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Audition Information
Party of Twelve
By Mary Donnet Johnson
Directed by Danielle Roos
This original play was commissioned by Rutherford Arts Alliance to illuminate a diverse group of powerful women in Rutherford County history and to create an opportunity for learning and dialogue on important community issues going forward. There will be a stipend of $200 for each actor.
PERFORMANCES
Washington Theater in Patterson Park
Friday, April 8th at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 9th at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 10th at 3:00 pm
SYNOPSIS
Party of Twelve opens with a modern-day MTSU history student trying her best to stay awake to finish an important assignment. As she finally gives in to sleep her dreams are populated by a diverse group of powerful women from Rutherford County’s past. For a little more than an hour, these vivid figures burst forth from the dusty archives to speak truth to their struggles, pain, triumphs, and joy. Written in the style of magical realism with a generous dose of humor by Tennessee playwright Mary Donnet Johnson, Party of Twelve is a vibrant celebration that will touch your heart, resonate in your mind, and spark important conversations for a long time to come.
FOR AUDITIONS
● You can either sign up for an audition time block or show up when you’re available and we will do our best to get you in as soon as possible. Sign up here for a slot: https://tinyurl.com/3jncv74c Masks will be required for auditions
● Please bring either a prepared monologue (comic or dramatic), or choose from one provided. You may also be asked to read scenes from the script. Monologues and scenes can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3aar6aj8
● Please fill out this form (we will have hard copies available at auditions as well):
● And mark conflicts here (we will have hard copies available at auditions as well): https://tinyurl.com/bdz78x2h
● If you are feeling ill or in quarantine, but would still like to audition, please submit a video of your monologue to the director by 5:00pm on Thursday, January 20th.
● Email the director, Danielle, at daniellemarieroos@gmail.com with any questions or video submissions
IMPORTANT DATES
Auditions:
● Wednesday, January 19th from 6:30-9:30pm - Washington Theater in Patterson Park
● Thursday, January 20th from 6:30-9:30pm, Center for the Arts - Mirror Room
Callbacks:
● Sunday, January 23rd from 3-5pm - Washington Theater in Patterson Park
First Read-Through:
● Saturday, January 29th from 3-5pm - Patterson Park
Rehearsals:
● Exact rehearsal dates TBD between March 7th - April 1st (weekday evenings between 6-9pm and possibly Saturdays between 10am-2pm)
● Tech and Dress Rehearsals are from April 2nd-April 7th
● Potential Calendar here: https://tinyurl.com/bdz78x2h
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN (in order of appearance):
Olivia Any race. Graduate student at MTSU, obsessed with history and eager to make her own mark on the world.
Mary Kate Patterson White, young, beautiful, spirited. A Confederate spy.
Sarah Childress Polk White, middle aged, gracious First Lady, hides her power in plain sight under a mantel of female deference.
Mary Ellen Vaughn Black, middle-aged, resourceful, a nurse, educator, newspaper editor, and pioneer.
Willie Betty Newman White, middle aged, a painter and teacher, studied in Paris and made her living as a fine artist.
Will Allen Dromgoole White, middle aged, prolific journalist and writer, competitive and determined.
Annie Brawley Jackson White, late thirties, a suffrage leader and a railroad freight clerk.
Nannie Rucker Black, strong, mature, articulate, a teacher and advocate, impervious to barriers, recipient of many honors.
Lottie Sublett Black, daughter of a farmer, in her mid-twenties or early thirties, generous, and brave, first student from Smyrna to attend Holloway High School in Murfreesboro.
Mary Noailles Murfree White, mature, writer of 26 books, walks with a limp from childhood polio and has gone blind, but cheerful and tireless, nonetheless.
Myrtle Glanton Lord Black, quite elderly, vigorous, a teacher, social activist, and visionary. Effortlessly tends to the practical, while never losing sight of her dreams.
Mariah Black, age 37, enslaved woman owned by Sarah Childress Polk, magnificent bearing with a strong singing voice.
