NATIVE GARDENS By Karen Zacarìas
Persephone Theatre is holding auditions for this hilarious comedy about learning to love thy neighbour.
Pablo, a rising attorney, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, have dreams of a grand garden full of native plants when they buy the house next door to long-time residents, Virginia and Frank, in a lush, historic neighbourhood. Frank’s green thumb is sure this will finally be the year the Horticultural Society bestows him with first place for his carefully cultivated flower beds. But an impending barbeque for Pablo’s colleagues and a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line, soon put the old adage “love thy neighbour” to the test. Hose fights and midnight spy missions ensue as the two couples resort to outrageous antics in the pursuit of the garden of their dreams.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Descriptions provided are taken from the play and refer to the character’s identity only.
The roles of Tania and Pablo have been cast.
Roles
| Role | Type | Gender | Number |
| VIRGINIA BUTLEY (60s-70s, female) | Lead | Female Identified | |
|
smart, likeable, assertive, direct, no-nonsense engineer. Polish-American
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| FRANK BUTLEY (60s-70s, male) | Lead | Male Identified | |
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smart, likeable, excitable, caring, detail-oriented federal employee, avid gardener with horticultural ambitions. Describes his ancestral heritage as being from “England. Mostly.”
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- or -
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Please submit a headshot and resume (PDF format only) to [email protected] with the subject line: Native Gardens Auditions.
Please indicate the role you would like to be considered for. If there is a potential barrier that might prevent you from being able to audition, we encourage you to let us know so we can work with you to dissolve it.
Due to the volume of submissions, only those selected for an audition will be contacted.
Submission Deadline
April 30, 2024
AUDITION DATES: May 10, 2024 – Saskatoon, SK
CONTRACT DATES: September 3 to October 6, 2024.
Artists will be engaged under the CTA, with anticipated rates set at “C” House category.
Rehearsal starts: September 3, 2024
Opening: September 27, 2024
Closing: October 6, 2024
ABOUT PERSEPHONE THEATRE
Persephone Theatre creates in misâskwatôminihk (Saskatoon) in Treaty 6 territory, whose signatories include the Nêhiyawak, Nêhithawak, Anishinabek, Nakawe, and Nakota peoples. This place is also the traditional homeland of the
Métis Nation. We also acknowledge the contributions of the Dakota and Round Prairie Métis peoples in establishing our city of Saskatoon, as well as the other Nations that call this land home, including the Nehinawak, Lakota and Dene peoples. Persephone Theatre extends our appreciation for the opportunity to live, work, and create on these beautiful lands.
Persephone Theatre is committed to a reflecting the rich diversity of our community in the stories we tell and the ways in which we undertake creating our work. We prioritize a workplace culture that centres equity, inclusion, and authentic representation. We strongly encourage submissions from artists who self-identify as members of historically excluded communities, which includes (but is not limited to) those who identify as IBPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, d/Deaf, or who have a disability or chronic illness. We also strongly encourage artists to submit for the roles they feel align with their gender identity and/or gender expression.
COVID-19 WORKSAFE POLICY
Artists will be required to provide proof of vaccination to Persephone prior to commencing work. Other Covid-19 protocols, such as masking and mandatory testing, may also be in place. These protocols will evolve to reflect best recommended practices at the time of production and will be communicated clearly to artists at the time of offer and be included in the rider to their contract.
Persephone Theatre encourages submissions from diverse artists of all backgrounds, regardless of race, colour, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
