Auditions announced for Angry Fags

Ghostlight Ensemble is casting for its fall production of Angry Fags by Topher Payne.

Summary:
An out lesbian state senator is up for re-election. Her female opponent is a moderate conservative who has aligned herself with right-wing extremists. They’re locked in a tight race in which each side caters to its base and any event can become instantaneously politicized.

When a gay man is bashed with a baseball bat and left to die, his ex-boyfriend, a campaign aide for the incumbent senator, is enraged. But his boss’s unwillingness to label it a hate crime tips him over the edge. Frustration and fear eventually turn to rage and he teams up with his best friend to embark on a vendetta of sabotage and more, reasoning that if gays aren’t respected enough to win justice, fear will achieve what good intentions and politics cannot.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for the following roles and understudies. Please note that understudies will cover more than one role. Casting for the following:

  • BENNETT RIGGS – any race, 30s, male-presenting. Speechwriter for a state senator. Cautiously optimistic, affable. Conflicted.

  • COOPER HARLOW – any race, 30s, male-presenting. Bennett’s roommate. Caustic, clever, unpredictable. A fancy badass.

  • SENATOR ALLISON HAINES – White, 40s, female-presenting. A former activist, now the only out lesbian in the Georgia State Senate. Pragmatic, thoughtful, flawed. A dedicated public servant now wondering what happens when she’s no longer celebrated by the public.

  • KIMBERLY PHILLIPS – any race, 30s, female-presenting. The senator’s office manager, a married mother of two. Good-humored, quick, overworked. Probably really enjoyed her early twenties.

  • ADAM LOWELL – any race, 30s, male-presenting. The senator’s chief of staff. Undeniably appealing and charmingly square. Likely owns a lot of books about Bobby Kennedy.

  • PEGGY MUSGROVE – Black, 40s, female-presenting. The senator’s opponent. Genuine, witty, nimble. A Black female Republican, with all the conflicts and potential advantages that implies. She’s found a way to weaponize being othered.

  • DEIRDRE PRESTON – any race, 30s-50s, female-presenting. A local broadcasting legend. Has the shrewd and discerning eye of a brilliant woman who believes her best days are still ahead of her.

Please Note:
This script contains the use of slurs referring to characters who identify as LGBTQIA+. Almost all characters will engage in a form of on-stage violence, while the characters of Bennet, Cooper, and Adam also have moments of physical intimacy and appear in a state of undress. A fight & intimacy choreographer will be available to stage these scenes. There will be NO full-frontal nudity.

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in September and October 2025. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

  • Tech week: Sunday, Nov. 2 in the afternoon and Monday, November 3 through Thursday, Nov. 6, in the evenings.

  • Performances: will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Thursday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 23.

Please note that performances will be held at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N Glenwood Ave. Chicago, IL 60626).

Materials To Prepare:
To be considered, submit via the audition form. Do not send an email.

Sides will be provided.

Actors will receive an email confirmation if they have been selected with their audition slot. Please clearly indicate the roles you are interested in and if you have any conflicts during indicated audition times on July 27-28 or callbacks on Aug. 4.

Please submit for any role that you feel comfortable portraying based on your gender expression/identity.

Please only submit if you are available for callbacks and ALL performance dates.

Pay:
Main cast: $300 stipend for production. Understudies: $150 stipend + $25/show performed.

Audition Time & Location:
General: Sunday, July 27, 1-5 p.m. AND Monday, July 28, 7-10 p.m. at City Lit Theatre Company (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660)

Callbacks: Monday, Aug. 4, 7-10 p.m. at City Lit Theatre Company (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660)