BalletCollective is casting dancers for the February 2023 World Premiere of The Night Falls, a new, multi-genre work blending opera, dance and theater directed and choreographed by Troy Schumacher (New York City Ballet, BalletCollective), with music and lyrics by Ellis Ludwig-Leone (San Fermin), and book and lyrics by Karen Russell (Swamplandia!).
The Night Falls tells a new myth for our fractured era. (https://thenightfalls.net)
THE NIGHT FALLS - ROLE DESCRIPTIONS:
FELISBERTO ROBLES (17-20) - a closeted Cuban-American Queens teenager whose boyfriend, Omar, has recently died. Artistic, sarcastic, shy, a dreamer. A chameleon at school and at home; he is afraid his mother would reject him if she knew who he really was. Before this nightmare began, his only goal was to survive eleventh grade. Ethnicity: Black/Latinx, male or non-binary identifying.
SUFFERERS - desperate, grieving people from all over the country who have begun hearing the Sirens’ song in their dreams. A diverse group in every sense. Contemporary Americans with archetypal resonances. We focus on:
ANGELA, THE ATHLETE (20-30) - a recently disgraced star tennis player knocked off her orbit by a public breakdown; a modern-day warrior who has lost her confidence and doesn’t know how to exist outside the lines of the court, “anonymous as dawn.” Female or non-binary identifying.
GEORGE, THE MUSIC TEACHER (35-40) - a middle-aged piano teacher; a failed Orpheus who hoped to be a famous composer. Unable to have a child with his wife, Lola, he escapes reality into his music. Male or non-binary identifying.
NADIA, THE MOTHER (39-50) - a woman who lost her daughter to an addiction after many Demeter-like rescue attempts and is the first to share her story at the Night Falls campground. Female or non-binary identifying.
LAOCOON, THE PYTHON HUNTER (30-50) - a Floridian python hunter and animal trapper who becomes prey himself and has a reluctant epiphany and change of heart. Male or non-binary identifying.
ACROBAT (20-35) - an entertainer who has made a career out of their cartwheeling joy. Tumbling experience required.
(7-9). THE SIRENETTES/SUFFERERS (17-24) - a musical act of three singing sisters who once performed at The Night Falls Grotto. A modern-day, Floridian take on the Sirens of Greek mythology. Also double as SUFFERERS in Scenes 1, 2, and 3. Female or non-binary identifying.