AUDITIONS

OPEN TO ALL UCR STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF MAJOR

 

YELLOW FACE

By David Henry Hwang

Directed by Reena Dutt

 

David Henry Hwang’s self-referential, soul-searching romp is a full-throttle comic attack on bigotry and the American theatre, straddling the line between reality and fiction, questioning what race really means, and exploring how politics and media interact and influence our society--ultimately asking us to reflect on who we really are as human beings.

 

MARCH 17, 2023

Self-Tapes Due by 5:00pm

(No in-person auditions)

 

Callbacks (in-person): MARCH 20, Monday 5:00-9:00pm

Studio Theatre (ARTS 113)

 

Meet the Director (Zoom): Reena Dutt will be holding a “meet the director” session on Monday, March 13th from 6:30-7:30pm in Zoom. This is not required, but you are welcome to come say hello and ask questions about the show. If you want to attend the meet-and-greet please email Jordyn McEvoy, Stage Manager: jmcev002@ucr.edu, for the Zoom link.

 

Needed: 7-9 cast members.

 

 

Actors should prepare:

  • A one-minute contemporary monologue of your choice. Be specific about who you are talking to, the moment that happens before the monologue begins, and your character’s moment after the monologue ends.
  • Pick any two characters from the breakdown (there are MANY to choose from!) and do the same monologue again: The first 30 seconds should be in one character impression, and there should be a distinct switch to the second character impression for the second 30 seconds. Make sure your physical, personality, and/or vocal switch to the 2nd character is clear and concise.
  • Tips for the audition:
    • Read the play before auditioning. An online copy of the play can be read here.
    • Wear clothes you are comfortable and can move in.
    • Being “honest” is preferable to being “theatrically interesting.”
    • If you get a callback, please come dressed in comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes, ready to move. Be prepared to work with each other and make your scene partners look great – because that makes you look *awesome*!

 

Self-tape audition tips:

  • The Setting: Use a quiet room with little to no background noise. The wall behind you should ideally be a plain color (ex. white or blue). Try to position yourself a few feet away from the wall to avoid shadows. The light should come from behind the camera.
  • Framing: Film horizontally, zoom in to frame yourself from the top of your head to just below your shoulders.
  • Remember to slate: Introduce yourself on camera with your name, height, class at UCR (first year, sophomore, etc.), and major. Please include a full-body shot.
  • More useful tips can be found here.

 

How to audition:

  • Download and fill out the Audition Form here.
  • Record your self-tape and upload it through Google Drive here. Label your self-tape with your Last name-First name.
  • Email your completed Audition Form and a headshot photo to Jordyn McEvoy, Stage Manager: jmcev002@ucr.edu.

 

Please note:

  • Please review the cast schedule here before signing up to audition. You must be fully available for all dates and times listed on this schedule.
  • Cast members will be enrolled in four units of TFDP 170 in the spring quarter under Professor Reena Dutt.

 

 

Character information:

All roles (with the exception of DHH and Marcus G. Dahlman) are open to all ethnicities and all genders. All actors are welcome, and Asian Americans are especially encouraged to audition.

 

DHH (M/Non-Binary, Asian American)

 

Marcus G. Dahlman, aka Marcus Gee (M/Non-Binary, non-Asian actor who can pass as both Asian and white)

 

HYH and others: (F/M/Non-Binary, all ethnicities) BD Wong; Bernard Jacobs; New York Post; Joseph Papp; Pravda; Rodney Hatamiya; Boston Globe, January 1, 1993; Boston Globe, February 15, 1993; Michael Riedel; Student #1; Margaret Cho; Senator Bennett; Representative DeLay; Wen Ho Lee; Protester

 

Leah Anne Cho and others: (F/M/Non-Binary, all ethnicities) Frank Chin; New York Times, July 13, 1990; Washington Post, August 9, 1990; B’nai B’rith; National Review; Carla Chang; New York Times, August 17, 1990; Linda; Boston Globe, January 1, 1993; Boston Phoenix #1; Gish Jen; Student #2; Margaret Fung; Don Mihail; Reporter #1; Fred Thompson; Yellowgurl8; OCC

 

The Announcer; Name withheld on Advice of Counsel (NWOAOC): (F/M/Non-Binary, all ethnicities)

 

Stuart Ostrow, Rocco Palmieri and others: (F/M/Non-Binary, all ethnicities) Senator John Kerry; Cameron Mackintosh; Frank Rich; Dick Cavett; New York Times, August 8, 1990; New York Times, October 23, 1992; Mark Linn-Baker; Christian Science Monitor; Boston Phoenix #2; Bookstore Owner; William Craver; Student #4; Associated Press, March 15, 1993; Los Angeles Times; Variety, April 27, 1996; USA Today, July 9, 1997; Senator Brownback; FBI Agent; Protester #1; Dr. Pichorak

 

Jane Krakowski, Miles Newman and others: (F/M/Non-Binary, all ethnicities) Lily Tomlin; Vinnie Liff; New York Times, August 8, 1990; New York Times, August 17, 1990; New York Daily News; George F. Will; Ed Koch; TheaterWeek; New York Times, February 26, 1993; Student #3; Beatrice Chang; Fritz Friedman; Julia Dahlman; New York Times, September 12, 1997; Senator Shelby; Representative Jack Kingston; Protester; Senator Domenici; Dorothy Hwang; OCC Regional Director; Judge James Parker

 

About the play:

The lines between truth and fiction blur with hilarious and moving results in David Henry Hwang’s unreliable memoir. Asian-American playwright DHH, fresh off his Tony Award win for M. Butterfly, leads a protest against the casting of Jonathan Pryce as the Eurasian pimp in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon, condemning the practice as “yellowface.” His position soon comes back to haunt him when he mistakes a Caucasian actor, Marcus G. Dahlman, for mixed-race, and casts him in the lead Asian role of his own Broadway-bound comedy, Face Value. When DHH discovers the truth of Marcus’ ethnicity, he tries to conceal his blunder to protect his reputation as an Asian-American role model, by passing the actor off as a “Siberian Jew.” Meanwhile, DHH’s father, Henry Y. Hwang, an immigrant who loves the American Dream and Frank Sinatra, finds himself ensnared in the same web of late-1990's anti-Chinese paranoia that also leads to the “Donorgate” scandal and the arrest of Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee. As he clings to his old multicultural rhetoric, this new racist witch hunt forces DHH to confront the complex and ever-changing role that “face” plays in American life today. (Dramatists Play Service)

 

INFORMATION:tfdp@ucr.edu

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