Audition Date: Tuesday May 23rd & Wednesday May 24th
Time: 7:00pm
(All actors are asked to arrive at 7pm on the date they sign up for. If you can not make it at 7pm, please inform us in your email)
What to prepare: Readings will be from the script. Prior preparation is not required. A headshot and resume is appreciated. Click HERE for audition sides.
*Audition sides DO NOT need to be memorized. Copies will be provided at auditions. The link is just to help you be more comfortable in your audition.
Performance Dates: August 11 - 26. Shows will be Thursday-Sunday. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm. Sunday performances will be at 7pm. (Show will close on a Saturday night)
Rehearsals: Will begin July 17th and will be Sunday-Thursdays. Typically 7pm-10pm, though Sundays will be a longer day based on conflicts. This is only a four week rehearsal period.
Pay: Blank Canvas Theatre dedicates 20% of the net profit to the cast of each show. The cast splits this evenly.
*Currently, there are no Equity contracts available for this show. However, we may consider adding one.
Audition Location:
Blank Canvas Theatre
1305 78th Street, Suite 211 (at 78th Street Studios)
Cleveland, OH 44102
The Story
Dr. Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist, is confronted with Alan Strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. This very passion is as foreign to Dysart as the act itself. To the boy's parents it is a hideous mystery; Alan has always adored horses. To Dysart it is a psychological puzzle that leads both doctor and patient to a complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation.
*This show contains adult content and nudity.
Character Breakdown
* The age range for each character is flexible and all ethnicities will be considered.The use of full nudity will be limited to only that which is outlined in the rich text of the script by Peter Shaffer. Any partial nudity may be shirtless or based on the design of the horses.
Alan Strang: (Male, 18-25 to play 17) Has an intense, religious fascination with horses. Lean and troubled. sent to therapy, after being arrested, for blinding six horses at Harry Dalton's stable where he works. Full Nudity Required
Martin Dysart: (Male, 30’s-60’s) Alan's psychiatrist. Dissatisfied with life & work. Treating Alan makes Dysart question the results of his work, & his own existence.
Dora Strang: (Female, 40-60’s) Alan's mother. A devout Christian and former school teacher; read Alan passages from the Bible throughout his childhood.
Frank Strang: (Male, 40-60) Alan's father, a printer by trade, self declared atheist and criticizes his wife's spiritual views. Keeps his business very close to the vest, seems to be hiding something.
Hesther Salomon: (Female, 40’s-60’s) The court magistrate responsible for initially bringing Alan to Dysart for treatment.
Jill Mason: (Female, 18-30 to play 17) A free-spirited girl who works at the stables with Alan, and who becomes romantically interested in him. Pretty, privileged and sexually curious. Full Nudity Required
Nurse: (Female, 20’s-40’s) The nurse who works for Dysart, who brings him news about Alan throughout his treatment. Domineering nurse, doesn't like disorder. May also play one of the Horses.
Harry Dalton: (Male, 30’s-50’s) Owner of the stable at which Alan & Jill work; where Alan blinded the horses. Good-natured man who is very bitter about Alan blinding his horses. May also play one of the Horses.
Nugget/Horseman: (Male, 18-40) The central figure in the stable of horses, to which Alan feels a strong connection. Nugget is the horse god "Equus." Must be in good physical condition, a dance background is a plus. Must be able to carry the character of Alan on his back. Possible partial nudity. Also, doubles as the Horseman. A man riding his horse on the beach, who invites a young Alan to ride a horse for his first time.
Horses: (Male and Female, 18-41) Must be in good physical condition, dance background is a plus but not required. These actors need not be dancers, but must possess a strong sense of body and physical self. Non-speaking roles. Possible partial nudity.