Auditions for Silent Sky, by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Rebecca Russell
December 1 & 2, 2024
Three Sisters Theatre Company promotes an environment of equity, inclusion and diversity. We encourage IBPOC and others who identify within equity-deserving communities to audition for this and all Three Sisters productions. We acknowledge that these roles are typically played by white actors, but are open to non-traditional casting of these characters. Artists are invited to remove age, weight, height and other physical attribute information from their resumes. Additionally, artist-parents are supported and accommodated whenever possible (the team must expect and welcome children at rehearsal from time to time).
Directed by Rebecca Russell, this production of Silent Sky will explore a woman’s role in society during a pivotal era of scientific and societal breakthroughs. With music and mathematics bursting onto the stage, the compelling true story of early 1900s astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow women pioneers unfolds in this stunning play by Lauren Gunderson. This show requires performers with strong dialogue pacing technique, comedic timing, and dramatic vulnerability.
Synopsis: When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.
Production Dates:
- Rehearsals are expected to run during evenings and weekends starting in early February 2025, with highest intensity through mid-March, primarily in a location in Hintonburg near Parkdale x Wellington in Ottawa. Exact rehearsal schedule tbd.
- Production dates are March 19-29, 2025 at The Gladstone. Shows run at 7:30pm Tuesday – Saturday, with weekend matinees at 2:30pm on both Saturdays and the Sunday. There will also be one or two weekday student matinees during the run, exact date and time tba.
Remuneration: Actors will be engaged on a profit-share basis. CAEA members, if cast, will be engaged under the Artists Collective Agreement.
Auditions: Sunday, December 1, from 1-6 PM, and Monday December 2 from 5-8 PM at a location near Parkdale x Wellington. Additional dates and callbacks may be added if needed.
Characters:
Henrietta Leavitt – our hero – (F), 30s – Raised in Wisconsin, the daughter of a minister, and hired as a Harvard College Observatory “computer,” Henrietta is a non-traditional early 1900s woman. She is passionate about her work and feels compelled to find answers to her questions about the universe. Brilliant, meticulous, excited, and passionate about the stars and universe; Astronomer who changed how we look at and measure the stars. Wears a period hearing aid. This role requires brief onstage physical intimacy/kiss. Based on an actual historical figure.
Margaret Leavitt – the sister – (F) – 30’s – Henrietta’s younger sister and a gifted musician. She chooses a different path to her sister and stays at home, following a more traditional path for an early 1900s woman including marrying and having a child. She is concerned about Henrietta’s ambition, however, she is supportive of her sister and celebrates her accomplishments. Ability to sing is key; ability to play the piano is an asset.
Peter Shaw – the love interest – (M) – 30s – The head astronomer’s apprentice and supervisor of the women at the observatory. In contrast to Henrietta, he is not passionate about astronomy, although he enjoys the work. He wanted to be an actor. He falls in love with Henrietta. This role requires brief onstage physical intimacy/kiss.
Please note that the roles of Annie and Williamina are already cast.
How to submit:
To book an audition, please forward your resume and a recent headshot to info@threesisterstheatre.ca, ideally in a single file. Please be sure your attachment is (are) labelled with your own name. If there are constraints on what time you can audition, please include this information in your email.
Those selected for an audition will be asked to prepare sides from the show selected by the Director (scenes and script will be provided for review with the audition confirmation).
Those wishing to audition for the role of Margaret Leavitt should also prepare a short song excerpt (folk song or hymn preferred) – acapella or self-accompanied. A piano will be available for those who wish to demonstrate their skills as a pianist (optional).
If December 1-2 is not a possibility for you, please still submit as we may be able to arrange an alternate day or video audition. Callbacks tba.
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Auditions for Steel Magnolias, a comedy by Robert Harling
November 11-12, 2023
Directed by Gabriella Gadsby
Stage Managed by Sharon Dickson

Three Sisters Theatre Company promotes an environment of equity, inclusion and diversity. We encourage people of colour and others who identify within equity-deserving communities to audition for this and all Three Sisters productions. We acknowledge that these roles are typically played by white actors, but are open to non-traditional casting of these characters. Artists are invited to remove age, weight, height and other physical attribute information from their resumes. Additionally, artist-parents are supported and accommodated whenever possible (the team must expect and welcome children at rehearsal from time to time).
Steel Magnolias follows the close-knit relationships between six ordinary women living in a small town in Louisiana. Set in 1985, this heartfelt hilarious comedy – with a side-order of tragedy – features six fully developed female roles. This show requires performers with excellent comic timing as well as strong dramatic vulnerability.
Synopsis: Set in the fictional northwestern Louisiana parish of Chinquapin, the play is centered around Truvy’s in-home beauty parlor, a warm hub empowering women through beauty and conversation. After welcoming the newbie Annelle, discussion ensues about Shelby’s upcoming wedding to her fiancé, Jackson. With gossip and wit we follow this colourful and contradictory group of “unpredictable and undefinable” women over 3 years, through Shelby’s happily ever after and her desire to have a child against medical advice; M’Lynn’s maternal instincts and sacrifices; Annelle’s transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl – and then repentant revival-tent Christian; cheerful Clairee’s friendship with the curmudgeon Ouiser; and Truvy’s life in her otherwise male household. The group’s foundational friendship is prominent throughout the story and is the steel backbone that supports them through emotional turbulence.
Production Dates:
- Rehearsals are expected to run during evenings and weekends starting in January 2024, with highest intensity through February, primarily in a location near Parkdale x Wellington.
- Production dates are February 29 – March 8, 2024 at The Gladstone. Shows run at 7:30pm Tuesday – Saturday, with weekend matinees at 2:30pm on both Saturdays and the Sunday. There will also be one or two weekday student matinees during the run, exact date and time tba.
Remuneration: Actors will be engaged on a profit-share basis. CAEA members, if cast, will be engaged under the Collective Agreement.
Auditions: Saturday November 11, from 12-4pm, and Sunday November 12, from 2-6pm. Additional dates may be added if needed.
Characters:
Annelle Dupuy-Desoto – the new girl – age range, 20’s to early 30s.
A recently graduated hairstylist, Annelle’s husband has taken off with her car, money, and most of her clothes, leaving her in a fragile state. Over the course of the play, Annelle blossoms from a shy, insecure, anxious girl to a strong and energetic person with confidence and maturity in her work, and enthusiastic interest in the local Baptist church. The performer will be shampooing and styling hair onstage.
Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie – the prettiest girl in town – age range, early 20’s. Shelby is charming and vivacious. The daughter of M’Lynn, Shelby is free-spirited and tends to speak her mind, which often brings her into conflict with her mother. She works as a pediatric nurse in a hospital with newborn babies, a career path which increases her resolve to give birth to her own child against medical advice. The performer must pull off a creditable diabetic attack in Act I.
Ouiser – the formidable – age range – 50s-70s. “I’m not crazy – I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty years.” A wealthy curmudgeon, Ouiser is acerbic but ultimately lovable. Possessed of a sharp tongue, she varies from snarky to stinging – but a good, kind, and caring woman exists beneath the veneer of that brittle older woman. The role requires a strong sense of comic timing and a fearless approach to outward bile and nastiness that fails to completely mask a baseline of fundamental generosity and kindness.
Please note that the roles of Truvy, M’Lynn, and Clairee are already cast.
How to submit:
To book an audition, please forward your resume and a recent headshot to info@threesisterstheatre.ca, ideally in a single file. Please be sure your attachment is labelled with your own name. If there are constraints on what time you can audition, please include this information in your email. If November 11-12 is not a possibility for you, please submit anyway as we may be able to arrange an alternate day or video audition. Callbacks tba.
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The Revolutionists – auditions September 30, 2018
Nell Gwynn – auditions October 13
The Revolutionists, a comedic quartet by Lauren Gunderson
Sunday, September 30. Additional dates may be added if needed.
“Sometimes, a revolution needs a woman’s touch.” – Marie Antoinette
In this sassy, hold-on-to-your-seats theatrical adventure, four beautiful, badass women hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity of 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. It is a true story. Or total fiction. Or a raucous resurrection… that ends in a song and a scaffold.
Lauren Gunderson is one of the top 20 most-produced playwrights in the United States, and in 2016 was America’s most produced living playwright. Gunderson was awarded the Lanford Wilson Award by the Dramatists Guild Council in 2016.
Production Dates:
- Rehearsals are expected to start in late November/early December but with highest intensity through January and early February, primarily in a location near Parkdale x Wellington. The rehearsal schedule could include a mix of daytime, evening, and weekend, according to the availability of the cast.
- Production dates are February 13 – 23, 2019 at The Gladstone. Shows run at 7:30 Tuesday – Saturday, with weekend matinees at 2:30 on both Saturdays and the Sunday. There may also be one or two weekday matinees during the run, exact date and time tba.
Remuneration: Actors will be engaged on a profit-share basis. CAEA members, if cast, will be engaged under the Collective Agreement.
Characters:
Olympe de Gouges – age range – late 30s. Badass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never remarried to ensure her personal freedom.
Charlotte Corday – age range – mid 20’s. Badass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened by righteousness, never been kissed. Also plays FRATERNITE in a mask.
Please note that the roles of Marie Antoinette and Marianne Angelle are already cast.
To book an audition, please forward resume and recent headshot to info@threesisterstheatre.ca. If there are constraints on at what time you can audition, please include this information in your email. If September 30 is not a possibility for you, please submit anyway as we may be able to arrange an alternate day.
Artists are encouraged to remove height, weight, age, and other physical information from their resumes when submitting to Three Sisters. Three Sisters Theatre Company promotes an environment of equity, inclusion and diversity. Artists from under-represented communities are encouraged to audition for this and all Three Sisters productions.
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