Nick Conrad

Auditions announced for Invaders of Mathmatica

Ghostlight Ensemble is casting for its February production of Invaders of Mathmatica by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. Invaders of Mathmatica is part of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. The play tells the story of the planet of Mathmatica where math and science are revered above all else. But their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figurative and literally. But when three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

Please note: We will also be casting for a workshop staged reading of Drink the Past Dry with an invited audience. More information on that is available here. Please indicate in your submission if you are interested in being considered for this project as well.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for the following roles and for two understudies to split coverage of roles. Casting for the following:

King Algebra of Mathmatica: A fair and kind ruler. He trusts The Prime Council even though he doesn’t always agree with them. He loves his Daughter and his people, but is torn between her wishes and what he believes is best for his people.

Princess V: Happy, energetic longs for adventure. V wants to know what life on other planets is like. She is smart, a quick study and always looking to the sky. She only has one friend Digit, a robotic caretaker.  

Digit: The Robotic friend and assistant to V.

Sway: from Dancetopia- Comes from a culture that uses dance and body movement as their primary artistic expression. Moves fluidly and gracefully like a ballerina.  This actor also plays Vector.

Hue: from Artopolis- hails from a world that celebrates all types of art. Always drawing and painting on everything. Always getting in trouble.  This actor also plays Factor.

Aria: from Vo-cal- The planet of Vo-cal celebrates singing in all forms Mostly speaks in singsong. Sings when nervous. This actor also plays Ratio.

Vector: Leader of the Prime Council knows the secrets of Mathmatica but conceals it from everyone to remain in power. Fears outsiders and is terrified of losing power and influence.

Factor: Always falls in line with Vector. Backs up everything they say and do.

Ratio: The religious leader of the planet. Prays in Pi. “Let us Pray 3.14-159-265-3589”

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

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

Tech: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and rehearsals during the week of Feb. 3-7 in the evenings.

Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Feb. 8-9 and Feb. 15-16, 2025, at Bughouse Theatre in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago (1910 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613).

Materials To Prepare:
Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean Mueller-Burr, Casting Director, at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Please clearly indicate if you have any conflicts during indicated audition times on Dec 14 & Dec. 15. Please also indicate if you’d like to be considered for the staged reading of Drink the Past Dry.

Sides will be provided.

Pay:
Cast & Understudies: $100 rehearsal stipend + $25 per performance. In addition, performers will receive one comp ticket to a performance of their choosing.

Audition Time & Location:
General: Saturday, Dec. 14: 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. at City Lit Theater (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660)

Callbacks: Sunday, Dec. 15: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Lit Theater.

Contact:
Jean Mueller-Burr
Email: casting@ghostlightensemble.com

‘It’s About Time’: Ghostlight marks return to full productions post-pandemic with its 8th Season beginning in September

Justin Brook and Holly Robison tapped to lead Ghostlight Ensemble ahead of the company's eighth season.

Justin Brook and Holly Robison tapped to lead Ghostlight Ensemble ahead of the company's eighth season.

Ghostlight Ensemble announces its Season 8 lineup, marking the company’s return to a full production season with two mainstage shows, as well as a Nightlight play for young audiences, staged readings and ongoing collaborations with Chicago area museums. 

The company also announces a change in leadership with Ensemble Member and Chicago actor Justin Broom promoted to co-artistic director, along with Ensemble Member Holly Robison. Broom has been with Ghostlight since 2019 and Robison, who was acting as an interim co-artistic director, is a founding member of the company and previously served as artistic director from 2016 to 2019.

“It is a very full-circle moment for me, in a way, to join a company right before we had to move inside (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) to then come out the other end as a leader to help bring Ghostlight back to in-person stages and locations,” Broom said.

 “Ghostlight’s mission has always been to ask questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories via immersive environments and unconventional staging, which very much aligns with my values to making theater,” he continued. “As Co-Artistic Director, I'm excited to offer my perspective and experiences as a Queer theater artist to fulfill our mission in new ways, expand our ensemble and bring Ghostlight back into the Chicago scene.”

 Broom first appeared with Ghostlight in 2019 in a reading of The Thirteenth Chair and has been active in the company and the Chicago theatre scene ever since. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Digital Media from Southern Illinois University.

 “I care so much about this company, having been with it from the beginning, and am so happy to continue in this leadership role as Ghostlight emerges from our scaled-back programming during COVID with one of our busiest and exciting seasons yet,” Robison said. “I’m also particularly looking forward to leading with Justin, who has come to be one of the most active and insightful voices within the company.”

 Robison is a Chicago-based director, actor and improvisor who has directed An Ideal Husband and Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Ghostlight Ensemble, as well as conceiving the For Your (Re)Consideration series. She has studied directing with various organizations, including the summer program, A Practical Approach to Directing at Yale School of Drama and is a member of Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She is also a cast member and producer with Improvised Jane Austen.

 Full bios for both artistic directors are available on our website’s The Ensemble page

The new management team led the selection process for the upcoming season, which celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.

 “We have some amazing projects and collaborations this season, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience them,” Robison said.

 Ghostlight will begin its Eighth Season with Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones, a drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights set within the framework of 1950s racial tensions. Robison will direct.

 Inspired by true events, Alabama Story is a drama about a segregationist senator and the state librarian who clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama. Political foes, childhood friends and one feisty children’s author inhabit a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak and hope.

 Alabama Story will take place Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 4-6, 2024, at After-Words Bookstore (23 E. Illinois St., Chicago) and Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20, 2024, at Haymarket Books at Haymarket House (800 W Buena Ave, Chicago).

 In December, the company expands on its partnership with the Richard H. Driehaus Museum to present Holiday Spirits: A Collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories, a multi-story and multi-storied immersive, site-specific adaptation of classic Victorian ghost stories at the museum.

In February, the Nightlight series returns with a full-length production for young audiences, Invaders of Mathmatica, written by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. The original play is a celebration of the arts that argues true riches come from collaboration, not isolation.

And Ghostlight will close out the season in spring 2025 with the world premiere of Drink the Past Dry written by Ensemble Member Maria Burnham. The site-specific piece is set and will take place at a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago that looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time. All you have to do is take a drink.

In addition, the For Your (Re)Consideration staged reading series will return in 2025, with its ongoing mission to explore the works of historically overlooked female writers. And Ghostlight will continue its popular Live Movie Reading Series throughout the year. Plus, the company has several other surprises brewing.

To celebrate its return to full productions (and a full season) after the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghostlight is hosting a Season Kickoff event at My Buddy’s (4416 N Clark St, Chicago) on Saturday, August 10. Join us for an insider look at all our shows, exciting news of new partnerships and performance opportunities and a chance to chat with the new artistic team and Ensemble members, as well as karaoke, raffle/auction items, free drinks and more. 

Look for details about the Season Kickoff event, the entire 2024-2025 season and Ghostlight Ensemble at GhostlightEnsemble.com.