02/18/2026
eggNYMPH Artist Collective is thrilled to announce auditions for Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl. These auditions are held in partnership with Burning Coal Theatre (auditions will be recorded and shared with Burning Coal for dual consideration in their upcoming productions).
Thank you to Burning Coal for hosting! Thank you also to United Arts Wake County for the Artist Support Grant which supports this production.
About the Show:
Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl is a lovely piece of magical realism about human connection--an oddball dark comedy. The acting direction for the show will land somewhere between realism and slightly heightened, to ground some of the absurd and fantastical elements of the show.
The performances will be the weekends of June 13th and 20th. We will be performing in "found" locations. In this case we mean a bar/restaurant of sorts, allowing us to create a very personal and intimate performance.
Rehearsals will be in Raleigh; our first weekend of performances will be in Durham, and the second back in Raleigh.
Performers will each receive a stipend of $200 as an acknowledgement of the time and talent given to this work.
Auditions:
Auditions will be held on Feb 28th from 1-5pm at Burning Coal’s Warehouse (3056 Barrow Dr., Raleigh, NC 27616)
Sign up for in-person auditions using the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449AAAA2DA1FBC52-62353237-dead
If you are joining us on the 28th, auditions will be about 10 minutes. We may ask some folks to stick around for some chemistry reads if time permits. If there's a specific character you're interested in put it in the comments of your time slot signup.
Character Breakdown:
Jean- Our heroine, a rather meek woman who's spent her life enjoying her own quiet little world, until she makes a rash decision to pick up a dead man's cell phone, entangling herself in the lives of his family and associates. She cares deeply, but has little life experience for someone her age. She is searching for something to care about. Requires moderate intimacy.
The Dead Man, Gordon - A salesman, through and through. A broker of illicit goods. A philanderer who charms you while you know he's doing it. The kind of charisma you hate to acknowledge. Requires minimal intimacy.
Gordon's Mother, Mrs. Gottlieb - A proud, defiant, outspoken woman. WASP coded. She has lost her son who was the light of her life. She knows he wasn't perfect, but he was her everything.
Gordon's Widow, Hermia- The unsatisfied housewife. She fell out of love years ago, she could hardly stand the sight of her husband, but she kept up the obedient act. She knew he cheated, how could she not. Better them than her, but now that he's gone...
Gordon's Brother, Dwight - A mild mannered paper store owner. Lived his life in the shadow of his brother's charisma. Is smitten by Jean immediately. Requires moderate intimacy.
The Other Woman/The Stranger - Gordon's mistress, a suave, confident woman, reminiscent of a Noir heroine. She talks off her hat without fixing her hair. The stranger is maybe the same character, maybe not? How clear we make the distinction will be sorted out in rehearsal.
Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
