The Hippodrome State Theatre 2024-25
Equity Principal Auditions for their 52nd Season by APPOINTMENT in FL
Gainesville, FL SPT+6
Artistic Director: Stephanie Lynge (at all auditions)
Auditions:
Monday, April 15rd, 9 AM to 5 PM
Tuesday, April 16th, 9 AM to 5 PM
Location:
Hippodrome State Theatre
25 SE 2nd Place
Gainesville, FL 32601
Guidelines for Auditions:
- To request an audition time, please email
- HippAuditions@gmail.com by Saturday, April 13, at noon.
- Please bring a headshot and resume
- Non union actors will be seen as time permits.
Capacity
Maximum Capacity of the Holding room is 18
Maximum Capacity of the Audition room is 75
Video Submissions:
If you choose to submit an audition video, please send to HippAuditions@gmail.com no later than Tuesday, April 16, 5 PM with the requested material.
The Hipp prefers YouTube or Vimeo links.
Preparation
Please prepare two contrasting one-minute monologues or one monologue and one song in the style of Honky Tonk Angels.
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To be considered for A Christmas Carol, please prepare a one-minute classical monologue with British dialect and sing one verse and chorus of a song
The Hippodrome Theatre operates under AEA Safety Protocol Guidelines.
Perfect Arrangement
by Topher Payne
Director: Tim Altmeyer
1st rehearsal: August 9
Run: August 30 – September 22
Bob and Millie and their neighbors Jim and Norma are perfect “All-American” couples…at least outside of the closet. When U.S. State Department employees Bob and Norma are tasked with identifying sexual deviants in their ranks, their straight marriage cover-ups come under increasing scrutiny, threatening their professional and personal lives. Inspired by true stories of the 1950’s Lavender Scare, this sitcom-style comedy meets provocative drama as love and politics clash “out” in the open.
Roles Available:
Note: Actors playing Bob Martindale, Millie Martindate, Norma Baxter, and Jim Baxter must be comfortable with same-sex intimacy.
Bob Martindale: Male, 30s-40s, any ethnicity; A WWII veteran, reserved. A bit bookish, but a solid man’s man. Good-humored and well-mannered.
Millie Martindale: Female, late 20s-30s, any ethnicity;; Bob’s wife. Plays “the ditzy wife” when people are in the house, but actually very quick-witted and observant. Smart enough to maintain the act. Must be comfortable with same sex intimacy.
Norma Baxter: Female, 30s, any ethnicity;; The knowing, efficient, classy dame. A secretary at the State Department who could just as easily be Secretary of State. A wise woman who’s great with a wisecrack and level-headed in a bind.
Jim Baxter: Male, 20s-30s, any ethnicity; Norma’s husband. A prankster type, always ready with a comeback. A high school teacher with lots of energy. A little wired, good with a plan.
Theodore Sunderson: Male, 40–50s, any ethnicity;; The boss. Bombastic, loud, a bit overbearing. A patriotic windbag.
Kitty Sunderson: Female, 20s-40s, any ethnicity;; Ted’s wife. Legitimately ditzy. Her brain seems to work on a totally different wavelength than the rest of the world. Very sweet, and very genuine. Just doesn’t quite “get it.”
Barbara Grant: Female, 40s, any ethnicity; A formidable opponent. No-nonsense, beautiful, brilliant, and a little scary.
Every Brilliant Thing
by Duncan Macmillan
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: September 20
Run: October 11-27
If you wrote a list of everything that made life beautiful, what would be on it? Ice cream? Kung Fu movies? Laughing so hard you shoot milk out of your nose? In Every Brilliant Thing, a boy’s simple list written to cheer up his despondent mother becomes a humorous and poignant celebration of the little things in life. This intimate and interactive play takes audiences on a transcendent and tender coming-of-age journey, reminding us to treasure every moment we get to spend together.
Roles Available:
Narrator: Mid-30s-50s. Any gender and ethnicity. Bright and buoyant, inviting and approachable, sincere and affable, cheeky-charming, comedy bone ESSENTIAL, helpful if a little inscrutable or mysterious. Theatre/comedy/improv credentials ESSENTIAL. Not too dark, or brooding, but helpful if they can make a sober turn.
What the Constitution Means to Me
by Heidi Schreck
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: September 20
Run: October 11-27
Hilarious. Hopeful. Human. In this Tony Award Nominated and Pulitzer Prize finalist debate-meets-play, Heidi Schreck recalls her Constitution-loving teenage self to examine the profound effect our founding document has had on four generations of women in her family. Full of laughter and heart, What The Constitution Means To Me asks us to imagine how the living Constitution affects how we live in America today, and tomorrow.
Roles Available:
Heidi: CAST Female, mid 30s-40s, but alternates from adulthood to her 15 year old self throughout the play. White; based on Heidi Schreck; a former debate champion who traveled the country in her teens giving speeches about the Constitution at American legion halls for prize money. Intelligent, passionate, engaging, and ferocious. Her younger, yellow-blazered self is a bit precocious and “psychotically polite”; her older self is a bit more jaded and candid, but she’s always a powerhouse. Heidi works through a lot of trauma throughout the play, while creating an environment where the cast and audience are always “welcome to be themselves.”
Legionnaire/Mike: Male, 40s, any ethnicity; Heidi’s friend; first appears as intense, macho, assertive, and a stickler for the rules/law; later, he later turns into Heidi’s ally and assistant. He presents as “basic male” but takes off his Legionnaire uniform and explores his “gender neutral energy,” identity, sexuality and more as the play goes on. Mike is gay and a self-declared nerd.
Debater: Female, 16+ to play 15 to 16. Any ethnicity. appears in Act 2 only; actors cast will need to have some onstage experience, whether that be in theatre or speech and debate; must be willing to improvise about themselves within the confines of the show. Encourage high school students from the area with the above criteria to audition.
Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Spectacular
by Ted Swindley
Director: Stephanie Lynge
1st rehearsal: November 8
Run: November 29 – December 23
This holiday sequel to the hugely popular show The Honky Tonk Angels continues the comic escapades of three good ole country gals as they reunite for a Christmas show like none other at “The Hillbilly Heaven Club” in Nashville. There are many surprising twists and turns in this musical comedy revue, including a gospel soul sister who also happens to be a psychic manicurist. Songs include a Motown Christmas medley, country classics like “Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton, and comedy hits such as “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
Roles Available:
Sue Ellen Smith Barney Fife: Female, 30s, any ethnicity. A citified country girl, she is sexy, confident, and currently running her own nail salon and “beauty business” in Los Angeles.
Charilee Chess: Female, 40s, African American; originally from Detroit. She works with Sue Ellen in her nail salon. She is fun and very earthy, with a big gospel voice. She is also somewhat psychic. She is the widow of “Tubby Chess,” a legendary soul singer.
Darlene Purvis: Female, 20s-30s, any ethnicity; A young country singer, she is currently trying to “make it” in Nashville. She is pretty and naïve—a LeAnn Rimes type. She is originally from the hills of Appalachia, but grew up in the Mississippi Delta.
Angela Bodine: Female, 30-40s, any ethnicity; A Texas housewife in her 30s. She is full of fun and identifies with Roseanne. She is very pregnant with twins—due any time now.
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Niall McGinty from Charles Dickens
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: November 12
Run: November 30 – December 23
One of Gainesville’s favorite family holiday traditions returns! Popular Christmas carols and a twist of contemporary humor make A Christmas Carol come alive with delightfully fresh and fast past-paced storytelling.
Roles Available:
Actor 1 – Male. Scrooge
Actor 2 – Male. Bob, Partier
Actor 3 – Male. Fred, Young Scrooge, Future
Actor 4 – Female. Solicitor, Belle, Ms. Cratchit, Partier
Actor 5 – Male. Solicitor, Present, Old Joe
Actor 6 – Female. Marley, Ms. Fezziwig, Fred’s Wife, Charwoman
Actor 7 – Female. Past, Stout Sister, Merchant
Actor 8 – Fezziwig, Topper, Merchant
Laughs in Spanish
by Alexis Scheer
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: January 3
Run: January 24 – February 16, 2025
The night before Art Basel, the country’s preeminent art festival, Mariana finds herself in a sticky situation: her gallery is a crime scene! But fear not, her quirky support crew is planning to save the day. This uproarious telenovela/ true crime combo guarantees non-stop laughter This uproarious blend of crime-comedy and telenovela guarantees non-stop laughter in this vibrant, stylish new comedy.
Roles Available:
Note: Actors playing Marianna and Jenny must be comfortable with same-sex intimacy.
Marianna (Mari): Female. Late 20s/Early 30s. Latina. An art gallery director. Ambitious, Uptight, Guarded.
Estella: Female. Mid 50s. Latina. A movie star. Regal, Charming, and Beloved.
Carolina (Caro): Female. Late 20s/Early 30s. Latina. A painter. Unconventional, Intuitive, Passionate.
Juan: Male. Late 20s/Early 30s. Latino. A Miami-Dade police officer. Warm, Goofy, Easy-going.
Jenny: Female. Late 20s/Early 30s. White. A personal assistant. Bubbly, Savvy, Romantic.
Clyde’s
by Lynn Nottage
Director: TBA
1st rehearsal: March 7
Run: March 28 – April 20, 2025
Step into the heart of Clyde’s, where a truck stop sandwich shop becomes the stage for redemption and resilience. Led by an enigmatic chef who believes in the transformative power of the perfect sandwich, this Tony Award®-nominated masterpiece serves up a hilarious and poignant reminder that sometimes heroes emerge from the most unexpected places.
Roles Available:
Clyde: Female, 30’s-40’s, Black; Formerly incarcerated. Owner of the sandwich shop. Frighteningly charming. Her way or the highway. Knows she’s the shit and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. Her tough love is heavy on tough and very light on love. Invulnerable. Insensitive. Tyrannical. Fire and ice. Sees the worst in people. Delights in humiliating others. Dangerously funny.
Montrellous: Male, 50’s-60’s, Black; Formerly incarcerated. Head sandwich chef. Mindful. Smooth as silk. Guides others to find their own way. Accepts himself fully and needs no one else’s approval. Patient. Kind. Inspiring. Experiences sandwich making as necessary healing. Sees the best in people. Relishes in empowering others. Wit as sharp as his wisdom.
Rafael: Male, 20’s-30’s Latinx; Formerly incarcerated. Recovering addict. A romantic. In love with Letitia. Big personality. Bigger heart. Full of charm. Shows off and shows out with machismo and bravado. Takes everything a little too seriously because he fears no one takes him seriously. Sensitive but defensive. Needs this job to stay clean.
Letitia: Female, 20’s -30’s, Black; Formerly incarcerated. Single mother to a child with health issues. A dreamer. Likes Rafael. Loves to laugh. Quick witted. Sharp tongued. Independent to a fault because she fears being vulnerable. Trust issues. Wants stability. Hopeful but impatient. Needs this job to stay afloat.
Jason: Male, 20’s-30’s, white; Formerly incarcerated. White supremacist affiliation. A survivor. Proud. Hard. Standoffish. A lone wolf. Quick to anger. Keeps his distance from people because he fears he is the monster they see. Wants someone to really see him. Earnest but lost. Needs this job to stay alive.
Summer Musical TBA
Director: Stephanie Lynge
1st rehearsal: May 6
Run: May 30 – July 6, 2025