Clybourne Park is an answer to Lorraine Hansberry’s classic A Raisin In The Sun. The first act begins in a white community in 1950’s Chicago that frets about the African American family about to move in. In the second act, the same house represents very different demographics where a white couple seeks to purchase that house in the now predominantly black neighborhood.
Actors are asked to prepare two contrasting monologues no longer than 1 to 2 minutes in length and may be asked to participate in a cold reading.
The Director is seeking six actors to play the characters listed below. Actors in the production will play two roles (as intended by the author)
Russ (Act I) and Dan (Act II): A Caucasian male, age 45-55. In Act I, he is a middle-management businessman selling his house to escape memories of a family tragedy. In Act II, he is a friendly but somewhat oblivious construction worker.
Bev (Act I) and Kathy (Act II): A Caucasian female, in her 40s. In Act I she is married to Russ, whose brooding is eroding her natural optimism. In Act II, the character is a breezy real estate agent and lawyer.
Francine (Act I) and Lena (Act II): An African-American female, in her 30s-40s. In Act I she plays a stoic and polite domestic worker to Russ and Bev. In Act II, she is a no-nonsense professional woman invested in her neighborhood and fiercely opposed to white gentrification.
Albert (Act I) and Kevin (Act II): An African American male, in his 30s-40s. In Act I he is the husband to Francine. He is accommodating but a shrewd judge of character. In Act II, he is an easy-going investment banker married to Lena.
Karl (Act I) and Steve (Act II): A Caucasian male, late 30s-40s. A character borrowed from “A Raisin in the Sun” who comes to persuade Russ and Bev not to sell their house to a “colored family.” In Act II, he is a well-educated man, but not exactly a diplomatic one. He’s seeking to purchase the home in the now-black neighborhood.
Jim (Act I) and Tom (Act II): A Caucasian male, mid-20s–30s. The well-intentioned minister at Russ and Bev’s church. In Act II, he is a lawyer hired by Kevin and Lena to represent their community association in negotiations with Steve and Lindsey. Tom is smart and good at his job but in a hurry. |
