top of page

OPEN AUDITIONS - Becky Nurse of Salem

Majestic Marketing

Updated: 6 days ago


Becky Nurse of Salem

By Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Robert Leff

Open Auditions: March 17-18

Rehearsal Timeframe: March-April

Evening Performances (7pm): April 26

Matinee Performances (3pm): April 27

Content Label: R - Adult language; sexual content; opioid use/addiction; incarceration; discussions of torture, suicide, mental health hospitalization, and death


The Majestic Theatre (a division of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation department) is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a safe place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. We are particularly eager to work with artists of color and other artists from marginalized communities. All auditions are free and open to the public. This audition is for an amateur, volunteer production. The Majestic Theatre staff and volunteers do not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, gender, ethnic background, ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or any protected class.


Auditions will be held in person at the Majestic Theatre. This audition is for a Readers’ Theatre production; memorization will not be necessary.


SHOW SYNOPSIS


A Contemporary Comedy About A Historical Tragedy


Out of work and out of love, Becky Nurse is an ordinary but strong-willed grandmother just trying to get by in post-Obama America. She’s also the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was infamously executed for witchcraft in 1692 – but things have changed for women since then, haven’t they? Desperate to raise her troubled teenaged granddaughter right (and hoping to hook up with an old flame), Becky visits a local witch for help. But those spells and potions don’t work out exactly as planned.


FROM THE DIRECTOR, ROBERT LEFF

Sarah Ruhl is one of my favorite playwrights. I have seen THE CLEAN HOUSE, EURYDICE, DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, IN THE NEXT ROOM, OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY and directed DEAR ELIZABETH for Majestic Readers’ Theatre. I love her skill of shifting from the comic to serious and vice versa in the blink of an eye, her irreverence, her way with language and her skill creating memorable characters.


BECKY NURSE OF SALEM was written in response to the chant and atmosphere during and after the 2016 election and Arthur Miller’s depiction of women in THE CRUCIBLE. BECKY NURSE is not a polemic or an attack on men.


Do you like plays filled with challenging characters? Do you like plays that mix the past with the present? Do you like comedies that make you laugh and leave you with things to talk about after you leave the theater? Do you like ensemble plays?


If you answer YES to one or more of these questions, BECKY NURSE OF SALEM is a play for you! Please join me as we enter the world according to Sarah Ruhl.


PREPARATION NOTES

You do NOT need to prepare a monologue, I encourage you to read the play, copies are available in the Majestic Business Office. I encourage you to attend both nights of auditions. Please wear comfortable clothes to audition, be ready to move as part of your audition.


AUDITIONS WILL INCLUDE COLD READINGS AND LOW KEY THEATRE GAMES.


CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

All characters do not have a specific race or ethnic background; we're excited to see a diverse pool of actors audition for all roles. ALL SEVEN CHARACTERS ARE WORKING CLASS. No accents will be used in the production. In the second act, all the actors take part in a group “dance.”


No one under 18 will be cast.


BECKY

Character Age: Mid-50s to 60s

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Female

Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing; there may be some intimacy choreography with the actor playing Bob.

Character Description: Our heroine, from Salem, Mass. A descendent of Rebecca Nurse. Salty. Strong. Fierce. Smart. Wounded. Funny. Impulsive. Speaks her mind even if it gets her into trouble, which it often does. Doesn’t care about propriety. A tour guide at a witch museum, she has always struggled to make ends meet.


BOB

Character Age: Mid-50s to 60s

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Male

Desired Actor Gender: Male-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing; there may be some intimacy choreography with the actor playing Becky. Depending on actor comfort and the style of blocking settled on for performance, may appear onstage without a shirt.

Character Description: A bartender from Salem, Mass and the man Becky loves. A regular guy. Kind. Smart. Big-hearted. An autodidact, loves reading history and biographies. He and Becky have known each other since High School.


GAIL

Character Age: In her teens (will be played by an actor 18+)

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Female

Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing; there may be some intimacy choreography with the actor playing Stan.

Character Description: Becky’s granddaughter. Smart, wounded, emotional, has been through a lot.


STAN

Character Age: Late teens (will be played by an actor 18+)

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Male

Desired Actor Gender: Male-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing; there may be some intimacy choreography with the actor playing Gail.

Character Description: Androgynous. A visual artist, a bit of a goth. He has a wounded past. Initially misjudged, he’s unexpectedly practical.


A WITCH

Character Age: 60s to 80s

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Female

Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing

Character Description: Can see the invisible world. Also, she needs money. An unusual creature. Exists on a different metaphysical plane, yet also in the pragmatic world of business transactions.


SHELBY

Character Age: 30s to 40s

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Female

Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing

Character Description: Becky’s boss. She is the Director of the Witch Museum. Has had academic training. A bit smug and superior. A formidable adversary.


THE JUDGE/THE JAILER

Character Age: 30s to 50s

Character Race: Any.  

Character Ethnicity: Any. 

Character Gender: Male

Desired Actor Gender: Male-presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: Active movements including dancing

Character Description: Different embodiments of male authority, both contemporary and historical. Can shift from a regular cop on the beat to an authoritarian judge from the 17th Century in the blink of an eye. He also does the Creepy Voice.


If you have questions, contact director Robert Leff at docral@proaxis.com.




Recent Posts

See All
CPR Leaf Logo Final-1-png_Artboard 1 Col

The Majestic Theatre is a branch of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation Department, dedicated to bringing a wide range of artistic productions and arts education programs to the citizens of Corvallis.

Contact Us

115 SW 2nd St, Corvallis OR 97333 

mt@corvallisoregon.gov

Business Office: 541-758-7827 
Box Office and Ticket Sales: 541-738-7469

Administrative Staff Office Hours
12 PM to 5 PM, Wednesday – Friday

bottom of page