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Brunswick Little Theatre Announces 

Table Read & Special Audition for

Red Velvet

By Lolita Chakrabarti

 

Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals

Directed by Ken Greenman.

 

TABLE READ FOR THOSE INTERESTED 

And

SPECIAL AUDITION FOR THE ROLE OF IRA ALDRIDGE 

Only the role of Ira Aldridge will be cast at this audition.  Auditions for all other roles will take place in August.

 

Dates (no appointment necessary):   

  • Table read:  May 10 from 1-4pm
  • Audition for Ira Aldridge:
    • May 18 from 1-4pm
    • May 19 from 6-8pm

 

Performance Dates: Oct.9-26,2025

Show Times: 12,19,25, & 26: 3 pm.  All others 7:30 pm

 

Location:   Brunswick Little Theatre (BLT), 8068 River Road SE, Southport

 

Questions?  kdolphin48@aol.com, (910) 368-3922




 

Synopsis:

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage while playing Othello.  A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role.  A black man has never starred on a major London stage—not even as Othello—until tonight.

An imagined version of true events, RED VELVET transports audiences to the turbulent backstage world of London’s Theatre Royal in Covent Garden to tell the little-known story of Ira Aldridge. As British Parliament debates the abolition of slavery, Aldridge prepares to make his entrance as Othello. His groundbreaking performance upends centuries of British stage tradition and changes the lives of everyone involved.

In reality, the audience was enamored but the critics were not amused and the Theatre Royal temporarily shut down. Despite this, Aldridge went on to build a stellar career with an impeccable reputation throughout Europe, however, he never returned to a London stage again.

Here are two videos (each under 5 minutes) discussing the play, the historical context, and its lead character:  

 

Characters:

  CASIMIR - Polish male, 20's, stage-hand. Inexperienced, low status and likes Halina. 

  HALINA WOZNIAK - Polish female, 20's.  Journalist. Bright, ambitious, frustrated with her life. 

  TERENCE - White male, 50's, English. Ira Aldridge's valet and dresser. Loyal, hard working. 

  IRA ALDRIDGE - Black male, 20’s, American, actor. Ambitious, keen, passionate and optimistic.  Also plays a later stage of life, 60’s, haughty, impatient, ferocious and unwell. 

  CONNIE - Jamaican female, any age, experienced, servant. Older than her years and the voice of truth. 

  BETTY LOVELL - White female, 20's, English, actress. Self-concerned, not clever but pleasant. 

  HENRY FORESTER - White male, 20's, English actor. Political, self-interested, ambitious and earnest. 

  BERNARD WARDE - White male, 50's, English, actor. Old school, a bit lazy, opinionated and insecure. 

  CHARLES KEAN - White male, 30's. English, actor (son of Edmund Kean). Haughty but without the talent to support it. Suffers from being Edmund's son. 

  ELLEN TREE - White female, late 20's, English, a leading actress. Talented, motivated, classical but progressive. 

  PIERRE LAPORTE - White male, mid 30's – 50’s, French, manager of the theatre. Gay, revolutionary, entrepreneurial. 

  MARGARET ALDRIDGE - White female, 30's, English, wife of Ira Aldridge. Plain, solid, trustworthy, Ira's rock.



 

 

 A CALL OUT FOR VOLUNTEERS!

 

 

Board Members Wanted

Do you love theater as much as we do?

Do you have specific skills that you would love to put to use for a worthy organization?

Do you like rolling up your sleeves and making things happen?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be just the type of person we are looking for to serve on the

Brunswick Little Theatre Board of Directors. 

Brunswick Little Theatre was founded in 1983 with the mission of providing quality theater to the Brunswick County Region.  We are and always have been a 100% volunteer run 501 (c) (3) organization.  Since the beginning, we have continuously offered multiple sold-out productions each year.  We've also sponsored very active educational and performance programs for both children and young adults.

The term for each board member is three years, with the option of extending beyond the three-year period.  Board members are expected to attend monthly meetings, serve on committees, and assume ownership of one or more areas that help the theater operate.  In addition to board-related responsibilities, there are always opportunities to participate as actors, directors, set and lighting designers and work Front of House in our many productions.  We have a very active, welcoming, and collaborative board.  Board positions are an ideal fit for people that love a challenge, are creative and are willing to proactively make things happen.

Currently we are looking for people with a willingness to get involved in the following areas to serve on our board:

  • Theater backstage electrical, lighting & sound design and programming
  • Theater production
  • Fundraising
  • Set design and build
  • Hospitality and Front of House

 

Application Process

If you are interested in applying for one of our open board positions please drop us an email with your name, contact information and a brief list of areas of expertise.  Please put “Board of Directors” in the subject line.

christie@brunswicklittletheatre.com

Once we receive your email, we will provide you with an application form to complete which will allow you to provide us with more specific information about your background, experience, and interests.  Applications will be reviewed, and interviews will be scheduled with the Board of Directors executive committee as they are received


 

Ongoing Roles for Volunteers:

It takes so much more than just actors to put on a show! We depend entirely on volunteers – like you! No experience necessary but if you have special interests or talents, we’ll find something wonderful for you to do! Our shows are full of volunteers who offer their gifts of time and talent. Some work one show and some enjoy it so much, they come back to do more.

We are currently looking for:

  • Ushers and Greeters for upcoming shows. Stand at the door and say hello to old friends and new. And when the show opens, slip in and watch the play for free!
  • Front of House Staff to accept tickets and help with concessions. If you love the smell of coffee, this job is for you.
  • Lighting and Technical Assistants for upcoming shows. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds and we’ll even train you! If you can push a button, you can do this.
  • Set builds – Ladies, if you need to get hubby out of the house, send him over with a hammer and we’ll put him to work. Of course, women have that stylish vision, so bring your own hammer and we’ll let you work out your frustrations on something creative.
  • Graphic design and advertising, website and email assistants. Creative types and social butterflies need to apply.
  • Directors – Bring your original play or come and peruse those that we have our eyes on for upcoming shows

Interested in volunteering? Email us at volunteer@brunswicklittletheatre.com

 

Auditions

Actors and actresses, if you are interested, we encourage everyone to audition regardless of their acting experience. We all started somewhere! Previous acting is not necessary, but if you have it, it’s a plus. Our goal is to make this experience fun and rewarding for all involved.

For more information or to volunteer, call (910) 447-2586 or email volunteer@brunswicklittletheatre.com.

Audition details for specific performances are provided on our homepage and at the link at the top of this page.