AUDITIONS
Seeking local actors for all roles in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running directed by donnie l. betts, performing on the Aurora Fox Mainstage from Feb 5 to 21, 2027!
Auditions will be at the Aurora Fox (9900 E. Colfax Ave.) on Oct. 4 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. and Oct. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in five-minute time slots by appointment only. Please check in for your audition at the Fox Box Office approximately 10 minutes before your audition.
Memphis Lee’s coffee shop lies in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a neighborhood on the brink of economic development. The restaurant serves as a hangout for a host of regulars: a local intellectual, an elderly man who imparts the secrets of life as learned from a 322-year-old sage, an ex-con, a numbers runner, a laconic waitress who slashed her legs to keep men away, and a developmentally disabled man who was once cheated out of a ham. With Chekhovian obliqueness, the author reveals simple truths, hopes and dreams, creating a microcosm of an era and a community on the brink of change.
Email Sierra at scorbin@auroragov.org if you wish to read a perusal script.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
REHEARSALS:
Rehearsals begin on or around Dec. 28, 2026. Anticipated rehearsal schedule will be Sundays through Thursdays, 6p.m. to 10p.m., at the Fox (no rehearsal on MLK Jr. Day).
Technical rehearsals will begin on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2027.
August Wilson’s Two Trains Running will perform Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Feb. 5 to Feb. 21, 2027. Additionally, there will be an preview night on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m., an industry night performance on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and a weekday matinee on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Auditions will take place in five-minute time slots in-person and by appointment only on Oct. 4 and 5.
Callbacks will take place in-person at the Fox on Oct. 18th from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
To sign up, please scroll to the bottom of the page and use the scheduler.
AEA contracts are available. Equity members, please be prepared to show your card when you check in to audition.
As a courtesy to other actors and the production team, if you sign up to audition and cannot attend, please cancel your appointment.
If you have specific questions about the audition dates or process, please email Sierra scorbin@auroragov.org for more information.
ABOUT THE AUDITION:
Read the play and understand its setting and themes
Two Trains Running is the seventh play in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, set in 1969 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. It explores race, identity, community, and the tensions of the Civil Rights/Black Power era . Be familiar with the characters, their relationships, and the historical backdrop. The restaurant “Memphis Lee’s” is central, serving as a hub for characters like Wolf, Risa, Sterling, and Hambone.
Prepare a brief monologue
Prepare a short monologue that reflects the character’s voice, emotional range, and ability to convey the play’s tone. Choose something that shows your range—whether it’s a moment of vulnerability, defiance, humor, or resilience. OR you may prepare a monologue from the play for the role that you are interested in.
Bring a headshot and resume
PREPARATION:
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
MEMPHIS: Male presenting, Black actor, 50 – 65. Owner of a Pittsburgh Hill District diner, fighting for what he believes he is owed. “A self-made man whose values of hard work, diligence, persistence, and honesty have been consistently challenged by the circumstances of his life. His greatest asset is his impeccable logic.” Actor playing Memphis must be prepared for a dialogue heavy role.
WOLF: Male presenting, Black actor, 40 – 55. A survivor, popular with the community but necessarily with Memphis. “A man who enjoys his notoriety and popularity as the community’s numbers runner. While he manages to keep money in his pocket and a decent pair of shoes on his feet, his inability to find secure female companionship is the single failure that marks his life.” Actor playing Wolf must be prepared for a dialogue heavy role.
RISA: Female presenting, Black actor, 20s – early 30s. The only apparent employee of Memphis’ diner, kind, sharp, devout, keen observer. “A young woman who, in an attempt to define herself in terms other than her genitalia, has scarred her legs with a razor.”
HOLLOWAY: Male presenting, Black actor, 60 – 70. A community elder who serves as a seer, sage, knower, dispensing his perspective from a table at the diner. “a man who all his life has voiced his outrage at injustice with little effect. His believe in the supernatural has enabled him to accept his inability to effect change and continue to purse life with zest and vigor.” Actor playing Holloway must be prepared for a dialogue heavy role.
STERLING: Male presenting, Black actor, 30s. Dreamer, recently released from prison, achingly and sometimes angrily trying to make a new start in a place with few opportunities. “Sterling appears at times to be unbalanced, but it is a combination of his unorthodox logic and straightforward manner that makes him appear so.” Actor playing Sterling must be prepared for a dialogue heavy role.
HAMBONE, Male presenting, Black actor, 40 – 50. Fixated on getting justice by demanding to be paid for work he did years ago. “Self-contained and in a world of his own. His mental condition has deteriorated to such a point that he can only say two phrases, and he repeats them idiotically over and over.”
WEST: Male presenting, Black actor, 60 – 70. Funeral home director, successful businessman. “Since his wife’s death he has allowed his love of money to overshadow the other possibilities of life.”
CASTING PRACTICES:
The Aurora Fox operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. Equity members are encouraged to audition and will be considered for any role. Rates under our 2027 contract are $450 per week, plus health and pension. Non-equity rates are $450 per week. We use a 22 hour a week rehearsal schedule all weeks except for tech.
The Aurora Fox is committed to casting choices that represent and celebrate all of our incredibly talented and diverse communities. Unless otherwise required by the script, and therefore reflected in the casting notice, individuals of any and all ages, ethnic identities, gender identities or expressions, sizes, spiritual identities, disability statuses, and sexual orientations are strongly encouraged to audition.
If no times appear in the scheduler below, we are fully booked. We will maintain a wait list and fill cancellations in order of request. We do expect to be able to see everyone who wants an appointment.
We will attempt, within reason, to make alternate arrangements for local actors who are unable to attend during the available time slots. We are not accepting video submissions at this time.