Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Luciérnagas Casting Notice - Video Submissions
National Queer Theater is pleased to announce casting for the World Premiere production of Luciérnagas by Javier Rivera DeBruin, directed by Carlos Armesto at 14th St Y this November 2021. AEA Showcase pending. ALL CAST AND CREW MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION.
SYNOPSIS:
Luciérnagas is a play about shadows: our own, our family’s, and how they are linked. It is a story about heritage, legacy, and forgiveness. When Mal’s maternal grandmother Lupe dies, she inherits a mysterious cabin in the woods. While visiting this small house for the first time, Mal encounters her estranged mother Silvia, the ghost of her grandmother, and a bioluminescent child named Xara who lives in the walls. Silvia declares ownership of the cabin, Mal struggles to break free from old patterns, and Xara demands to be seen. All the while they parse through possessions, secrets, and family dynamics, over a weekend they won’t soon forget.
ROLES (AEA and NON-AEA):
Actors of all gender identities, abilities, and ethnicities are encouraged to submit. Equity Showcase Code pending. Actors must reside in or near New York City to be considered. Lupe - (she/her) 60’s to 80’s, Indigenous Mexican. Lupe is a warm and nurturing abuela with a twinkle of magic and mischief in her eyes and the well worn hands of a woman who has worked hard all her life. Don’t let her kindness fool you - she is fiercely protective and not to be toyed with. She is a discreet Curandera and she smells like palo santo and earth. Taurus. Xara (Xaratanga) - non-binary, ageless but youthful, an inner child, Indigenous and/or Afro-Mexican. Xara lives in the walls of a small home in the woods, eating bugs and befriending spiders. They are bioluminescent, sprite-like and ethereal, playful and mischievous yet lonely bursting with a desire for connection and nurturing. Like the Goddess of their namesake they dance between the worlds of the living and the dead. Gemini. Mal (Malinda) - (she/her) late 20s to mid 30’s, Latinx (a mix of indigenous, afro-latinx, and white), queer. Mal is guarded and probably has a Scorpio moon. She does not trust easily but when she does she gives her whole heart. She works in finance and has a strong need to be independent to feel secure, though she longs to find someone who will nurture her. She has a quick wit and wields her sarcasm as an emotional shield. She is a total pocha and feels insecure about it, pero like she listens to alt rock and loves a pumpkin spice latte so sue her. She has mommy issues that she’s still working through, and she is very close with her maternal abuela. Capricorn. George - (he/him), late 60’s cis-white-male. George is the human embodiment of wonder bread. He is sweet and gentle and boring, bless his heart. He loves to garden and do crossword puzzles. He and his wife never had children but he loves kids. Conflict avoidant in a WASP-y type way. He looks like he probably loves turtles. Cancer. Silvia - (she/her), late 40’s- early 60’s, Latinx (indigenous Mexican and afro-latinx). Silvia is a quintessential free spirit boomer. She has given everything to her sculpture to which she shows almost religious devotion, at the expense of her relationship to her daughter. She loves to dance and sing though she’s not particularly good at either. Her ability to self-sabotage is her downfall, but she is infectiously charming and fun to be around. Silvia makes friends easily but doesn’t have many people she is close to. Sagittarius.
REHEARSALS:
Rehearsals will take place in NYC October 18- November 5 for up to 80 hours. Tech rehearsals will take place from November 6-10 at 14th St Y. Rehearsals and performances will take place in COVID-compliant and accessible spaces only.
PERFORMANCES:
Tuesdays-Saturdays 7:30pm, Sundays 5pm November 11-28 (Talkbacks and other engagement programs TBD). No performance on Thanksgiving.
COMPENSATION:
$1,000 (inclusive of rehearsals and performances)
SUBMIT:
Please send 1-2 minute contemporary dramatic or dark comedy monologue video, along with a photo/resume, in an accessible link and/or downloadable format (Google Drive, Dropbox, Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) to the following email address: info@nationalqueertheater.org.
You may also request a copy of the script at this address. If you are using an iPhone to record video, please be sure to film horizontally (landscape style) and in a safe, well-lit space. In the subject line, please type: “[Actor’s full name] - [Luciérnagas Casting]”. Deadline: 09/14/2021 Callbacks will be held Monday, September 27th virtually or in-person.
DURATION
October 18, 2021 - November 28, 2021
UNION
AEA Showcase Pending
SALARY
$1,000 Stipend
ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT:
At National Queer Theater, we explicitly affirm our identity and operations as an anti-racist innovative theater collective and theater education institution. We condemn and admonish all forms of discrimination, racism, and bigotry, holding ourselves accountable to ensure our theater is more accessible to people of color and all underrepresented communities. We employ staff and artists who represent the fabric of our city and prioritize production of racially diverse theater programs and productions. Our work empowers queer artists of color to dismantle systems of oppression, and end the cycle of racism and its self-perpetuating structures within theater culture and practices. We aspire for theater nationwide to reflect a more just society, to devise new ways of working that prioritize equity, diversity, community care, and inclusion. We stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, James Baldwin, and Audre Lorde- revolutionaries working at the intersection of racial justice and queer liberation. National Queer Theater leads initiatives that hold our staff, patrons, artists, and community accountable, creating safe and affirming spaces for people of color. We reject and reprimand all racist innuendo, allusions, slurs and offensive or unwelcome ideologies regarding anyone’s nationality, ancestry, origins, heritage, race and color. We acknowledge that racism perpetuates socio-economic inequalities, oppression and disenfranchisement that generations of Black communities and people of color have endured across America. So we commit to creating social justice work that is radical, unapologetic, and challenging, building community care for all marginalized people, serving a vision of an anti-racist world for equality, human fulfilment and liberation.