Where: Dance Kaleidoscope at 1125 E. Brookside Avenue, Door D5, Indianapolis
Director
Paige Scott
Compensation: $250
Synopsis
Describe the Night by Rajiv Joseph is an Obie Award-winning thriller exploring the intersection of truth, propaganda, and history across 90 years of Russian history (1920–2010). The play follows seven characters connected by a journalist’s diary, stretching from the Polish-Soviet War to the 2010 Smolensk plane crash. Click for script sample.
What to prepare for DESCRIBE THE NIGHT
- Please prepare about a 1-minute, memorized monologue.
- You may also be asked to read from the script. See Sides here.
- Please bring a resume, headshot, and a list of all conflicts between September 13-November 15.
Rehearsal – All rehearsals will take place at Dance Kaleidoscope, 1125 E. Brookside Avenue, Door D5, Indianapolis
Describe the Night Schedule is TBD, based on actor availability.
Performance Dates – All performances are at Butler University’s Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W 42nd St, Indianapolis
Describe the Night: Thursday-Sunday, November 5-15, likely with Saturday matinees at 4pm
Characters and casting needs
We welcome and encourage actors of all genders, races, ethnicities, dis/abilities, body types, etc. to audition for any role.
Describe the Night Characters
- Isaac Babel (1920s): A Russian Jewish journalist covering the Polish-Russian war, known for writing a detailed, enigmatic journal. He is depicted as an intellectual caught between his artistic desire to “describe the night” and the violent, deceptive reality of the state. (M, late 20s-40s)
- Nikolai Yezhov (1920s–1989): A violent, commanding Red Cavalry Captain who becomes the Head of Stalin’s Secret Police. Later appearing as a 99-year-old living relic in 1989, he is cynical, manipulative, and serves as a mentor to Vova. (M, 30s-40s)
- Vova (1989–2010): A low-level KGB agent in Dresden in 1989 who evolves into a powerful, paranoid Russian leader by 2010. He is defined by a need for absolute control and a deep distrust of the world. (M, 30s)
- Yevgenia (1940s–1989): Nikolai’s wife, who is bright, beautiful, and deeply involved in astrology and the supernatural. She is described as having a quiet, tragic strength, and later becomes a sharp-witted matriarch. (F, 20s-30s)
- Urzula (1989): A young Polish immigrant in Dresden and granddaughter of Yevgenia. She is caught in the middle of the political and personal danger surrounding the journal. (F, 20s)
- Feliks (2010): A young, tattooed Polish orphan who feels old beyond his years and becomes involved in the fate of Babel’s journal. (M, 20s-30s)
- Mariya (2010): A steady, Moscow-based journalist in 2010 who becomes the custodian of the journal. (F, 20s-30s)
Questions may be emailed to Marcia Eppich-Harris.
