CLARKSTON AUDITIONS

SUMMARY

Travelling West to rediscover himself after a fatal diagnosis, Jake unexpectedly meets Chris – a kindred soul hiding in a night shift at a Costco in a rural American town. Both feeling stuck in different ways and having different lived experiences with their identities, the two begin to navigate each other and their desire for more in the mundane circumstances they’ve found themselves feeling unrelentingly frozen in.

A quiet dramatic comedy about isolation, identity, self-acceptance, and survival, WHY’S IT GOTTA BE? THEATER GROUP hopes this close staging of Samuel D. Hunter’s CLARKSTON will resonate intimately with anyone who’s ever felt stuck in their hometown or within themselves.

ROLES

• JAKE (male-presenting, ~early to late 20s) - After Jake was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, his boyfriend broke up with him. In an attempt to take control, he packed up and travelled west to see the ocean until he lost control of his vehicle and got stuck working at a Costco in Clarkston with Jake.

  Must be okay with intimacy including same-sex kissing and undoing the other’s pants. There is no nudity involved.

• CHRIS (male-presenting, ~early to late 20s) - After Jake came out, his father left him alone in the care of his mother. Today, Jake feels stuck working at a Costco in Clarkston while keeping an eye on his mother who struggles with substance abuse.

  Must be okay with intimacy including same-sex kissing and undoing the other’s pants. There is no nudity involved.

• TRISHA (female-presenting, ~early 30s to late 40s) - Chris’ mother. She struggles with substance abuse and boundaries with Chris, relying on her son for emotional and financial support. She loves Chris and is kind until she is not.

All roles are available, and all are encouraged to audition regardless of race or perceived age, experience, ability, and/or experience.

LOCATION

Auditions will be held on a first-come first-served basis in Easthampton, MA - please feel free to arrive whenever you'd like during the audition periods.

Due to property agreements, please visit the registration form for exact location information.

AUDITIONS

Auditions will be held on a first-come first-served basis on:

• Sunday, December 6 from 1:00PM to 4:00PM

• Tuesday, December 8 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM

Please feel free to arrive whenever you'd like during the audition periods.

You need only to attend one audition. If you cannot make auditions, please indicate so when registering to audition and we will attempt to accommodate accordingly.

These auditions will run concurrently with Plot Points In Our Sexual Development auditions.

PREPARATION

For your audition, please prepare all provided character sides for any role you are auditioning for.

We understand that this could mean auditioning with several sides depending on who you are auditioning for - please understand Clarkston involves a cast of only 3 people, and that this range of material will help us to fairly and accurately cast this production.

Upon auditioning, the production team may ask you to reread a side a different way and / or to read another side you may have not prepared - you will be given a moment to consider the direction and / or look over the new side. Memorization is not required, but preparation is encouraged.

REHEARSALS

Rehearsals will begin around the last week of February.

Rehearsals will be held 2 to 3 days a week - 1 or 2 weekday evenings and 1 Sunday afternoon a week - in Holyoke, MA and will be about 2 to 3 hours in length.

Not everyone will be called to every rehearsal.

When registering, please note any dates and / or times you will be unavailable from February 14 through May 1, 2027. A complete rehearsal schedule will be determined upon casting and review of this information.

Barring performance scheduling conflicts, our team is happy to work around schedules as best we can - all are encouraged to audition regardless of potential scheduling conflicts.

TECH REHEARSALS

Tech rehearsals will be held at the performance space on:

• Monday. April 19 from ~3:00PM to ≤10:30PM

• Tuesday, April 20 from 6:30PM to ≤10:30PM

• Wednesday, April 21 from 6:30PM to ≤10:30PM

PERFORMANCES

Performances will be held at The Workroom at Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley St. in Northampton, MA on:

• Thursday, April 22 at 8:00PM

• Friday, April 23 at 8:00PM

• Saturday, April 24 at 2:00PM*

• Saturday, April 24 at 8:00PM*

• Sunday, April 25 at 2:00PM

• Thursday, April 29 at 8:00PM

• Friday, April 30 at 8:00PM

• Saturday, May 1 at 8:00PM

*Please note that Saturday, April 24 has afternoon and evening performances.

Call time for performances is 90-minutes before the start of any performance.

PRODUCTION TEAM

DIRECTED BY DEVIN DUMAS

COSTUME DESIGN BY DANIEL MOORE

PRODUCED BY WHY’S IT GOTTA BE? THEATER GROUP

FAQs

Please click here for audition FAQs.

Please contact admin@wigbtheater.org with any inquiries or if you encounter any errors.