Show Auditions : Clyde’s

by Lynn Nottage. Directed by Phoenix Rayo.

Directing mentors – Amanda Waggott and Nick Edwards

Performance dates and venue :
Evenings at 7.30pm : Wednesday 13 – Saturday 16 May and Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 May.
Matinées at 3pm on Saturdays 16 and 23 May
to be performed at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington

To be considered for this production, you will need to be available for ALL of the above dates.

Audition dates and times :
Thursday 19 February from 7pm and Saturday 21 February from 10.30am at the Tower Theatre.
Possible recalls on Sunday 22 February from 10am.
Auditions are for Tower Theatre Company Members only.

If you would like to join the Company, please click here for more information.

Contact the Director, Phoenix Rayo [email protected] and Amanda Waggott [email protected] to arrange an audition, for more information or if you cannot make either of the audition dates. Please advise which character you would like to audition for and provide any dates you would not be able to commit to in the rehearsal process. Please audition for only one character – if you would like to be considered for other characters, please let us know.

Auditions will take place in a group, and you will be asked to read a short extract from the play which we will send out in advance of the auditions.

If we would like to see you again, we will invite to a recall. If you are not offered a recall, it does not mean that your audition was unsuccessful. You will be informed of the outcome of your audition after the recall date.

About the Play
Clyde’s is a sharp, darkly comic, and politically charged play set in a truck-stop sandwich shop in Pennsylvania, US. The play looks at identity, incarceration in its many forms, labour, dignity, power, survival, resilience, and transformation within systems designed to marginalise.

The characters are ex-prisoners who bond over the creation and re-creation of increasingly imaginative sandwich combinations. This ritualised act becomes a powerful metaphor for possibility and agency. The play is situated on the periphery of American society, outside the economic and cultural centre of Manhattan in a Pennsylvania city defined by inertia rather than opportunity. Many of the characters have been convicted of petty crimes or criminalised through systemic bias. Upon release, they are funnelled into low-paid labour, their status as “criminals” ensuring continued marginalisation and restricted social mobility.

Cast :

ACCENTS : All actors must be able to perform using a consistent General American accent.

Clyde (Black / African American, acting age 40–60) : Owner of the diner; dominant, darkly comic, and controlling. A survivor who now wields power ruthlessly within the kitchen. Keeps her guard up at all times, and acts as metaphorical prison officer of the kitchen.

Montrellious (Black / African American, acting age 30s–50s) : Head cook and spiritual centre of the kitchen; approaches food as a ritual and a meditation. He appreciates and embodies Buddhist philosophy. He is a pillar of wisdom in the chaos of a busy kitchen.

Letitia (“Lettie”) (Black / African American, acting age 20’s late 30s) : Sharp, guarded, and intelligent; navigating grief and anger. Has experienced a great deal for her young years. She got caught stealing pharmaceutical items she needed but couldn’t afford.

Rafael (Latino / Hispanic – White, acting age 30s–40s) : Funny, impulsive, and bruised; humour masks deep insecurity. Passionate and frequent to emotional outbursts. Loves breaking into salsa and showing affection towards Letitia.

Jason (White / European American, acting age 20s–30s) : Newest arrival; former white supremacist eager toput his past behind him. Feels out of place initially, keeps his head down on the job, but slowly recognises that he has more in common with his co-workers than he thought.

Rehearsals:
Will be at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington London N16, three times a week for around 6/8 weeks – two evenings and one at the weekend starting from around 14 March..
A rehearsal schedule will be sent in advance of the rehearsal process. Cast members should keep the week commencing 4 May  free.
All cast members are required to assist with the Get-In and Set Build on Sunday 10 May. Technical rehearsal times are to be confirmed; daytime availability may be required and will be confirmed as soon as possible. The Dress Rehearsal will be on Tuesday 12 May, with the first performance on Wednesday 13 May. The strike will take place after the final performance on Saturday 23 May. All cast are required to assist.

Phoenix Rayo has been a member of the Tower since 2020 debuting as an actor in Lofty Ambitions, co-curating the Tower Black History podcasts and the Tower Takeover during lockdown along with appearing in the Harlem Renaissance productions including The Chip Woman’s Fortune and Poker. In 2022 she was the Speaker in PMQ as part of the Spring Forward season, and Assistant Director on Nine Night. In 2024 she played the provost in Measure for Measure, and a tango dancing chef in Fine Dining at the Canalside theatre.