Professional theater of the Great Western Catskills!

Toliver and Wakeman Submissions

FSC’s second production of the 2023 season is Toliver and Wakeman, a world premiere by Kyle Bass. The play dramatizes the Civil War experiences of two actual historical characters from two very different (and not so different) backgrounds. Toliver Holmes was a young black man born into slavery in Virginia who escaped to New York, changed his name to avoid capture, and mustered into the Union Army’s 26th Regiment of Colored Troops (NY), later settling in Delhi, NY. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, a young white woman born in Bainbridge, New York, disguised herself as a man and mustered into the Union Army—the 153rd New York State Volunteers—using the alias Lyons Wakeman.

  • First rehearsal—July 18
  • Opening—August 4
  • Closing—August 20
  • Contract—SPT, Tier IV: 5 shows/week, Thursdays–Sundays

The roles we are seeking are below. Click boxes to download sides for your audition. Upload your video submissions to YouTube, Vimeo, or your G-Drive, then click the SUBMIT AUDITION button above to complete your submission.

Note: When submitting, upload headshot/resume as 1 PDF (not 2). Please submit only once.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please email admin@franklinstagecompany.org.

Toliver Holmes

Male, 20s-30s, Black/African American. Born into slavery in 1840 in Walkerton, Virginia, he escaped, changed his name—to Oliver F. Holmes—to avoid capture, and mustered into the Union Army’s 26th Regiment of Colored Troops (NY). He later settled in upstate NY. Thoughtful. Quick with language. Always within easy reach, the pain and anger he carries is eased some by wit. He can carry a tune and he move to one as well.

Sarah Rosetta Wakeman

Female, 20s-30s, White/European Descent. Was born in Bainbridge, NY in the 1843. She was born to a poor farm family and at age 19, to escape poverty and the limitations of life in rural NY, she disguised herself as a man and mustered into the Union Army—the 153rd New York State Volunteers—using the alias Lyons Wakeman. She fought and died during the war. Guarded. Tough but not repellent. She can be sharp and insensitive. She longs to see battle. Longs to be her true self. Kind at her core. Vulnerability beneath it all.

 FSC will receive submissions through March 14, 2023.

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