Audition notice
for the StageWorks Staged Reading of
“Red Rex” by Ike Holter
A Satire
Directed by Melissa Gard
Audition time: Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 6:30pm
For alternate audition time or questions, contact Melissa Gard at melissa@actingensemble.com
Place: Acting Ensemble on the Avenue, 602 E Mishawaka Ave, Mishawaka IN 46545
Auditions will consist of cold readings from sides provided by the director.
Rehearsals: . There will be 3 – 4 rehearsals. Please arrive at the audition knowing your conflicts.
One Performance: June 3, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Characters:
Lana – Early 30’s. Writer/ director wunderkind. Smart, opinionated, fast; switches gears midsentence. Dominates a room, almost at pro level. Cocky but needs constant reassurance. A Dreamer and a Nightmare. Openly sneaky.
Greg – Early 30’s White. Executive Director. Handsome vampire. Businessman who keeps things in check. Removed but always watching. Believes in the American theatrical myth of money. Hard to impress, hard to please, Stepfather to everyone. Cold at the drop of a hat. His warmth comes off as questionable. Wants to create.
Tori – Late 20’s. Asian. Stage Manager. Has seen it all but never shows it. Smartest person in the room. Believes in the company more than anyone. Can disappear in a room. Apologizes too much. Always believes in the better.
Nicole – Late 20’s to early 30’s. Black. Actor. New to the game but doesn’t snack on the lies. Uses her power wisely. Wants to see how the other hald lives but very protective of her own life. Wants to fall in love with the bullshit but hangs on tight to the ledge.
Adam – Early 30’s. White. Actor. Been out of the game for a while. Still recovering f rom his 20’s. Scared to show his excitement but has so much passion and love. Always feels victimized. Doesn’t know what privilege means. A very different person when he lets “The Nice Guy” habit slip.
Nax – Late 30’s to early 40’s. White. Set Designer/Light Designer. Big Brother type. Loud and gross and bearded. Is maybe the best at what he does in several states. Doesn’t care. Not here for the money. Loves the people. Will win your bar fight for you and make you take him out for breakfast.
Trevor – 20’s. Black. Grocery store Desk Clerk. Used to the rules of life’s fuckery. Doesn’t know he’s funny as fuck. Can’t tell a lie. His wounds have never turned into scars.
THE STORY: The sixth play in Ike Holter’s Rightlynd saga. Red Rex is a scrappy theater company that is on the brink—will they have the hit that puts their name on the map, or the wake-up call that it’s time to throw in the towel? A prodigal son actor and amateur neighborhood talent join the stage to perform a play that may or may not be based on a true story. Internal drama threatens to complicate the production further, causing fireworks both on and offstage. What else could go wrong? Complex and thought-provoking, RED REX asks us: What are we willing to sacrifice to share stories that must be heard, and where do we draw the line?
“RED REX is a riveting show…Holter [fires] verbal bullets not unlike those in the similarly knockout Exit Strategy. Truth is Holter’s strength…” —Chicago Tribune.
“…bristles with trenchant observations about race and class and the insidious way unconscious racism influences the perceptions of even well-meaning people…In RED REX, Holter isn’t going to let anyone off the hook.” —Chicago Reader.
“From all angles, it is smartly written—provocative, witty and taut.” —Chicago On the Aisle.
