not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity, and inclusion play) 

A dark comedy by francisca da silveira 

Directed by Jeannine Gaskin 

LOOKING TO CAST THE FOLLOWING ROLES…

Lisa early 50s Black She/Her
title: Interim CEO
lunch: does she eat because honestly she’s always in a meeting but is also always carrying an uneaten apple

*Other roles in this play will be cast from an earlier audition pool.

ABOUT THE PLAY…

When offered a fancy promotion over her more experienced coworker, Nadine is left at a morally conflicting crossroads. All around her, hell begins to break loose at RiseUP, an education nonprofit that matches urban youth of color with inspiring mentors from the world of business. A scandal involving a student breaks, and Nadine discovers that RiseUP isn’t as worthy and wholesome as it pretends to be. not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play) tackles the dichotomy of policy vs. practice and investigates what is really at the core of toxic, microaggressive workplace environments.

ABOUT THE PROCESS…

This rehearsal process will be conventional in nature and based in script analysis, character analysis, and emotional arc. Actors will be asked to make strong proposals, be generous, and meet deadlines given.

Rehearsals will begin September 16. Rehearsals are 5-6 times a week, with evening weekday rehearsals and some daytime weekend rehearsals.

Performances begin with First Preview October 24. The production opens on October 26 and runs through November 9, Thu/Fri/Sat/Mon at 7:00pm, and Sunday matinee at 3pm in the James Levin Theatre.

CONTENT DISCLOSURES ABOUT THE PLAY… 

not-for-profit includes frank descriptions and depictions of racism against Black people and women and discussion of sexual abuse of a child.

AUDITIONS…

Monday, July 8, 6pm – 8pm 

There will be no callbacks for this production.

Auditions are by appointment only and will be scheduled in 1 hour increments. Prepared auditions will be individual, but actors should be prepared to stay for the entire hour slot. You may be asked to stay and read with a fellow actor. Actors should plan to stay at the audition for up to 75 minutes, though you may be released sooner. The director, Jeannine Gaskin, will be watching the auditions and the Playwright francisca da silveira will also watch virtually.

WHAT TO PREPARE…

Prepare both a comedic and a dramatic monologue. Combined, the monologues should be less than 4 minutes, total.

Some actors may be asked to do cold readings from sides provided by CPT at the audition.

Headshot and Résumé

To schedule an audition appointment, please email auditions@cptonline.org. Please include [not-for-profit Auditions] in your subject line. Be sure to include your name, email address, phone number, preferred audition date. Send a copy of your headshot and resume as an attachment to your email. No phone calls please.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:

francisca da silveira is a Cape Verdean-American playwright and Boston native who holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MSc in Playwriting from the University of Edinburgh. She has been featured in ArtsBoston, The LA Times and American Theatre Magazine. Her plays have been developed with Theatre503 (London), The Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh), Company One Theatre (Boston), The Fire This Time Festival (New York), The Playwrights Realm (New York), The Public Theater (New York) and La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego). Fran’s play not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play) was featured in The Playwrights’ Realm’s INK’D Festival in April 2021 and in La Jolla Playhouse’s DNA New Works Series in July 2021. Her play can i touch it? was featured in the National New Play Network’s 2020 National Showcase of New Plays and in 2022-2023 will receive a Rolling World Premiere at Company One Theatre (Boston), Rogue Machine Theatre (Los Angeles) and Cleveland Public Theatre (Cleveland).

Fran was a 2020-2021 Playwrights Realm Writing Fellow and is currently a member of The Public Theater’s 2020-2023 Emerging Writers Group and a 2022-2023 Jerome Fellow with the Playwrights’ Center. She is working on commissions from the University of Virginia’s Drama Department and Brooklyn-based theater Colt Coeur.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Jeannine Gaskin is a director in Cleveland who is excited to be working at Cleveland Public Theatre this season. Her last show was seen at Convergence-Continuum called Stonewallin written by Cleveland playwright, Kari Barclay. Her other directing credits include: Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress, The Light by Loy A. Webb, Insurrection: Holding History by Robert O’Hara, Devised Blues: Uncut & Funky at Baldwin – Wallace University, co-directed Until the Flood by Dael Orlandersmith & Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. She is currently directing Hype Man: A Break Beat play by Idris Goodwin at Cain Park this summer.