Auditions
Auditions for "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," directed by Michele Koehler, are Mon. August 26 and Tues. August 27 at 6:30pm at California Stage, 2509 R Street. Please bring a resume and headshot if you have them. You will be asked to fill out a form with your rehearsal availability. The audition will consist of readings from the script.
There are roles for seven females, four males, and four children, with additional minor roles. Some actors may play two or more roles. The play runs about 75 minutes without intermission.
Performance dates
October 11 through November 10 at California Stage, 2509 R Street, Fridays and Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 2pm.
About the play
Over 15,000 children passed through the gates of Terezin, a concentration camp 30 miles north of Prague. Fewer than 100 survived. I Never Saw Another Butterfly, tells the story of the children of Terezin through the eyes of Raja Englandrova.
Raja narrates and tells their story in flashbacks as she learns from Irena Synkova, a teacher who gives the children hope when there is no hope left and gives them the courage to write and draw about their experiences. We see the world of Terezin through their eyes, a world of laughter, of flowers, and of butterflies.
From behind the barbed wire fences, teachers and students were able to show defiance; by learning even when it was forbidden, by drawing pictures of life as well as of death, and by writing poems about something bright and colorful they may have caught a glimpse of.
The most famous symbol of hope was a yellow butterfly from a poem written by Pavel Friedman. Based on the book, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Poems and Drawings from Terezin Concentration Camp 1942 - 1944" that was originally published in 1964, Celeste Raspanti creates a beautiful tribute to the children whose lives were stolen from them during the terrors of the Holocaust.
Roles available
As the play is written as a series of flashbacks, the age of male and female actors can vary from young adult to 30s.
- The female roles are Raja Englanderova, Mother, Vera, Erika, Irena Synkova, Renka, Irca.
- The male roles are Father, Pavel, Honza, and the Rabbi (who can be played by an older adult).
- Four young actors are needed to play the four Children of Terezin.
- Loudspeaker is a voice-only role of either gender.
Tentative rehearsal schedule
Monday through Thursday, Sept. 3 through Oct. 9, 6:30-9:30 pm.
Tech rehearsal: Sat. Oct 5 or Sun. Oct 6, time tba between 10 am-9 pm.
Preview performance: Thursday Oct 10 at 7 pm.
NOTE: rehearsal dates and times will be scheduled to best accommodate the cast's availability.
Mailing Address: R25 Theater Group, 1713 25th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
R25 Theater Group is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization