Open Audition

The Union is holding open auditions for a production ofWine in the Wilderness written by author and playwright Alice Childress and directed by Denise Chapman. The play will be produced at and run in the Shirley Tyree Theater February 20-March 8, 2026.

SYNOPSIS:
Wine in the Wilderness, a play by Alice Childress, explores the artist Bill Jameson's quest to complete a triptych depicting three aspects of Black womanhood, specifically searching for a muse for his final painting. His friends introduce him to Tomorrow "Tommy" Marie, a woman who has just been burned out of her home, and their interactions spark a complex examination of race, gender, and class within the Black community, as well as the role of the artist in society.

CAST REQUIREMENTS:
3 men / 2 women

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
Cynthia: 25-year-old social worker married to Sonny-man
Bill Jameson: 33-year-old artist living in Harlem
Sonny-man: writer aged 27 and Cynthia's husband
Tommy: woman factory worker aged thirty, also known as Tomorrow Marie.
Oldtimer: old roustabout character in his sixties

PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Production Dates: February 20-March 8, 2026
Rehearsal Dates: Beginning the week of January 12th
Tech Rehearsals: February 14-19 (evenings and weekends)
Honorarium: $1,750

AUDITION INFORMATION:
Auditions will consist of prepared sides from the script. All sides are available here.

We also have a limited number of hard copies available at The Union during normal business hours.

Location: Shirley Tyree Theater, 2401 N. 24th Street
Dates: Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, 4-8 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, 6-9:30 p.m.

Please fill out an audition form and reserve a time or submit a video audition here.

Contact Denise Chapman at denise@u-ca.org or 402.933.3161 with any questions.