"E*veryone has been told that politics and religion are two subjects that should be off limits at social gatherings..."~~~**NY Times Review* *Beck Center is pleased to announce auditions for DISGRACED, the winner of **the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by Ayad Aktar.* *Director Christopher Mirto will see interested actors by appointment on Sunday, March 8th and Monday March 9th. To reserve your audition appointment please call 216-521-2540 ext 10. * *DISGRACED opens in Beck Center's intimate Studio Theatre space on May 29th and continues through June 28th. Rehearsals will begin sometime after April 19th.* *It is anticipated that two Equity contracts will be available. All non-union actors are paid a stipend as well. AEA contracts for this production are Special Appearance Contracts- Tier One.* *Roles are available for 3 Men and 2 Women {See character descriptions below}* *Auditioning actors will read sides from the script which will be provided several days prior to your audition appointment. Callbacks will likely occur the weekend of March 14th.* *About The Play* Amir Kapoor is a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. Emily, his wife, is white; she's an artist, and her work is influenced by Islamic imagery. When the couple hosts a dinner party, what starts out as a friendly conversation escalates into something far more damaging. *Critic's Response* *"DISGRACED...a vitally engaged play about thorny questions of identity and religion in the contemporary world, with an accent on the incendiary topic of how radical Islam and the terrorism it inspires have affected the public discourse. In dialogue that bristles with wit and intelligence, Mr. Aktar...puts contemporary attitudes toward religion under a microscope, revealing how tenuous self-image can be for people born into one way of being who have embraced another." {NY Times}* *"...blistering social drama about the racial prejudices that secretly persist in progressive cultural circles..." ~~~Variety* *"What makes DISGRACED impressive is that Aktar, having invented educated intelligent characters, lets the burgeoning mess articulate itself through their interaction....you rarely feel the playwright nudging them in the right direction."~~~Village Voice* *Character Breakdown* *EMILY*: White female; early-30s; artist; intelligent; her work is inspired by Muslim faith; married to AMIR, though the seams of their marriage are starting to wear. Charming, easy to talk to, and ready for a major leap into the art world. Level-headed and quick to diffuse uncomfortable conversations, especially when interacting with her husband. *AMIR*: South Asian male; around 40 years old; corporate lawyer; married to EMILY; complicated relationship to his Muslim identity; born in America; tough, dark streak, passionate about beliefs. Though a successful lawyer, things have been hard for this him since 9/11; he is quickly put into a stereotypical box because of the color of his skin. *Looking for an actor with similar ethnic background and/or experiences.* *ABE*: South Asian male; around 20 years old; passionate about social justice; arrogance of youth; nephew to AMIR. Parents immigrated from Pakistan to the United States when he was eight years-old. Also has a complicated relationship to being South Asian in America but has tried to assimilate superficially. By then end of the play he does an about-face and zealously embraces his identity, fighting against the “terrorist” stereotype. *Looking for an actor with similar ethnic background and/or experiences.* *JORY:* Black female; mid- to late-30s; successful corporate lawyer and colleague in AMIR’s firm; has everything it takes to become partner: smart, commanding, no- nonsense. Married to ISAAC. Confident and can hold her own in a fight. She chooses order over justice. *ISAAC*: White, Jewish male; around 40 years old; art gallery owner interested in EMILY’s artwork; married to JORY. Charming, funny, a little pretentious, clear about his views and what he likes and dislikes. Likes to argue but doesn’t know when to back down.