AUDITIONS: THE VIEW UPSTAIRS. Book, Music & Lyrics by Max Vernon
Presented by convergence-continuum
Directed and choreographed by Scott Zolkowski
Music Direction by Ryan Charles Ramer
convergence-continuum announces auditions for Max Vernon's The View UpStairs, a bold, funny, sexy, heartbreaking musical that brings together two generations of queer life and asks us to consider what we've gained, what we've lost, and what we owe to those who came before us.
AUDITION DATES: Saturday, October 3rd 12pm – 2pm, Sunday October 4th 7pm – 9pm
· Callbacks to take place Tuesday October 6th 7-9 if necessary
LOCATION: convergence-continuum at The Liminis.
· 2438 Scranton Rd. Cleveland, OH 44113.
· Please use the backstage entrance. Signs will be posted for clarity.
REHEARSALS: Rehearsals to start immediately, starting October 11th. Rehearsal schedule will be formed from actor/director conflicts. Weekday evenings and open availability on weekends.
PERFORMANCE DATES: 14 total performances –
· November 27, 28, 29 December 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19.
· Thursday – Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm
COMPENSATION: All actors will receive $500 compensation for the show.
ABOUT THE SHOW
When Wes, a young fashion designer in the present day, purchases an abandoned building in New Orleans' French Quarter, he unexpectedly finds himself transported to the UpStairs Lounge in 1973 — a vibrant gay bar filled with a community of unforgettable characters.
As Wes becomes immersed in their world, he begins to understand a generation of queer people whose lives, struggles, friendships, and loves existed in a very different America.
Inspired by the real-life UpStairs Lounge and the devastating 1973 arson attack that killed 32 people, The View UpStairs is simultaneously a celebration of queer community and a powerful examination of memory, progress, identity, and the people history too often forgets.
Featuring a gritty glam-rock, pop, gospel, and R&B-influenced score, the musical is energetic, irreverent, intimate, hilarious, and deeply moving.
AUDITION FORMAT
Auditions will take place across two days, with two one-hour audition sessions offered each day.
Actors should sign up for ONE one-hour audition session.
We will audition performers individually first vocally then as a group performing sides during each session rather than assigning individual appointment times.
Please arrive approximately 15 minutes prior to the session time to fill out an audition form and provide all conflicts.
Please prepare:
60–90 seconds of a song in the style of a rock/pop musical. Choose material that shows us your voice, personality, storytelling ability, and connection to the song. You should not sing a selection from The View UpStairs.
An accompanist will be provided. Please bring clearly marked sheet music in the appropriate key.
Acting sides will be provided at the audition. Actors may be asked to read individually or with other performers during their scheduled hour.
Please also bring a headshot and résumé, if available.
We anticipate spending approximately 30 minutes of each session on individual vocal auditions, with the remainder of the hour available for readings and additional work.
CASTING
convergence-continuum is seeking a diverse company of strong actor-singers with bold personalities and excellent storytelling instincts.
The ages listed below are character/playing ages, not required ages of the performers.
WES — Male-presenting | Mid–Late 20s
Vocal Range/Style: Pop Tenor / Bari-Tenor
A fashion designer from the present day. Stylish, self-conscious, anxious, and prematurely jaded. Wes presents himself as confident and fabulous, but underneath the carefully constructed exterior is someone deeply insecure and dissatisfied with his life. His unexpected encounter with the UpStairs Lounge forces him to confront love, loss, community, and his own understanding of queer history. A major leading role requiring a strong contemporary singer and actor.
PATRICK — Male-presenting | Early 20s
Vocal Range/Style: Tenor with strong contemporary/pop sound
A young runaway and hustler. Patrick initially appears innocent, fragile, and almost otherworldly, but underneath is someone far tougher and more resilient than he seems. He invents elaborate stories and fantasies as a way of surviving the harsher realities of his life. Patrick develops an intimate and romantic relationship with Wes and is able to recognize a vulnerability in him that others cannot. Requires warmth, vulnerability, chemistry, and emotional depth.
BUDDY — Male-presenting | 40s–50s
Vocal Range/Style: Tenor / Bari-Tenor
The resident piano player and entertainer at the UpStairs Lounge. Charismatic, funny, temperamental, theatrical, and increasingly bitter about the limitations of his life. Buddy loves being the center of attention and dreams of becoming a star, while simultaneously understanding that his circumstances may never allow that dream to happen. He is closeted and married to a woman.
Piano ability is welcomed but is not required for consideration.
WILLIE — Male-presenting | 40s–60s | Black
Vocal Range/Style: Tenor
A holdover from an earlier era of gay life with a fabulous, camp sensibility. Willie is funny, theatrical, eccentric, wise, and sometimes difficult to read. He may know all the secrets of the universe — or he may be beginning to lose pieces of his own. A performer with exceptional personality, comic instincts, and emotional depth is essential.
HENRI — Female-presenting | 30s–40s
Vocal Range/Style: Strong R&B singer; Belt to E
The bartender of the UpStairs Lounge and one of the strongest forces within its community. Tough, no-nonsense, old-school butch, and completely unwilling to tolerate foolishness. Henri may appear severe, but underneath that armor is someone fiercely protective of the people who have made the Lounge their home. Requires a powerful presence and strong R&B/gospel-influenced vocals.
FREDDY / AURORA WHOREALIS — Male-presenting | 20s–30s | Latino/Hispanic
Vocal Range/Style: High Tenor / Belt with Falsetto
A construction worker by day and the fabulous drag queen Aurora Whorealis by night. Freddy is energetic, magnetic, funny, sexy, bright, and beloved by the Lounge community. He has a particularly close friendship with Willie and a loving relationship with his mother, Inez. Requires a fearless performer with strong vocals, comic ability, physical confidence, and comfort performing in drag.
Drag experience is welcomed but not required.
INEZ / REALTOR — Female-presenting | Late 40s–60s | Latina/Hispanic
Vocal Range/Style: Soprano
INEZ: Freddy's Puerto Rican mother and, in many ways, a mother figure to the entire UpStairs Lounge community. Warm, loving, funny, supportive, and completely accepting of her son — including helping prepare him for his performances as Aurora Whorealis.
REALTOR: In the present day, the actor also plays the overly polished and questionable real estate agent who sells Wes the abandoned building.
A terrific character role requiring warmth, humor, and versatility.
RICHARD / RITA MAE — Any Gender | 35–55
Vocal Range/Style: Tenor or appropriate equivalent for casting
The minister of the Metropolitan Community Church connected to the UpStairs Lounge community. Richard may be somewhat more conservative than some of the Lounge's patrons, but is warm, level-headed, compassionate, and deeply committed to creating a spiritual home for people rejected by other churches. The role may be played by a performer of any gender; the character is known as Rita Mae when played by a woman.
DALE — Male-presenting | 20s–40s
Vocal Range/Style: Tenor
Sensitive, volatile, wounded, and more radical in his sexual politics than many of the others at the Lounge. Dale is a raw nerve — someone who has experienced considerable rejection, cruelty, and hardship and carries those experiences with him everywhere he goes. Requires an actor capable of navigating a complicated character without reducing him to a stereotype or villain.
COP — Male-presenting | 30s–50s
Vocal Range/Style: Baritone
Appears in both the past and present. In 1973, the Cop represents the corruption, violence, and homophobia routinely faced by the queer community. In the present, the character is still stern and authoritative but exists within a dramatically different relationship between law enforcement and the community. A strong character actor capable of creating two distinct versions of the role.
CONTENT & CASTING NOTE
The View UpStairs is an adult musical centered on LGBTQ+ history, identity, sexuality, and community. The production contains strong language, sexual themes, references to drug and alcohol use, homophobia, violence, religious themes, and the historical deaths associated with the UpStairs Lounge fire. Some roles involve same-sex romantic and/or intimate interactions, including kissing, and Freddy/Aurora performs in drag. Specific staging and intimacy requirements will be communicated clearly during the rehearsal process.
convergence-continuum is committed to telling this story with a company that reflects the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community represented in the work. Performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, body types, and abilities are encouraged to audition for roles for which they feel they may be appropriate, while respecting identities specifically written into certain characters.
AUDITION SESSIONS
DAY ONE — Saturday October 3rdSession 1: 12:00 PMSession 2: 1:00 PM
DAY TWO — Sunday October 4th Session 3: 7:00 PMSession 4: 8:00 PM
Please register for one one-hour session.
Space in each session will be limited so that every performer has adequate time to sing and read.
AUDITION SIGN-UP: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A9AB29A3FBC25-65953912-theview
Questions may be directed to: szolkowski@convergence-continuum.org
Come ready to sing, play, take risks, and help us bring the UpStairs Lounge back to life.
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