Recommended: Don’t miss our ‘timely reflection on censorship and moral awakening’

From left: Haley Basil as Lilly, Justin Broom as Thomas, Maria Burnham as Emily and Khnemu Menu-Ra as Joshua in Ghostlight Ensemble’s production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. (Photo by Pete Guither)

“The production’s commitment to historical storytelling, combined with the bookstore setting, makes Alabama Story a compelling and evocative piece of theater.” — The Reader

Ghostlight Ensemble’s Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones is Reader AND audience recommended. The drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights has struck a chord with patrons who, in only one weekend, have returned to see it multiple times. Join us this weekend at After-Words Bookstore for this “daring production,” directed by Holly Robison. (Read the full Reader review here.)

The play, set in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama, is the story of a segregationist senator (the fictional-characterization-based-on-a-real-person, Sen. E.W. Higgins) and the state librarian (based on a very real Emily Wheelock Reed) who clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits. The play contrasts that story with a reunion of childhood friends — a Black man and a woman of white privilege — providing a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital.

Alabama Story is taking place at two site-specific, book-centric locations: After-Words Bookstore (23 E. Illinois St., Chicago) and Haymarket Books at Haymarket House (800 W. Buena Ave, Chicago). There is one more weekend of performances at After-Words Bookstore, Oct. 4-6; followed by two weekends at Haymarket Books, Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Audition Notice: Seeking actors for 'Alabama Story'

Ghostlight Ensemble is casting for its fall production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. Alabama Story is based on the true story in the 1950s about an Alabama state librarian facing an effort to ban a children’s book about a white bunny and a black bunny who get married. This is a timely and moving story that weaves together historical occurrences with fictional characters to drive home the real-world implications of censorship and book-banning that we still face today.

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

• Emily Wheelock Reed: 50ish, white female, State Librarian of Alabama, born in North Carolina, raised in Indiana

• Thomas Franklin: 28, white male reference librarian, Emily’s assistant, from Montgomery, Alabama

• Senator E.W. Higgins: 50ish+, white Alabama state senator

• Joshua Moore: 32, upwardly mobile middle class African American man who left Alabama years ago*

• Lilly Whitfield: 32, a white woman from small-town Alabama privilege*

• Garth Williams/Others: 50ish+. A white writer and illustrator from the East Coast. This role will act as narrator, as well as embodying multiple other roles including aged state representative Bobby Crone, segregationist columnist Henry Branch, radio announcer, and passersby.

*Please note that that characters Joshua and Lilly have one brief scripted kiss. An intimacy choreographer will be available to stage this scene.

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in September 2024. A table read and/or table work may be scheduled for a few dates in August. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

• Tech week: Sunday, September 22 in the afternoon and Monday, September 23 through Thursday, September 26 in the evenings.

• Performances: show will run Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Please note that performances will be held at two site specific locations: After-Words Bookstore Event Space, 23 E. Illinois, Chicago, IL 60611, September 27-29 and October 4-6 (6 performances); and Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena, Chicago, IL 60613 October 11-13 and October 18-20 (6 performances).

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 July 13 or callbacks on July 20. Sides will be provided.

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

Audition Time & Location:
General: July 13: 1–4:30 p.m. at Merlo Branch, Chicago Public Library, 644 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657. 

Callbacks: July 20: 1–4 p.m. Location will be provided as needed.

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