Open audition notice for The Minutes by Tracy Letts

Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Dec 2 & 3, 2024, starting at 7:00 pm both nights.
Production dates: Jan 31-Feb 16, 2025

Directed by Melissa Ertsgaard
Produced by K.L.Storer

The Minutes by Tracy Letts is a dark comedy. It had its premiere at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in 2017, and moved to the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City in 2020. This play takes a hard look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. Why is someone on the council mysteriously missing? What happened to all those bicycles? Is there something going on with the city’s finances? What’s the deal with the available parking space? And why are the minutes from the last meeting being kept secret? Sometimes the “history” we’ve been taught isn’t the true “history” at all! Part Parks & Recreation, part Twilight Zone, this powerful, resonant, and funny portrayal of democracy in action proves that everything you know can change ‐‐ it’s just a matter of minutes. After all, the smallest towns keep the biggest secrets.

Casting Requirements:

• Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
• A résumé and headshot are not required but are appreciated.
• Please provide a list of all known conflicts between Dec 4, 2024 & Feb 16, 2025.

  • Mr. Peel: (M) Mid 30s; naïve newcomer who pushes for the truth.
  • Mayor Superba: (M) Early 50s or above; slick but not smarmy.
  • Ms. Johnson: (F) Early to mid 30s, tight-lipped, careful clerk.
  • Mr. Blake: (M) Mid 30s or above, African-American; non-ideological, could be functional alcoholic; has definite ideas for town growth.
  • Mr. Breeding: (M) Early 40s or above; loud, brash, politically incorrect.
  • Mr. Hanratty: (M) Early 40s or above; good-natured but entirely misguided.
  • Mr. Assalone: (M) Mid 40s or above “It’s Ass-A-LONE-AY”; opportunistic AND slightly unscrupulous.
  • Ms. Innes: (F) 60s or above; single-minded, long-time council member.
  • Ms. Matz: (F) 40s; disheveled, distracted, and (maybe) child-like.
  • Mr. Overfield: (M) 60s or above; longest standing council member, befuddled contemporary of Ms. Innes.
  • Mr. Carp: (M) Late 30s or above – the idealistic, former council member who holds the key to the mystery.

For more information, please contact Producer K.L.Storer

Dayton Theatre Guild is a community theatre that values community representation, and we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion on and off stage. People of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate and will be given full consideration in casting and all volunteer opportunities. Unless explicitly specified by the playwright in the text of the play, all roles will be open to all performers.

The show runs weekends Jan 31-Feb 16, 2025
First Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm, Sunday 3pm
Second & Third Weekend: Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm, Sunday 3pm

Future Auditions

  • Chancers by Robert Massey – February 3 & 4 (2025)
  • Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis – March 31 & April 1 (2025)