Observant Auditions
By Pamela Weiler Grayson
A Staged Reading at the Lake Worth Playhouse
Directed by Suzanne Dunn
Audition Dates: Tuesday, December 8, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Choose your audition slot. Roles are unpaid.
AUDITION SIGN-UPS
VIDEO SUBMISSIONS
Production Date: January 24, 2027 at 2:00 pm (1 Performance Total)
Where: The Lake Worth Playhouse – 713 Lake Ave, Lake Worth Beach, Florida 33460
Rehearsals: Monday, January 4, 2027 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Monday, January 11, 2027 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Tuesday, January 12, 2027 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Monday, January 18, 2027 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Friday, January 22, 2027 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Saturday, January 23, 2027 from 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Lake Worth Playhouse is seeking four women and two men for a staged reading of Observant, a family drama with sharp humor about faith, identity, and what it takes to make room for one another.
About the Show:
Three generations of a Jewish family gather in Scarsdale, New York, in December 2019 for Amy’s 60th birthday. Amy loves her Christmas tree. Her older daughter, Sarah, has embraced Modern Orthodox Judaism. Her younger daughter, Zoe, brings home her Iranian American boyfriend, Farrokh. What starts as a birthday weekend quickly brings old disagreements about faith and belonging back to the table. When a shooting at the family’s synagogue upends the gathering, the family must reckon with grief, prejudice, and how they care for one another.
Available Roles Include:
Ages listed are the characters’ ages as written.
- AMY (woman, 60) — A literary agent, mother to Sarah and Zoe, and daughter to Nancy. Sociable and devoted to her family, she loves Christmas traditions and wants everyone to get along for one weekend. She’s quick with a joke and quick to get defensive when she feels judged.
- ZOE (woman, 26) — Amy’s younger daughter and Farrokh’s girlfriend. A Berkeley public policy graduate student, she’s outspoken, politically engaged, and eager to challenge her family’s assumptions. Her old rivalry with Sarah can get the better of her.
- FARROKH (man, 27) — Zoe’s Iranian American boyfriend, a chemical engineering PhD student who came to the United States as a young child. Culturally Muslim, thoughtful, and warm, he wants to make a good impression. When the family’s welcome gives way to prejudice, he speaks up for himself.
- SARAH (woman, 29) — Amy’s older daughter, Josh’s wife, and a lawyer. She has a toddler and is eight months pregnant. Her Modern Orthodox faith gives her comfort and structure, and she wants her mother and sister to respect the life she’s chosen.
- JOSH (man, 30) — Sarah’s husband, a devoted father and a Modern Orthodox Jew. He plays in a rock band and has written a novel. Generally affable, he can overstep when he feels his beliefs or his family are being dismissed.
- NANCY (woman, 81) — Amy’s mother and Sarah and Zoe’s grandmother. Stylish, independent, and sharp-tongued, she has little patience for being treated as fragile. After surviving the synagogue shooting, she faces profound grief and questions about what her family has carried forward.
For questions or to request further information, please contact Artistic Director Daniel Eilola at daniel@lakeworthplayhouse.org.
The Lake Worth Playhouse encourages people of all races, abilities, and genders to audition for the roles they most identify with. The Lake Worth Playhouse strives to make all of our staff and volunteers feel valued, appreciated, and free to be who they are at work regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.