL KIMMER (M 40-60s, two scenes) A slick Hollywood producer. A symbol of status, power and opportunity. Ready to wheel and deal and is quick with the sweet talk but also used to getting what he wants.  He is sincere but is motivated only by profit. Shallow and superficial, dressed in loud flowered shirts and polyester pants, he is a caricature of the Hollywood parasite who, lacking talent himself, survives by marketing the talents of others.

  MOM (F 60’s+, one scene)  Mother of the two brothers. Lonely. Dissatisfied. Loves her plants.  Used to being disappointed by her loved ones. She is a bit senile and detached from reality.

  • Link to audition sides

  If you have any questions, please contact the director at TrueWestNLT@gmail.com