OPEN AUDITIONS FOR
THE MAN FROM EARTH
Written by Jerome Bixby​
Directed by Joe Garoutte
What if the man across the room from you had lived through the entire span of human history, and remembered it?
The Man From Earth is a gripping, dialogue-driven science fiction drama from Jerome Bixby (writer for the original Star Trek and The Twilight Zone), completed on his deathbed as his final work.
When history professor John Oldman abruptly resigns and prepares to leave town, his colleagues impulsively gather for a farewell party, and John, pressed for an explanation, reveals a secret he's never told anyone: he may be over 14,000 years old. What follows is a tense, funny, moving, and occasionally shattering evening of debate, disbelief, and reckoning, as friends who thought they knew each other are forced to confront questions about faith, science, mortality, and love.
This is a true actor's play, no elaborately moving sets, no special effects, just a partially empty living room and a group of brilliant, flawed people arguing about the nature of existence. If you love language, ideas, and characters who feel fully alive, this is the show for you.
We're looking for an ensemble who can hold long, layered scenes together, bring wit and warmth to intellectual conflict, and find the raw emotion underneath the arguments.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
Open Auditions
Thursday, August 6 - 7:00 - 9:00
Monday, August 10 - 7:00 - 9:00
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This is an open audition, you don't need to sign up, just show up! Please bring a list of conflicts you may have during the rehearsal period. This is important.
You don't need to be present at both days but you are absolutely welcome to.
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It all happens at The Bingen Theater
210 Oak St
Bingen WA, 98605
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Casting will happen quickly, as the first read through is Thursday, August 13.
This is a short rehearsal window, early memorization is vital. Please be aware the expectation for being off book is going to be higher than it would for a longer rehearsal period.
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Performance Dates
October 2 - 17
Mandatory Set Strike
Sunday, October 18
​WHAT TO EXPECT
Auditions will consist of reading sides from the script. You're welcome to come in cold, though a little preparation goes a long way.
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Scripts are available to borrow from the theater. Just email info@bigbritches.org to arrange a time to pick one up.
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You can also purchase a copy at Wacoma bookstore in Hood River. Ask at the counter: they have it set up like a book club, so you'll get a discount. Note that there are only a few copies left, so don't wait too long if you'd like to own one.
Knowing the show beforehand is a good idea to give yourself the time to think about how you might want to portray the characters, but it's not required to audition.
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Please note that this show contains mature themes, discussion of religious topics, and the use of a stage firearm.
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Once the show is cast we will e-mail everyone who auditioned so you know one way or another. Please make sure you print your email clearly on the audition form.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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Ages listed below are the characters' ages, not a requirement for those auditioning. Makeup, costuming, and strong acting can convincingly age a performer up or down, so please audition for any role that speaks to you regardless of your age.
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JOHN OLDMAN
Lead - Male - Early-to-Mid 30s - The calm center of the storm. John is a history professor: easygoing, likable, quietly magnetic, who has spent thousands of years learning how to hide in plain sight. As the play unfolds, he must reveal an impossible truth to the people he cares about most, walking a careful line between total honesty and self-protection. The role demands enormous stillness and control, an actor who can hold a room simply by being calm while everyone around him unravels, and who can let real vulnerability break through in the play's final movement.
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DAN
Male - 60s - An anthropology professor with an insatiable, open-minded curiosity. Dan is the intellectual engine of the group, quick to test John's story against what he knows of prehistory, but never hostile about it. He's warm, steady, and genuinely delighted by ideas. A great role for an actor who can deliver dense, philosophical dialogue and make it sound like the most natural thing in the world.
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HARRY
Male - 50s - Easygoing - A biologist with a sharp mind and a class-clown streak. Harry keeps the group loose with humor even as the conversation gets heavier, but he's also the one asking hard scientific questions about how a body could possibly survive 14,000 years. Great for an actor with comic timing who can also turn serious on a dime.
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EDITH
Female - 50s - An art history professor and devout Christian, with a touch of the unmarried schoolmarm about her. Edith is deeply affectionate toward John, until his story starts to brush up against her faith, at which point her fear and hurt come out sharply. A rich role for an actor who can play warmth curdling into real distress, and who can go toe-to-toe in the play's most charged theological exchanges.
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SANDY
Female - late 20s early 30's - Fiercely intelligent and quietly reserved, Sandy is a historian who has loved John for years without ever saying so. She's the emotional heart of the piece: the one character whose belief in John never wavers, and whose feelings for him raise the stakes of every revelation. This role rewards an actor who can do a lot with restraint, letting long-held feeling surface in small, devastating moments.
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ART
Male - 50s - trying hard to hold onto his youth - An archaeology professor, competitive and a little vain, who arrives last and grows increasingly agitated as John's story continues. Art is the most openly skeptical of the group, and his frustration escalates into real anger. A meaty role for an actor who enjoys playing a character audiences will want to fight with.
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LINDA
Female - early-to-mid 20s - A student: bright, pretty, and more perceptive than people give her credit for. Linda is younger than the rest of the group and often underestimated, but she asks some of the sharpest questions in the room and comes to her own quiet convictions about John. A good role for an actor who can play ingenue charm with real intelligence underneath.
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DR. WILL GRUBER
Male - 70s - large, commanding presence - A psychiatry professor who arrives later in the evening, ostensibly to evaluate John's mental state. Gruber is blunt, probing, and carrying private grief of his own that colors everything he says. His late arrival shifts the entire dynamic of the play, building to one of the most devastating turns in the story. A phenomenal role for an actor who wants a part with real gravitas and a gut-punch of an arc.
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Movers/Paramedic & Police Officer
Any age or gender - Must be comfortable lifting and moving furniture - We need two actors to play the moving company crew who help clear out John's house, including lifting a couch and other furniture and carrying it off. These same two performers return near the end of the show as a paramedic and a police officer. If you're looking for a low-pressure way to get involved on stage, this is a great option. There aren't a ton of lines, but it's a great opportunity to be part of the cast, and get comfortable in front of an audience.
General Information about Our Auditions
​Big Britches Productions is always looking for new people to come play! Whether you've "tread the boards" for years or are new to the stage, we want to encourage everyone to audition. All of our auditions are open, and unless otherwise noted, there is no pre-casting. Please also note that we are a volunteer-based organization, and all acting roles are unpaid positions.
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What you should know
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Audition requirements vary by show and director; you may be asked to read scenes, prepare a monologue, or perform a song for musicals. Check this page for details on each upcoming production.
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We know that it can be disappointing not to get a part. (We've been there!) Don't take it personally. You may have auditioned really well, but if we have more people audition than roles available, directors have to weigh several factors when choosing a cast. We encourage you to come and audition often. Just because you weren't right for one role doesn't mean that you won't be perfect for another.
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Useful tip - If asked to read for a part you don't want, don't tank it on purpose; every time you're on stage is a chance to show the audition team your range. Which just means demonstrating your ability to adapt. Try a different accent, shift your energy from quiet and reserved to bold and commanding, play the emotion of the scene straight rather than for laughs (or vice versa), or simply commit fully to a character that isn't 'you.' You don't have to be a seasoned actor to show range; you just have to be willing to try something different and commit to it. That willingness is exactly what directors are looking for.
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We also love to encourage performers to get involved on the production side of shows. Helping backstage, with props, in the booth, or as a stage manager is a great way to get involved with the theatre.
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It's a good idea to come prepared with your calendar so you can note any conflicts you may have with the proposed rehearsal schedule. We know people have lives outside the theater and do our best to accommodate everyone's conflicts.