BREAKDOWN:

About the Play:
Mina is throwing a party for her closest friends and for you, the audience. Over the course of the party, the friends play games, reflect on the current American socio-political landscape, and discover truths about the story of Mina’s parents falling in love and staying in love while fleeing the Iranian Revolution. A Going Away Party Play is a celebration of multicultural identities and an exploration of what it means to leave or lose your home country.

About the Acting Company:
Each actor will play a present-day character and double as a character from the 1970s timeline. The present-day characters are written to be a grounded and authentic Greek chorus; they should feel like our friends and neighbors. They are us. Mina’s friends at the party will step in to play Mina’s family from the past. While doing so, actors should not “play old,” or “play Middle Eastern,” nor should they be portrayed farcically, or as a comedic interpretation of a culture. Instead, actors should do their best to play the essence of the character they are inhabiting in the ‘70s timeline. Actors may be asked to do a slight Persian dialect while doubling.

All ethnicities, gender representations, LGBTQIA+ are urged to audition. In several roles, identification is flexible depending on the actor cast. See this note from the playwright: “The intention of the present-day characters, with the exception of Mina, is to represent Americans with varied cultural backgrounds, specifically regarding the stories of how they came to be in present-day U.S.A. In this premiere production, adjustments to the script and character backgrounds can be made in order to best suit the cast.”

MINA/NILOOFAR:

20's to 30's. MINA: Female, or Female Identifying, Middle Eastern, present day). First generation American. Smart, neurotic, a little gloomy. She's our protagonist and narrator, retelling the family stories she heard growing up because she can't get them out of her head. She feels like Cassandra, warning everyone about impending doom and falling empires.
Also plays NILOOFAR (19-23, Female, or Female Identifying, Middle Eastern, Persian dialect, 1970s). Mina's aunt. A political activist and student. She is hot-tempered, passionate, sarcastic, funny. She dreams of what Iran could become under a democracy and fights for freedom in her country. She is fearless and optimistic.

KATE/CAROLINE:

20's to 30's. White woman. KATE (Female, or Female Identifying 20s-30s, White American, present day). Mina's close friend. A little ditzy, supportive, kind, clever, and bold. She is here to support her friend.
Also plays CAROLINE (Female, or Female Identifying 21-25, British, West Country English dialect, 1970s). Mina's mother. Born in a small farming town in Wiltshire, England, raised in poverty, and seeking adventure. She is practical, gentle, though sometimes thoughtless and naive. She is swept into an unexpected romance, and then a war. She doesn't know much about Iran before agreeing to move there with her husband, Basir. ALL ACTORS auditioning will be asked to do a West Country English dialect while doubling as Caroline.

RYAN/BASIR:

20's to 30's. Middle Eastern. RYAN (Male, or Male Identifying, 20s-30s, Middle Eastern, present day). First generation American. He feels guilt about being "average" despite his parents' sacrifices and high ambitions. He is Mina's close friend.
Also plays BASIR (Male, or Male-Identifying, 23-27, Middle Eastern, Persian dialect, 1970s). Mina's father. Charismatic, charming, very good looking. A computer engineer raised in Iran who studied in England. He is a chameleon: he gets along with everyone, and he's the life of the party. He likes Western culture and loves his home country. He is not political. He is romantic, a poet, passionate. Young and overconfident.

MATEO/SECURITY OFFICER:

Male, or Male-Identifying, 20's to 30's. Hispanic/Latinx. MATEO (20s-30s, Hispanic). Mina's close friend. Mateo is a real, genuine, unashamed romantic. He loves love, and he is not ashamed of it. We should be inspired by him.
Also plays SECURITY OFFICER (Male, or Male-Identifying, any age, Middle Eastern, Persian dialect,1970s). A soldier during a time of martial law in Iran.

DEBBIE/MAMAN BOZORG:

25 to 30's, woman. DEBBIE (Female, or Female-Identifying, 20s-30s, Asian-American, present day). Mina's close friend. Blunt, a little serious, grounded. Not afraid of confrontation. She's the most likely person to call Mina out. Knows how to have fun, though.
Also plays MAMAN BOZORG (Female, or Female-Identifying, 50s, Iranian, Persian dialect, 1970s). Niloofar and Basir's mother and Mina's grandmother. Raised in a tiny village in Northern Iran, and now lives in Tehran. Traditional, modest, loving. She is less of a literal interpretation of Mina's grandmother, and more of a memory of matriarchy, ancestry, and very good cooking. Note regarding the age differences between Debbie/Mama B, seeking a versatile actor who isn’t “playing old,” but portraying the essence of the character.

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UNDERSTUDIES: We will be casting understudies for all roles listed above. 

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