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Auditions
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A Raisin in the Sun
*in partnership with BNS Productions*
Director: Corlis Hayes
Auditions
Monday July 21 from 6:30pm-9:30pm
OR
Tuesday July 22 from 6:30pm-9:30pm
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Potential Callbacks
Wednesday, July 23rd from 7:00pm-10:00pm​​
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Location
First United Methodist Church
501 Tryon St. Charlotte NC 28202
Free Parking available on site, garage entrance on 9th Street
Performances
September 19-28, 2025
September 19, 22, 23, 24, 25 & 26 at 10:00am
September 19, 25 (PWYC) & 26 at 7:30pm
September 20, 21, 27 & 28 at 2:00pm
September 20 & 27 at 7:30pm (HOLD)​
Rehearsal Notes
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Generally, rehearsals will be Monday - Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoon.
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Please note that some rehearsals will take place offsite at First United Methodist Church (501 Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202–Free Parking Available on site, Garage Entrance on 9th Street)
Important Information
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A small stipend will be provided to adult actors for daytime, weekday performances
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Special Notice: Out of a desire to protect all actors, the Matthews Playhouse Board of Directors has implemented a background check for all adults who will be working alongside minors. There is no cost to the actor, only the request to provide basic information to complete the inquiry. Once the form has been submitted to the background check agency, all paperwork will be shredded. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us through contact@matthewsplayhouse.com
ATTN Board.
Casting Notes
We are looking for:
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African-American actors ages 8 years to mid 70s
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Actors are asked to familiarize themselves with the play and character descriptions prior to auditioning
Audition Requirements
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Be prepared to perform a 1-2 minute monologue from a play (other than “A Raisin in the Sun”) and be prepared for cold readings from the script (sides provided below)
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Please plan to wear comfortable clothing and arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your audition slot
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Plan to bring a current resume & headshot (or upload them with your audition form) as well as any pertinent conflict information
Please submit an audition form AND sign up for an audition slot using these links.
You will need to complete BOTH parts below in order to audition.
Note: You will have the opportunity to attach an optional resume and/or headshot with the audition form.
We are not accepting any physical form submissions, only forms submitted through the website.
Additional Casting Information
Cast size: Small (3 women, 7 men, 1 boy)
Cast Type: Ensemble Cast
Dance requirement: None
About the Play
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​A Raisin in the Sun is a play about the Younger family , a Black family in Chicago, grappling with financial hardship and dreams for a better future after their patriarch' s death. They await a large insurance payment that many family members envision as a ticket to a brighter life. The play explores themes of race, gender roles, and aspirations with the African American experience of the 1950's . When produced on Broadway in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was somewhat prophetic. The playwright's themes of Blacks pressing forward with legitimate demands and expressing interest in their African heritage were to become primary themes of Black culture in the 1960's 1970's and to this day. The title of Lorraine Hanberry's play is from a poem by Langston Hughes, one of the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. It warns the audience of the social explosions that might occur if society permits Blacks to remain unequal and unfree.
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About the Playwright
Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American female playwright to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best-known work, the play A Raisin in the Sun highlights the lives of Black Amercians in Chicago living under racial segregation. Much of her work during this time concerned the African American struggle for liberation and their impact on the world. Hansberry’s other playwriting credits include: The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window in 1965. Hansberry also inspired Nina Simone’s song "To Be Young , Gifted and Black , whose title-line came from her autobiographical play > To Be Young , Gifted and Black !
Character Breakdown
RUTH YOUNGER –African American Female, late 30s; The wife of Walter and Travis’s mother. Ruth takes care of the Younger household. Her marriage has problems. She is about 30. But her weariness makes her older. Constantly fighting poverty and domestic troubles have aged her. However, she continues to be strong. Her almost pessimistic pragmatism helps her to survive
TRAVIS YOUNGER –African American Male, 8-10 years; He is Walter and Ruth's little boy. He loves his grandma and gets teased a lot by Beneatha. He likes to play outside with his friends. He has no bedroom and sleeps on the living couch.
WALTER LEE YOUNGER –African American Male, 40s.; The protagonist of the play. He wants to be rich and devises a way to acquire wealth with his friends, particularly Willy Harris. He has a strong, powerful presence in his household. He displays a dominance behavior with the women in his life. But none of the women will tolerate his behavior. He spends much of the play endless preoccupied with discovering a quick solution to his family’s various problems..to invent his father’s insurance in a liquor store
BENEATHA YOUNGER – African American Female, 20s; She is Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister. She is an intellectual. She attends college. She dreams of being a doctor and distances herself from the conservative views of her mother.
LENA YOUNGER (MAMA) –African American Female, 60s -70s; She is the mother of Walter and Beneatha. The matriarch of the family. Mama is a Christian, moral and maternal. She argues against her son’s plan. She believes that the product of a liquor store will further poison the community and stain the memory of her beloved husband Walter Lee Younger, Sr.
JOSEPH ASAGAI –African American Male, 20s; A Nigerian college student in love with Beneatha. He is very proud of his African heritage, and Beneatha hopes to learn about her African heritage from him. He eventually proposes marriage to her and hopes she will return to Nigeria with him.
GEORGE MURCHISON –African American Male, 20s; A wealthy young college student who courts Beneatha. The Youngers approve of George, but Beneatha dislikes his willingness to submit to white culture and he has forgotten his African heritage. He challenges the thoughts and feelings of other Black people through his arrogance and flair to intellectual competition.
KARL LINDER – White Male, 50s-60s; The only white character in the play. He arrives at the Younger apartment from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He offers them a deal to reconsider moving into his all-white neighborhood
BOBO –African American Male, 40’s; One of Walter’s partners in the liquor store plan. He appears to be mentally slow as his name indicates.
MOVING MEN – African American Adults, no specific ages; At the end of the play, the two men move packed boxes out the apartment and load them on the truck.
Please submit an audition form AND sign up for an audition slot using these links.
You will need to complete BOTH parts below in order to audition.
Note: You will have the opportunity to attach an optional resume and/or headshot with the audition form.
We are not accepting any physical form submissions, only forms submitted through the website.