Auditions: Loyalty or Liberty: Tales of Revolutionary Newport, Saturday, March 14

Audition for Plays in Place Original Plays About Hunter House in Newport, Rhode Island

Plays in Place is holding auditions for its upcoming production of Loyalty or Liberty: Tales of Revolutionary Newport, three original site-specific plays about Hunter House, a property of The Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island. Written by Patrick Gabridge, Ken Green, and Lily Mathews, and directed by Rachel Walshe, the plays will be performed from June 30 – September 1, 2026, on the beautiful grounds of Hunter House overlooking the Bay.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, March 14, from 9:00a-1:00p at the University of Rhode Island Kingston Fine Arts Center (105 Upper College Rd, Kingston, RI 02881). Plays in Place is casting actors available under both AEA and non-AEA contracts. The AEA actor base pay is $30/hour for rehearsals and $105/performance, and the non-AEA actor base pay is $23.50/hour for rehearsals and $70/performance. Four (4) non-AEA understudy roles are also available. We are seeking actors who are local to or near Rhode Island, as travel and housing stipends or accommodations are not provided.

About the Plays:

Developed through archival research, three original plays unearth the layered histories of Hunter House during the Revolutionary War (1778-1781). Seven characters whose lives interacted with the home navigate slavery and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, love and honor.
Personal secrets complicate political upheaval. Their overlapping footsteps reveal how history never really leaves a place.

Important Production Dates:

● Rehearsals will begin the week of June 8 and will run for three (3) weeks, with an anticipated rehearsal schedule of 10 hours per week.

● Performances will run for nine (9) weeks from June 30 – September 1, with two (2) shows/week on Tuesdays and Saturdays (no show on Saturday, July 4). Show times are TBD but will be late afternoon and before sundown.

Roles:

DINAH WANTON
Age mid-20s, Black. Enslaved woman living in the Wanton household with her young son,
Newport, throughout the family’s political upheaval. Wife of James (Newport’s father). Her
position as a Loyalist comes mostly from her proximity to the Wantons and their circle of
acquaintances, but also from her pragmatism and will to protect her family.

JAMES
Age 25, Black. Shipyard worker and an enslaved man living on the Champlin property. Husband
of Dinah and father of their young son, Newport. Hardworking and optimistic, he is determined
to fight for the Patriots for the chance of his freedom and a better life for his family.

SARAH BRENTON WANTON – CAST
Late 20s, White. Wife of Joseph Wanton, Jr. Over the course of the plays transforms from
society hostess to exiled widow. War has taken nearly everything, but a stubborn fire lives
beneath an unsteady surface.

PEGGY CHAMPLIN – CAST
Age 17, White. Young Newport debutante from a Patriot family. Longs deeply for one of the
young French army officers who has left Newport with General Rochambeau.

COUNT AXEL VON FERSEN – CAST
Age 26, Swedish aide-de-camp. Son of a prominent nobleman. On a mission of extreme
importance. Also happens to be the secret lover of Marie Antoinette.

ADMIRAL DE BARRAS – CAST
Age 61, very French. Officer from an aristocratic family. Places an extreme value upon honor
and duty. Not quite sure what to make of this American war.

THOMAS WHICKAM – CAST
Age early 40s, White. Brother-in-law to Sarah through her late husband’s sister Elizabeth.
Recently released from prison as a suspected Loyalist sympathizer, he is calculating and
watches how political winds blow and adjusts his sails accordingly.

Non-AEA Understudies:
● (1) Black female – for the role of Dinah
● (1) White female – for the roles of Sarah Brenton Wanton and Peggy Champlin – CAST
● (1) Black male – for the role of James
● (1) White male – for the roles of Count Axel von Fersen, Admiral de Barras, and Thomas Wickham

Scheduling an Audition:

Audition slots are 5 minutes in length from 9:00a-1:00p. Actors will read sides from the play; no monologues required. A reader will be provided. Please email Plays in Place Co-Producer Jessica Chace at jessicabchace@gmail.com to schedule a slot, express interest in being considered for specific roles, and/or ask any questions. We will provide sides to prepare when confirming your audition time. If you are interested in auditioning but unavailable on March 14, please let us know so we can arrange other accommodations. Thank you!

About Plays in Place:
Plays in Place is an award-winning site-specific theatre company that specializes in creating new work in partnership with museums, historic sites, and other cultural institutions. Past partners and sites include Boston’s Old North Church, the Massachusetts State House, the National Park of Boston, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Historic Northampton, and others.