The Clark State College Theatre Arts Program (TAP) will hold auditions for the spring production of Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris.

Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 24 with callbacks on Wednesday, January 25 in the Clark State Performing Arts Center (PAC) Turner Studio Theatre, 300 South Fountain Avenue, Springfield.

Actors are to prepare a 1-minute contemporary comedic monologue for auditions. A headshot and resume are preferred.  Actors should pre-register for auditions at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmdDoO0agG0QoFKjSsUMBjH8SKIW9zn1lr3cAStC-AkQS43w/viewform

“Clybourne Park starts the conversation on race relations in the U.S. beginning in 1959 and then in the present day,” said Theresa Lauricella, professor and coordinator of the Clark State TAP. “The play illustrates where we come from and how far we have to go. And the play doesn't stop there; included, too, are our biases on women and pregnancy, disability, mental health, and veterans.”

Clybourne Park explodes in two outrageous acts set fifty years apart. Act One takes place in 1959, as white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification. Clybourne Park won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2011 and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2012.

“Actors cast in Clybourne Park have the remarkable opportunity to play two distinct roles: one in the 1950s and one in the current era,” said Lauricella.

Clybourne Park will be directed by Chelsea Jenkins. Rehearsals begin early February with weekend performances from April 14 through April 23, 2023.