The Hive Collaborative is casting for the world premiere of OEDIPUS VEXED. All roles paid (rates below). Performance dates are currently slated for March 13th–23rd (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings, possibly matinees on Saturday. No performances Sunday–Tuesday.) Rehearsals are flexible but scheduled for dates from January 30th through March 12th with "Tech Week" scheduled for the week of March 4th, 2024, and dress rehearsals on March 11th and 12th.

To audition, either submit a video of yourself performing a comedic monologue that you feel is relevant OR download the sides of any role you would like to audition for (sides linked in the character descriptions below). Then submit a video of yourself performing the sides (linked below) and upload it to a service such as YouTube (it can be an unlisted video) and send us a link. PLEASE SUBMIT VIDEO AUDITION BY SATURDAY, DEC. 23 at midnight.

SYNOPSIS
ACT I. Following the death of his wife (and mother) Queen Jocasta, Oedipus is haunted by hallucinations as well as memories of the past, including the warnings by the blind prophet Tiresias and his old teacher Socrates, the accidental killing of his father Laius, and his romance with Jocasta. He contemplates suicide but is too afraid of death. He attempts to resign as king, but the people won't let him. Meanwhile, Oedipus' best friend (and court psychiatrist), Sophocles, urges him to move on, live life to the fullest, and even start dating again. When Oedipus finally starts to be interested in another woman, it is Sophocles' new girlfriend: Persephone.

ACT II. Oedipus and Persephone reveal their feelings for each other to Sophocles. Seeking help to untangle their love triangle, they visit the blind prophet Tiresias, who reveals his own secrets and warns Oedipus and Persephone not to pursue a relationship. When they ignore the prophets' warning things get worse: Jocasta's brother Creon reveals Oedipus' secret to Persephone and the people of Thebes, who turn against him, and Oedipus is condemned to die. Now, even as Oedipus faces more memories and hallucinations and his biggest fear—death—Persephone complicates the matter by revealing her own past. 

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
There are 13 roles total, with five playing multiple characters.

OEDIPUS: Male. 25-30. The reluctant King of Thebes.  A nerdy, Woody Allen-type neurotic. He is whiny, complaining, unhappy. As King he occasionally tries to assert his power, but never convincingly. Stage kissing scenes. Pay is $600 for eight shows. NOTE: Oedipus has A LOT of lines to memorize. He is in every scene and his dialogue makes up nearly half the play. OEDIPUS SIDES.
SOPHOCLES: Male. 25-35. Oedipus' best friend, court psychiatrist and a wanna-be playwright. He is a very lazy person, but very opinionated. Generally positive and upbeat, but an underachiever. Pay is $600 for eight shows. SOPHOCLES SIDES.
PERSEPHONE: Female. 20-30. Goddess of the Underworld. Unhappily married, she combines outstanding beauty with chronic insecurity which she seeks to overcome by engaging in a series of affairs with mortals. Stage kissing. Pay is $600 for eight shows. PERSEPHONE SIDES.
JOCASTA: Female. 40-50. Queen of Thebes. Combines sex appeal with a overly-involved Jewish mother. She also is dissatisfied with life and dreams about the thrill of violence to distract her. Stage kissing scenes. Pay is $600 for eight shows. JOCASTA SIDES.
TIRESIAS: Male. Black. 50-60. SINGING-ROLE. Blind prophet/soothsayer. He speaks in riddles and sings old standard Jazz songs in a crooner or Ray Charles style. Pay is $600 for eight shows. TIRESIAS SIDES (perform the lines and upload a second video singing one of the 5 songs listed on the sides or something similar).
CREON: Male. 35-50. Brother of Jocasta. Always angry, mean and intimidating, except when he is accidentally expressing his suppressed (incestuous) love for his sister. Stage kissing scenes. Pay is $125 for eight shows. CREON SIDES.
SOCRATES/PYGMALION/CROWD 1: Male. 40-60. Socrates is a wise, kind, philosopher. Pygmalion is a sculptor devoted to his art who falls in love with his female statues. Pay is $125 for eight shows. SOCRATES/PYGMALION SIDES (read both parts).
HADES/LAIUS/SERVANT/CROWD 2: Male. 50-60. Hades is an actor portraying (perhaps over-dramatically) the God of the Underworld in a play. Laius is Oedipus' father and an old Woody Allen-type nerd; and the Servant is a stereotypical British butler. Pay is $125 for eight shows. HADES/LAIUS/SERVANT (read all three parts).
SPHINX/HETAERA/CROWD 3: Female. 30-40. The Sphinx is a ruthless female monster. Extensive make-up. The Hetaera is a very unintelligent, slow-witted prostitute. Pay is $125 for eight shows. HETAERA/SPHINX SIDES (read both parts).
HETAERA/ORPHEUS/CROWD 4: Female. 20-30. The Hetaera is a very unintelligent, slow-witted prostitute. Orpheus is a female actor playing a male role, singing dialogue without music. Pay is $125 for eight shows. HETAERA/ORPHEUS SIDES (read both parts).
AMAZONS:  Female. 20-40. Two very tall woman who are like air-headed, adolescent athletes, but big-hearted. Prefer 6' tall or taller, but will accept 5'10" or taller. Pay is $125 for eight shows. AMAZON SIDES (read for Amazon 1).
CHARON/REAL HADES: Male. 20-40. Non-speaking. The very tall imposing dark intimidating God of the Underworld.  Preferably 6'4" or taller. The bigger the better. Pay is $125 for eight shows. In lieu of a video submission, please submit a photo of yourself looking as angry and intimidating as possible and note your height. Stage kissing scenes.
 
PLAYWRIGHT BIO
Writer/Director Joel Ackerman is currently in production on a new TV series and a feature film created for Angel Studios. He is one of the top generators of video views on the planet; his work having been viewed over half a billion times. He is also the writer/director of "Girls Don't Poop", one of the most famous viral videos of all time, and is the author of best-selling book "The Opportunity."

CALL BACKS
Call backs will be in person and by appointment at The Hive Collaborative, 290 West 600 South, Provo UT. If you are selected for call backs, we will contact you to arrange a call back appointment and provide you sides in advance. Call back dates to be determined.