AUDITION INFO
Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee, directed by Sterling Matthew Oliver, will audition during the general audition on Tuesday, August 21. Nothing extra is required to be prepared for this audition. If called back, actors will be grouped up ahead of time & provided excerpts from the script for the callback on Thursday, August 23 at 6pm.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
ED NORTON – Father of Drew, Matt, and Jake, widowed. Loving & understanding of his sons, he and his late wife have heavily impacted their current views on privilege.
DREW NORTON – Youngest son, a once-a-week professor and a writer. He has convinced himself that by teaching and writing minimally he’s providing a service to society.
MATT NORTON – Oldest son, bogged down with student debt, has come back home to live with Ed. The most committed of the 3 sons to forming equality & establishing social justice.
JAKE NORTON – Middle son, a banker who has become increasingly content with the path his life is taking. Of the 3 sons, Jake focuses the least on social justice & focuses more on himself and his career.
PERSON IN CHARGE 1 and 2- Non-Binary Narrators who establish & control the world we view on stage. Everything about the story of Ed, Drew, Matt, and Jake is fabricated by them, to give the sense that their world is being controlled by something other than Straight White Men.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE SHOW/CASTING:
Our production of Straight White Men will be highlighting the fact that simply refusing your privilege is not enough, that being able to refuse privilege in the first place is, in itself, a privilege. We will be working hard to analyze the faults in their fight against privilege, which will force us to face this script with a very open mind & heart. Together, we will foster a pleasant environment that promotes healthy discussion. The director asks that you only plan on auditioning for Straight White Men if you believe this is something you are capable of accomplishing.
The 4 members of the family will only be cast as caucasian men – personal sexuality will not be taken into account.
For the People-In-Charge, we will be seeking actors who simply don’t fit the bill of “white men”. All people are encouraged to audition.
For questions, or to obtain a PDF copy of the script to read ahead of time, please contact sterlingmoliver@ksu.edu.