OPEN AUDITIONS - No Exit

No Exit

By Jean-Paul Sartre

Directed by Arlee Olson

Open Auditions: June 2 & 3

Rehearsal Timeframe: June

Evening Performances (7pm): June 28

Matinee Performances (3pm): June 29

Content Label: PG-13; outdated portrayals of gender and sexuality; discussions of death, suicide, physical violence, self-harm, adultery, and unwanted pregnancies.

This theatre is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a welcoming place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. We are 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. 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.

SHOW SYNOPSIS

Two women and one man are locked up together for eternity in one hideous room in Hell. The windows are bricked up, there are no mirrors, the electric lights can never be turned off, and there is no exit. The irony of this Hell is that its torture is not of the rack and fire, but of the burning humiliation of each soul as it is stripped of its pretenses by the cruel curiosity of the damned. Here the soul is shorn of secrecy, and even the blackest deeds are mercilessly exposed to the fierce light of Hell. It is an eternal torment.

FROM THE DIRECTOR, Arlee Olson

No Exit was first performed in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944. We have come a long way in our understanding of gender roles and sexuality, but do we really understand what we call Human Nature? No Exit is a great play for actors who like the psychological exploration involved in peeling away the layers of a character to gradually expose their innermost vulnerability. No Exit provides an opportunity to explore the human condition, fate, and the nature of interpersonal relationships.

PREPARATION NOTES

Example: You do NOT need to prepare a monologue or piece. 

Wear comfortable clothes to audition; be ready to move as part of your audition.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

GARCIN

Character Age: 30s - 40s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Male-presenting.

Ability/movement/intimacy: role includes some embracing, and shoving

Character: Garcin is a journalist who was killed by a firing squad for military desertion. Weighed down by his past and secrets, he is desperate for validation that he is a good man. He is cowardly, callous, and seeks redemption through others’ opinions of him.

INEZ 

Character Age: 30s - 40s 

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting.

Ability/movement/intimacy: This role will include some simple fight choreography, including stabbing, being stabbed, and being shoved. 

Character: Inez is brutally honest, manipulative, confident, and aware of her dark side. She hates men, especially Garcin. She does, however, find Estelle very attractive. (Members of the LGBTQ community strongly urged to audition for this role).

ESTELLE

Character Age: 20s-30s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: female presenting

Ability/movement/intimacy: This role includes some intimacy – specifically embracing.

Character: Estelle is a high society woman who married for money. Shallow, flirtatious, needy, and constantly in need of male attention, she has trouble seeing her own faults.

VALET 

Age: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Race: Any

Ethnicity: Any

Ability/movement/intimacy: A much smaller part, the Valet escorts each character into the room, and explains their situation. The role involves no particular movement requirements.

Character: Unnerving and unforthcoming. The perfect guide for Hell.