#trans scripts

American Repertory Theater Presents Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Diane Quinn, is pleased to present Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women, written by Paul Lucas and directed by Jo Bonney. Performances begin on Thursday, January 19 and run through Sunday, February 5 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St,…

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Diane Quinn, is actively seeking transgender actors to audition for the A.R.T. 2016/17 season production Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women, written by Paul Lucas and directed by Jo Bonney. Trans Scripts will run January 19 – February 5, 2017 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Harvard Square.  Rehearsals will begin in late December 2016. Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women is a new play drawn from candid interviews with dozens of transgender women around the world. The plays uses their actual words to shed light on the rich and diverse experiences within the trans female community. Jo Bonney (Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)) directs a cast of seven in the U.S. premiere of this frank, moving, humorous, and timely work that received a Fringe First Award for new writing at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In producing Trans Scripts and the accompanying I.D. Festival to be held at OBERON during the run of the production, the American Repertory Theater seeks to share a broad range of trans voices and experiences. These works aim to celebrate stories both real and fictionalized that reflect this diversity, rather than subscribing to, or reinforcing the notion of a single “trans narrative.” The A.R.T. is committed to featuring the work of trans artists, and encourages artists of all gender expressions to seek out the opportunities detailed below. Actors interested should send a picture/resume and a short cover letter to [email protected]. Actors who cannot attend auditions in person are strongly encouraged to submit video auditions through July 18, 2016. Casting by Stephen Kopel. Trans Scripts Character Breakdowns Roles still to be cast include: 

Eden: White Intersex Female, 30s/40s, British. Assigned male at birth, her history was concealed from her by her parents. She has a history of both abused and self-harm. Opinionated, mercurial, and funny, she is a former substance abuser and a lesbian. Not comfortable presenting as hyper feminine, she is extremely androgynous.

Josephine: White Australian Trans Female, mid-50s, lived as a hyper masculine man for 50 years. Intelligent, emotionally fragile, self-effacing, nervous, depressed, warm. Her dream is to become a “normal girl” and disappear into society. She does not feel entitled to take up space, or even the air in the room.

Luna: African American and Latina Trans Female, 28. Orphaned at 9, she was raised in a series of group homes before transitioning at 17. Outrageous, warm, and funny, she is an expert “code-switcher,” drawing on her extensive vocabulary one minute and on her street cred the next.

Sandra: White Trans Female, 65. A former garage mechanic with the soul of a French poet, Sandra underwent a well supervised, expensive transition at 40. Introspective and measured, her soothing, yet artificial dialect lays like a beautiful shawl draped over the tent poles of a Staten Island accent.

Dr. Violet: British gynecologist, living in Australia, 72.  She presented as male her entire life in order to have the career she wanted, transitioning at 68. She is loud, funny, and pompous. Her experience in the field makes her simultaneously insightful and detached.

Please support the World Premiere of Paul Lucas’s Trans Scripts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August! Your tax-deductible donation will ensure that the authentic voices of transgender women sharing their stories, in their own words, will be celebrated at the largest performing arts festival in the world.