Auditions for “The Nance”

June 11 through June 14, 2018

Circle Players, along with director Jon Heron, is pleased to announce auditions for the first production of our 2018-2019 season, “The Nance” by Douglas Carter Beane.

SYNOPSIS: In the 1930s, burlesque impresarios welcomed the hilarious comics and musical parodies of vaudeville to their decidedly lowbrow niche. A headliner called “the nance”—-usually played by a straight man—-was a stereotypically camp homosexual and master of comic double entendre. THE NANCE recreates the naughty, raucous world of burlesque’s heyday and tells the backstage story of Chauncey Miles and his fellow performers. At a time when it was easy to play gay and dangerous to be gay, Chauncey’s uproarious antics on the stage stand out in marked contrast to his offstage life.

The production runs Sept 28th – Oct 14th, 2018.

Auditions will be held at Circle Players on:

    Monday, June 11th, 7 to 9 pm
    Thursday, June 14th, 7 to 9 pm.
    Callbacks on Monday, June 18th, 7 to 9 pm. (Please note callbacks are by invitation only.)

Audition sides will be provided soon.

“THE NANCE” is a highly entertaining and funny exploration of gay life in 1937, a time when being openly gay was often dangerous. It is an ensemble show in which all characters, except Ned, are part of a burlesque company doing comedy sketches. Expert comic timing required. The ability to play an instrument, juggle or dance/sing, etc., especially for the female roles, is a plus, although not required. Note: the women wear burlesque costumes and do some stripping, but there will be no nudity for them. The stripping is comical rather than sexual.

The auditions will consist of readings from the show.

Cast Breakdown:

    Chauncey Miles – 30s to early 50s. An elegant, refined gay man, who dresses and speaks show biz every minute of the day. In the burlesque sketches, he plays the character of “the nance,” an extremely effeminate gay character, played for laughs.
    Ned – Brief nudity required. 20s to mid-30s, a handsome, down-to-earth butch gay guy. He knows who he is and doesn’t like playing games about it.
    Sylvie – Burlesque performer, 20s to 40s. She’s got a communist party membership card, and don’t you forget it. Very opinionated. Very Brooklyn.
    Joan – Burlesque performer. 20s to early 40s. Loves her liquor (maybe a little too much) and loves her job.
    Carmen – Latin spitfire type, burlesque performer. 20s to early 40s.
    Efram – 30s to early 60s. Top banana in the burlesque sketches. A New York Jew who tolerates communists and pansies, but doesn’t really like them, and makes sure you know it.

If you have any questions please feel free to comment below or shoot us an e-mail at circleplayersnj@gmail.com.