Theatre Senior Seminar Project 3: Galileo Callback Game

Draft (in progress)

Caroline Fairweather
October 22, 2019

A note on casting: This project will be more about creating people than it will be about memorizing lines. The inspiration for this piece
comes from walking-simulator video games. The stage managers are the narrators, the actors are the Non-Player Characters, and
the players are my classmates and professor— Peter, Jack, and David.

CAST
Stage Manager (SM): Abbey Murray-Stark. She is relaxed, experienced, and doesn’t really give a fuck about the actors.

Assistant Stage Manager (ASM): Heather Kurtz. She is relatively new at this, and mostly wants to just do a good job. Wanted to be
an actor but it didn’t really work out.

Actor 1 (called back for Virginia/Mrs. Sarti): Jules Clardy. This is her fourth audition this week. She’s READY to book this and doesn’t
want to get stuck doing another summer stock show in the midwest or one of those stupid cruise tours.

Actor 2 (called back for Virginia): Vanessa Silva. She is pretty relaxed— she knows that she’s up for the part of Virginia and has
worked with the director before. Super sweet, the kind of sweet that makes Jules squirm.

Actor 3 (called back for Ludovico/Andrei): Jonah Tobin (hopefully)

Actor 4 (called back for Andrei/Inquisitor): Patrick Langston (hopefully)

Director: TBD

Personal Assistant: TBD

PLAYERS
David Gurcay-Morris (called back for Galileo)
Peter Matsumoto (called back for Andrei)
Jack Romans (called back for Ludovico)

LOCATIONS
Main Stage Lobby

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Main Stage House Center
Main Stage Onstage

The columns represent what should be happening in each location simultaneously.

At all times, a copy of this schedule/script will be available to everyone on a phone or printed out.

PART 1: Prologue. At Top, David, Peter, and Jack will be lead from the seminar room towards the MainStage lobby.

LOBBY: MS HOUSE: MS STAGE:

SM and ASM sit at their SM table. They The Director and Personal Assistant wait in the (empty)
have laptops and various sides set out in house for the first actor to enter.
front of them. The Director should look at tiny as possible. A
small demon in pigtails. The PA should be really
ready for their first big job and nervous to mess
up. Very polite and cordial to everyone, almost
annoyingly so.
ACTORS 1-4 are warming up in various
positions— this includes on the floor,
doing bad yoga, vocal warmups, etc.
Someone is way too overdressed.
Someone in a leotard.
ONE ACTOR uses the following as diction
warmups:
“Copper Knickers” (repeated)
“Federzoni - Barberini” (repeated)

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SM greets each new arrival (David, Peter,
and Jack). SM points out that they left
their binders here at their audition, and
gladly they were found. Each binder is
sitting on a chair— the SM sends them to
the chairs.

After a short period of quiet, the SM asks

David, Peter, and Jack for another copy of
their resumes. Don’t reveal this to them,
but the resumes are in the binders.
SM to ASM: Will you go see if they’re
ready in there?

ASM goes into the House. ASM goes into the House.
The actors continue warming up. (down time— wait a minute or two.)

PART 2: The Callback Begins.

LOBBY: HOUSE: STAGE:

SM:
Hi everyone! We’re going to get started
with reading some sides.

The actors immediately stop warmups and

give their full attention to SM.
For Galileo and Virginia can I have…
David and Vanessa
David and Jules

The SM hands out SIDE #1

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For Ludovico can I have…
Jonah
Jack
and Patrick

The SM hands out SIDE #2

For Andrei and Galileo can I have..
David and Peter.
David, we’ll do this after you get back from
the first one.

The SM hands out SIDE #3

SM: Okay, David and Vanessa, I’ll give
you a minute to read through and then
we’ll get started!
The actors go off in pairs and look over
the scene.
SIMULTANEOUSLY: SIMULTANEOUSLY: SIMULTANEOUSLY:

Vanessa finds David. While David and
Vanessa read over the Virginia and
Galileo scene, Jules watches from close
by and whispers the Virginia lines when
Vanessa speaks. She is not subtle. She is
angry that she is not going first. She is
here to win. She despises the idea of
being cast as Mrs. Sarti, an old woman.
Jonah finds Peter and strikes up a conversation.
Jonah asks Peter things about the play. Things
to say in that convo:
Jonah: I haven’t really read it. I mean, if this
goes well, I’lll read it eventually, right?
I mean, do you really read the whole thing
before coming in? I read a Brecht (pronounced
“Break-t”) play a while ago— super dry.
Jonah is feeling relaxed, like he’s too good for
this shit.
Patrick finds Jack and confesses
that he’s feeling really nervous
about the audition.
Patrick: Hey! Nice to meet you
(etc…) I think something that would
actually make me feel better is to
read it through with you in chorus/at
the same time. Is that okay? Get
him to agree, and then read it at the
same time. Patrick, be a bad actor.
Wooden, nervous, a big mess.

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Once these interactions are off and rolling,
the ASM enters the theatre and “checks if
the director is ready.” In reality, just stand
on the other side of the door and wait for
the interactions to almost be finished.
ASM re-enters the lobby.
ASM: Okay, they’re ready for you, David
and Vanessa!
PART 3: David & Vanessa Read

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