Auditions

Audition Announcement:
Seeking Performers of Latin American Descent for Death and the Maiden 

 

Bag&Baggage Productions, Hillsboro’s resident professional theater company, is holding auditions for all roles in their upcoming March 2018 production of Ariel Dorfman’s psychological thriller Death and the Maiden.

Auditions are by appointment only and will be held at B&B’s new home, The Vault Theatre, in downtown Hillsboro on Saturday, October 14th.

 

About the Show:

“Beware of turning into the enemy you most fear. All it takes is to lash out violently at someone who has done you some grievous harm, proclaiming that only your pain matters in this world. More than against that person’s body, you will then, at that moment, be committing a crime against your own imagination.”

-Ariel Dorfman

Set in a country that “is probably Chile, but could be any country that has given itself a democratic government just after a long period of dictatorship”, Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman’s 1990 play, Death and the Maiden, follows the former political prisoner Paulina Salas as she seeks revenge on the man she believes to have been her torturer: a man whose face she never saw, but whom she can still recall with terrifying clarity. Tonight, by chance, a stranger, Roberto Miranda, arrives at the secluded beach house Paulina shares with her husband, Gerardo Escobar, a human rights lawyer and member of the Commission set up to investigate the terrible crimes perpetrated under the dictatorship. Paulina is convinced the stranger was her tormentor and believes he must now be held to account.

 

Roles Available/Actors Sought:
Paulina Salas: (age 35-40; female, or those who identify as female) Shackled by the horrors of her past, Paulina is a former medical student and activist, who was kidnapped by the secret police during the dictatorship and subjected to physical and sexual torture. Though ultimately freed of these captors, Paulina never fully recovered from the psychological effects of her captivity. She never finished school, and has spent the intervening years married to Gerardo without entertaining any of her own professional or personal aspirations. She is deeply private, paranoid, and fragile, suffering through the social appearances that her husband’s position demands.

 Gerardo Escobar: (age 40-45; male, or those who identify as male) A lawyer whose career is on the rise, Gerardo has just been appointed to the commission that will examine human rights abuses during the former military dictatorship. Gerardo’s excitement over this appointment and the promise of his burgeoning career represent his hope for the future; his ambition outweighs his desire and ability to examine the past. Motivated by a theoretical ideal of justice, Gerardo is shocked by Paulina’s attempt to take justice into her own hands and put Roberto on trial in their home, maintaining his optimistic belief that the only new government can serve its citizens’ demand for justice.

Roberto Miranda: (age 50; male, or those who identify as male) Roberto is a doctor with a wife and two children, and the target of Paulina’s accusations. During his “confession,” Roberto explains that the previous regime engaged him as medical supervisor of torture sessions; he was meant to advise torturers on how much pain they could inflict on the prisoners without killing them. At first, Roberto was able to convince himself that he was there for humanitarian reasons – in many cases he stopped the police from torturing people who were not actually in danger of dying – but Roberto was eventually seduced by the power that he wielded; he suddenly began to actually enjoy himself. Despite Paulina’s conviction that Roberto is guilty of personally raping and torturing her, he maintains his innocence to the end. After recording what he claims to be a “false confession,” he still refuses to admit to any of the crimes, and begs Paulina to stop the cycle of violence.

 

Rehearsals/Performances:
All rehearsals take place in Hillsboro at The Vault Theater, usually Sunday afternoons (12-6pm), and Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday evenings (6-10pm). Rehearsals begin January 28th; performances begin March 8th and run through March 25th, 2018.

 

Pay:
All roles are paid, based on an hourly rate: $1,575.

 

TO AUDITION:
Auditions are by invitation only. Interested artists are asked to submit the following for consideration:

• a headshot (in pdf format)
• a current resume (in pdf format)
• two professional acting references (previous directors preferred)

 

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 11th at 5:00pm. B&B is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and to creating a safe place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. Please submit materials to cassie@bagnbaggage.org.

 

General Crew Opportunities

Paid crew positions available for productions may include: Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Run Crew, Head of Props, Light Board Operator, Sound Board Operator, Set Construction crew, and Front of House Manager.

To be considered for a paid crew position, you should have previous professional experience, access to reliable transportation (or ideally be based in Washington County), and be available and willing to attend rehearsals and work in Hillsboro. Preference will be given to applicants who posses either significant Educational Theatre experience at a college level and/or Professional Experience.

To be considered for a crew position, please send an electronic resume to our Managing Director Beth Lewis in PC format (.doc or .pdf), including references and contact information for your references (send to: beth@bagnbaggage.org). Please also be sure to indicate what crew position(s) most interest you. Applicants selected for consideration will be contacted to arrange an interview time. Hired crew members will be offered a competitive wage, based on the crew role and production.

 

Internships

Backstage Tech Internships

Any student who will be either a Junior or a Senior during the 2017-18 school year can apply for crew positions for any Bag&Baggage show by submitting a short letter of interest to Bag&Baggage Associate Artistic Director Cassie Greer via email at cassie@bagnbaggage.org. In the letter, please identify what area of production you are interested in learning, and what previous experience you have had working on theatrical productions with you school or other theatre groups. Interns who are selected may fill roles such as: run crew, light board operator, sound board operator, or set construction/installation crew. Preference will be given to students who live and/or attend a school in Washington County. Applicants (with the exception of those interested in set construction/installation) must be available during all technical rehearsals and performances. All interns are paid a small stipend. Required dates of availability and application deadlines for each show of the 2017-18 season are listed below.

The Farndale…Murder at Checkmate Manor – October 8-31, 2017; apply by September 25

Charles Dickens Writes A Christmas Carol – November 26-December 23, 2017; apply by November 13

Death and the Maiden – March 5-25, 2018; apply by February 20

Blithe Spirit – May 7-27, 2018; apply by April 24

 

Volunteer

Volunteer opportunities are available for those interested in ushering or assisting in other methods of support for the Company. Please send an email to info@bagnbaggage.org expressing your level of interest and availability for volunteer opportunities.