Audition for Burning Coal Theatre Company's 'Across the Holy Tell'

Burning Coal Theatre Company will hold an audition on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Murphey School, 224 Polk Street in Raleigh, for a staged reading of June Guralnick’s "Across the Holy Tell," directed by Jonathan McCarter. Actors interested in auditioning should email coalartisticdir@ncrrbiz.com to obtain an audition slot and a copy of sides. Actors should bring two copies of their picture resume, if available.

About the playwright
Native New Yorker June Guralnick is the author of 11 full-length plays and various other fiction and non-fiction works. Her plays have been performed at venues including the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), New Federal Theatre (NYC), Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (NC), and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Past positions include National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Administration Fellows, Executive Director of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission and Theatre Arts Director of the North Carolina Arts Council. Most recently, Guralnick was appointed director of the Theatre Arts Program at Guilford Technical Community College. Awards and grants include the Silver Medal-Pinter Drama Review Prize, North Carolina Arts Council Literature Fellowship, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre New Plays Winner, United Arts Council of Wake County Artist Grant, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation: America Creates for the Millenium Finalist, Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writer at Appalachian State University, Tennessee Williams Scholar at the University of the South Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Tar Heel of the Week (by the News & Observer). She is a member of the Dramatists' Guild of America and the Playwrights Center (Minneapolis).

About the director
Jonathan McCarter has worked in the theatrical field as an actor; director; playwright; stage manager; set, light and sound designer; producer; instructor; and arts administrator. Until August 2011, he was the artistic director of Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. Prior to that, he was director of education and outreach for Opera Memphis. In 2004, he received his BFA in performance theatre from University of Memphis. McCarter currently is call center manager for North Carolina Theatre and is assistant directing "Jude the Obscure Parts I & II" at Burning Coal.

Character breakdown
Below is a breakdown of the characters. Please determine in advance which character or characters for which you would like to be considered.

CHRISTINE: American soldier (Caucasian), late 20s/early 30s. Devout Catholic raised in New York. Her father (a fireman) killed in 9-11. Married to Joe with one daughter, Mary.

JOE: Christine's husband (Caucasian) in his early 30s. Loves motorcycles, video games, and his mother in that order. Works for ATF as a computer specialist.

MARY: Christine and Joe's 11-year old autistic daughter (casting age range 11 to 15). Although limited in language skills, Mary has extraordinary artistic skills.

MONA: Iraqi botanist in her 30s from a distinguished Baghdad family. She works part-time as a translator for a peace-keeping group and has one daughter, Yazmin.

YAZMIN: Mona’s 13-year old deaf daughter (casting age range 12-17 years old). Yazmin has an effervescent personality and loves to blog.

CHORUS: Four men and two women, age range 18-45. In the first act they are soldiers, children and a teacher and in Act II, they are pilgrims, children, a teacher, and Osama bin Laden.