CPT announces Auditions for
The Loush Sisters Love Dick’ns: Oops!… They Did It Again
Created by Liz Conway, Michael Seevers Jr., and Beth Wood
Directed by Beth Wood, CPT’s Associate Artistic Director & Director of Production
Looking to cast…
3 – 5 funny people (over the age of 21) who can sing/carry a tune, move/shake your maracas, and don’t take themselves too seriously, to join the dysfunctional Loush Sisters.
Specific Characters
- Ghost of Christmas Present: 30s-50s, any gender & ethnicity
- Ensemble/Siblings: 20s-early 30s, 2-3 males & 1-2 females, any ethnicity
Equity agreements may be considered for this production
Cleveland Public Theatre is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, CPT encourages performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.
Disclosure: Many roles in the production have already been cast. The current cast includes Liz Conway, Beth Wood, Sheffia Randall Dooley*, Kevin Kelly, Caitlin Lewins, and Colleen McCaughey.
About the play…
This holiday season, join Holly and Jolly Loush (aka The Loush Sisters) for their deeply anticipated return to the stage in a bawdy, boozy, over-the-top holiday cabaret. Fueled by song, sidekicks, and a hefty dose of “holiday cheer,” The Loush Sisters reimagine their 2015/2016 World Premiere production based on A Christmas Carol as you’ve never, ever seen it before.
About The Loush Sisters…
Originally created in 2003 for a Cleveland Public Theatre special event, The Loush Sisters have become a favorite of CPT audiences, performing in 2011 at Playhouse Square’s 14th Street Theatre and in 2013, 2015, & 2017 at CPT to critical acclaim. The brain children of Liz Conway, Michael Seevers Jr., and Beth Wood, The Sisters are an unapologetically raunchy, lounge-singing duo. (Imagine Saturday Night Live’s Sweeney Sisters (1980’s) but raunchier & more inappropriate.)
About The Process…
This rehearsal process will be conventional in nature and based in character development, song, and basic dance. There may be some scene creation during the rehearsal process. Actors will be expected to make strong proposals, be generous, and meet deadlines given.
Rehearsals will begin on or around October 14th. Rehearsals are 5-6 times a week, with evening weekday rehearsals and some daytime weekend rehearsals.
Performances begin with a preview on November 21st and opening on November 22nd. The production runs November 21 – December 21, Thurs/Fri/Sat at 7:30pm in the Gordon Square Theatre.
Important Information about The Play…
The Loush Sisters is bawdy, irreverent, and sometimes raunchy. This is a highly topical production with poor taste jokes inspired by the headlines.
Auditions…
Sunday, August 11th 1-5pm
Auditions are by appointment only and will take place in a group setting. Auditioners must attend the full audition session. The auditions will be run by the director Beth Wood, with co-creators Liz Conway and Michael Seevers Jr.
What to prepare…
- 16 bars of a POP song; bring sheet music in your key (a cappella and CD accompaniment are acceptable)
- Read from the script (sides provided at audition)
- Be ready to improvise as a member of the Loush Family
- Dress appropriately for shimmey-ing and movement
- Bring your sense of humor and be prepared to play and have fun!
To schedule an audition appointment, please email CPT’s NNPN Producer-in-Residence India Burton at iburton@cptonline.org. Be sure to include your name, email address, and phone number in your email. Please include [Loush Sisters Auditions] in your subject line. No phone calls please.
About the Creators:
Liz Conway (Co-Creator) is thrilled to be back at CPT as part of the infamous Loush Sisters. She is proud to call CPT her artistic home and has performed on their stage in a variety of productions, including all previous Loush Sisters iterations and the award-winning in a word. She has worked with many theatres in Northeast Ohio including convergence-continuum, Beck Center for the Arts, Great Lakes Theater, and Lakeland Civic Theatre. She is the board chair of Talespinner Children’s Theatre, the only professional children’s theatre in Cleveland, and neighbor in the Gordon Square Arts District. She is indebted to her actual family for allowing her the opportunity to create the madness that is the Loush family.
Michael Seevers Jr. (Co-Creator, Music Director, Choreographer, and Associate Director) began his college studies as a Spanish Education major at Bowling Green State University but the theatre bug was still too great and he switched his major to Theatre Management at Baldwin Wallace College. Michael is a classically trained pianist, as well as a singer, dancer, and actor. He has performed, in all capacities, all over Northeast Ohio. He won a best lead actor award for his work as Sparky in Forever Plaid. Michael was Carlo Cannoli in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding for a year at the Hanna Theatre. In 2000 he became “Mr. Bitch” in Cleveland Public Theatre’s wildly successful two-season run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch; culminating in the Original Cleveland Cast Recording. In 2003 during Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge at CPT, he met cast members Beth Wood and Liz Conway and the Spleeny Sisters were born – later changing the name to The Loush Sisters (that’s loose and lush, but fancy) for their 2011 Playhouse Square one-act production. 14 years later, the sisters are still going strong and most of Michael’s theatrical time is spent keeping the girls out of rehab.
Beth Wood (Co-Creator and Director) joined the CPT staff in 2007. A director, actor, administrator, designer, educator, and theatre technician, she holds a BA in Communications and Theatre from John Carroll University. As a director of adventurous scripted work, she has been honored as a director of superior achievement by the Cleveland Critics Circle in 2016, 2015, and 2013, and has directed 16 productions, including seven world premieres and seven regional premieres, during her ten-year tenure at CPT. In 2017, Beth was selected as a finalist for the National Directing Fellowship. In addition to her directing work, Beth supports four New Play Development series that invest in outside-the-mainstream work and the artistic growth of Northeast Ohio creators. In 2016, she was awarded a TCG Leadership U[niversity] Continuing Ed grant to research long-term new play development models across the country. Beth also produces large-scale community events for CPT, including Station Hope – an annual community event featuring over 200 artists performing original work inspired by issues of freedom and justice at Cleveland’s first authenticated Underground Railroad site. In February 2018, Beth traveled to Iowa to direct the World Premiere of Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City. Her CPT directing credits include Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Lines in the Dust by Nikkole Salter, the NNPN Rolling World Premiere of in a word by Lauren Yee, There Is a Happiness That Morning Is by Mickle Maher, Barbecue and Antebellum by Robert O’Hara, FEVER/DREAM by Sheila Callaghan, Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang, and BOOM by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. In addition to her work with scripted productions, Beth co-creates and directs original plays based on a comedic singing duo, The Loush Sisters, for Playhouse Square in 2011 and CPT in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Beth’s CPT acting credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Mrs. Bob Cratchet’s Wild Christmas Binge, A Bright Room Called Day, Fefu and Her Friends, The Rocky Horror Show, Our Town, Pulp, Matt & Ben, Anna Bella Eema (co-production with Theater Ninjas), Open Mind Firmament, Don’t Call Me Fat, Akarui, Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, Earth Plays (Part Two of the Elements Cycle), The Loush Sisters DO the Nutcracker, The Loush Sisters Love Dick’ns: Great Expectations, The Loush Sisters get HARD for the Holidays (Yippie-Kai-Yay Mother-Loushers), and Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. A former Actor-Teacher for Great Lakes Theater, Beth has taught a variety of theatre and acting courses throughout Northeast Ohio, and has served as the Technical Director for John Carroll University, Lakeland Theatre, and Stagecrafters.
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