Key Dates:

Audition dates - July 20 & 22, 2022

Workshop #1: August 2022 TBC

Workshop #2: November 2022 TBC

Rehearsals dates: Feb 6 - 26, 2023

Production dates: Feb 27 - March 12, 2023

General Notes:

We invite adult actors of all ages and abilities to audition for the production.

We welcome actors of all genders for the roles they want to be seen for.

The following roles are for actors of South Asian descent.

Synopsis:

Bashir Ladha—wayward philosophy major leaning towards nihilism—has accidentally been selected to assume an important religious position, and his parents have dutifully accepted on his behalf. Family conflict ensues over Bashir’s reaction to his appointment. As the doorbell rings and several unexpected visitors turn up at the Ladha door, there is a sneaking suspicion that a mistake has been made, and the family is taken on a comedic intergenerational ride that forces them to grapple with long-avoided questions of identity and family.

Character Breakdown:

Bashir Ladha (male, age range 20-30):

The reluctant hero, hipster (and the kind who would be offended if you called him one), quotes philosophers at awkward times, looking to find his place in the world and his family.

Al-Nashir Manji (male, Committee Representative, age range 40-70):

Has spent much of his life in the bureaucracy and it shows. He speaks as if he’s making announcements. Speaks with an air of formality, even as he discusses the weather.

Mansour (male, Al-Nashir’s assistant, age range 40 - 90):

His vocation has always been his congregation and serving it. He knows everyone. The kind of guy who frantically searches for his glasses, finds them on top of his head, and laughs (hard) every time.

Nana/Dawood (male, Bashir’s grandfather, age range 60 - 90):

Playful. His instinct is to assume good in others, retains the heart of a clown even as his Alzheimer's sets in. Pious and one of those religious people who you can tell leaned into faith in hard times. His heart wakes up when he talks to his grandchildren or tells a joke.

Nani/Farida (female, Bashir’s grandmother, age range 50 - 90):

Clever, sharp, and pious. Her life has always been her congregation.

Gulzar (female, friend of Nana & Nani age range 40 - 90):

Her life is the back row of ladies in her congregation. She knows your business, even if you don’t know her.