THE REVOLUTIONISTS 

By Lauren Gunderson

Audition Dates:

October 30 & November 1 @ 6:30 p.m.

In-person at Bay City Players

1214 Columbus Ave.

Bay City, MI  48708

Director: Elizabeth Dewey

Assistant Director: Carrie Butler

Producer: Mike Wisniewski

Production Dates:

January 7, 12-14, 2024

PLEASE NOTE the atypical production schedule. There will be rehearsals very close to both the Christmas
and New Year’s holidays.

What do you get when you bring together an assassin, a playwright, a rebel, and Marie Antoinette? C’est une révolution! It is the Reign of Terror in 1793 Paris and this quartet of women is fighting back. They plan to murder the politician Jean–Paul Marat, but they might just lose their heads — a small price to pay for changing the world. Based on four real–life women and events, The Revolutionists is a feisty feminist comedy of art, activism, violence, and legacy. Rated R.

Note from the Director:

Three of these women are real—the fourth is a composite of several. All played a part in the French Revolution. In Lauren Gunderson’s imagination, they come together in hope, fear, and hilarity. The setting is historic, but the modern dialog crackles, and the issues have not changed in the 230 years since.
Gunderson is one of the most produced playwrights in the country, and we are excited to bring Players’ first production of her work to our stage. These are four challenging, exciting individual roles, and we will work together to create a sparking and serious ensemble. Please join us!

Please be aware the play uses strong language. 

Characters:

Casting four women to play ages mid-twenties through late thirties. The character of Marianne is black.

• Olympe De Gouges (38): Bad-ass activist playwright and feminist. Theatre nerd, excitable, passionate, a showman. Widowed and never remarried to ensure her personal freedom.
• Charlotte Corday (25): Bad-ass country girl and assassin. Very serious, hardened but righteous, never been kissed. Has a pocket watch she keeps checking.
• Marie Antoinette (38): Less bad-ass, but fascinating former queen of France. Bubbly, graceful, opinionated, totally unaware, unintentionally rude, and oddly prescient. Never had a real friend.
• Marianne Angell (30s): A bad-ass black woman in Paris. She is from the Caribbean, a free woman, a spy working with her husband, Vincent. Tough, classy, vigilant, the sanest one of them all.

Rehearsal Schedule:

Please review the tentative rehearsal schedule: 230908 Revolutionists Rehearsal Calendar

What to prepare:

None required. All attending will be cold reading script selections. All the characters participate in singing a short song.

Scripts can be previewed prior to auditions at Bay City Players. There is a $20 refundable deposit required. Scripts can only be checked out for ten days and must be returned at auditions. The office is open from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday.