Audition for Portraiture!
Helltown Players is excited to announce auditions for Portraiture, the world premiere of a sharp, witty, and thought-provoking new play by Margaret Van Sant.
Set in the Rare Reading Room of Yale’s Beinecke Library, Portraiture follows an art historian leading a tour when she arrives at a gallery showcasing portraits of three legendary women—Gertrude Stein (painted by Francis Picabia), Alice B. Toklas (painted by Dora Maar), and Mabel Dodge Luhan (painted by Mary Foote.) As she examines their lives and legacies, unexpected questions arise, and history proves to be anything but silent.
We are seeking dynamic actors who can bring intelligence, humor, and depth to this lively, imaginative exploration of art, identity, and the power of those who shape history.
Auditions…
Auditions will be conducted via Zoom from March 13 - 16. See How to Audition below to learn how to register to audition and choose your time slot.
About the play…
Portraiture
Playwright: Margaret Van Sant
Director: Margaret Van Sant
Dramaturge: Jim Dalglish
Play Description:
When art historian Sylvia Santos visits an exhibit at the Beinecke Library, she expects to analyze portraits of Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Mabel Dodge Luhan as artifacts of the past. But as she studies their images, contradictions emerge, unanswered questions surface, and history itself seems to push back. Portraiture is a sharp, witty, and provocative exploration of art, identity, and the power of those who shape the stories we inherit.
Characters:
Sylvia Santos - A sharp-witted, determined journalist trying to write a book about the women in the exhibit. She has a unique ability—possibly synesthesia—that allows her to hear and interact with the portraits. As she navigates their conversations, she struggles with her own place as a writer and historian.
Gertrude Stein - A larger-than-life literary icon, art collector, and avant-garde writer. She is witty, commanding, and full of contradictions—both a revolutionary and an elitist, a genius and an egotist. She is haunted by the way history remembers her and resists being boxed into a single narrative.
Alice B. Toklas - Gertrude’s lifelong companion, editor, and partner. She is often seen as Gertrude’s shadow, but here she asserts her own voice. Sarcastic, loyal, and unexpectedly bold, Alice seeks to reclaim the credit she deserves in literary history.
Mabel Dodge Luhan - A wealthy, eccentric salon hostess and patron of the arts, known for bringing together artists, intellectuals, and spiritualists in both Greenwich Village and Taos, New Mexico. Passionate and dramatic, she believes in the power of cultural exchange but is challenged on her own romanticized views of indigenous cultures.
Setting:
Rare Reading Room of Yale’s Beinecke Library.
Now.
Venues and Dates
Cape Cod Museum of Art
(Downstairs Hall)
60 Hope Ln, Dennis, MA 02638
April 24, 25, and 26 (Thursday - Saturday) at 7:30pm, April 27 (Sunday) at 2pm. May 1, 2, and 3 (Thursday - Saturday) at 7:30pm May 4 (Sunday) at 2pm.
Cotuit Center for the Arts
(The Sigel Black Box Theater)
4404 Falmouth Rd, Cotuit, MA 02635
May 22, 23, 24 (Thursday - Saturday) at 7:30pm. May 25 (Sunday) at 2pm. May 29, 30, 31 (Thursday - Saturday) at 7:30pm. June 1 (Sunday) at 2pm.
Rehearsals:
Starting in March and up to the first performance.
Helltown Players asks that actors be available during this time to rehearse. Schedules will be formed to meet the needs of the actors, director, and dramaturge.
Non-Equity
Due to budgetary considerations, Helltown Players will not be casting Equity actors for this production. We are a new production entity and we will need to keep an eye on our production budget for Portraiture.
We have hopes that very soon, our success will enable us to hire Equity actors for our productions. We hope all you wonderful Equity actors out there will understand!
Compensation
Helltown Players will pay each actor a total of $200.00 for their rehearsal work and performances for the run of the production (this includes all venues.)
How to Audition…
Visit this Google folder to find the plays scripts, play descriptions, character breakdowns, and audition slides (the scripts we will be using to audition each role):
Complete this Google form to indicate your interest in auditioning for the show:
Audition Form >>The form will allow you to upload your actor bio, indicate the roles you are interested in playing, and choose dates and times you can audition. The form will explain how it all will work.
Auditions will be conducted via Zoom from March 13 - 16, 2025
Get Started!
Hurry!
March 13 - the first audition date - is just around the corner! Fill out the form ASAP so you don’t miss this opportunity!
