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Atascadero: A True Story, St. Louis, MO (2026)

08/09/2025

STILL SEEKING ACTORS! PRIVATE AUDITIONS NOW AVAILABLE

We had some great folks show up for our auditions, but we still have three parts that we need to cast, or this show simply can't go on. And ya know the saying... so that can't happen!

HELP US BRING THIS STORY TO LIFE!

SYNOPSIS:
Atascadero is the true and untold story of John Henry Scott, a young q***r Black man was sentenced to and treated in the infamous California State Hospital of the same name, and the hundreds of thousands of q***r people just like him at institutions just like it all around the country, including here at the St. Louis Insane Asylum.

From the mid-1900s through the mid-1970s, q***r Americans could be locked away in these institutions for years (or longer), when their only crime was simply being q***r. Once inside, these prisoner patients would be “treated” with cutting-edge medicine, including electro-shock therapy, castrations, and lobotomies performed with an icepick.

John Henry Scott was “sentenced” to Atascadero after being mugged by three white men when he was leaving a poetry reading in San Francisco. His mother, Elizabeth Scott Price, worked tirelessly for his release. At its core, Atascadero is a story of love, sacrifice, perseverance, and found family.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** This is an ensemble cast. Each character is pivotal to the story and several of them have intense scenes.
Because this play is a true story, we are telling the stories of real people who have never had their stories told before. We then feel it is important to cast performers who can realistically portray truth to their stories. That said, we need people for the three remaining roles:

CARLA: She is an older white Le***an woman, between 50 and 65. She is a WWII veteran of the Army Nurses Corps and is a patient at Atascadero. She has been at the facility since it opened 6 years ago (in 1954) and it’s her fourth such location. She comes from a wealthy family who committed her involuntary to hide the shame of having a le***an in the elite East Coast family. She keeps to herself and actively avoids engaging with any other patients, until she realizes she can’t.

DR. COSGROVE: A young doctor at the prestigious Atascadero who is ambitious enough to want to learn from Dr. Freeman and ruthless enough to make life altering decisions carefully and shrewdly. He is sincere in his desire to help and believes that’s what he’s doing is for the greater good. Can be any race.

MRS. PRICE: She is also a real person. She’s African American and John Henry Scott’s mother. She battles with Atascadero staff to get news about her son and what is happening to him. She loves her son dearly and accepts him for who he is.

For more information, or to set up a private audition (can be through video chat) email [email protected] or call (314) 328-0990 and ask for Jay. You can also message us here on this page. Performances are October 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24. Rehearsals begin in 10 days and are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9 pm. We are taking the week of Sep 22 off.

08/06/2025

COMING UP TOMORROW AND FRIDAY!

PLEASE HELP US BRING THIS AWARD-WINNING SCRIPT TO LIFE, AND TELL THIS IMPORTANT & TRUE STORY.

Auditions for Atascadero: A True Story will be held August 7th and 8th at The Jade Room at PRISM (4510 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, MO). Auditions will go from 6 to 9 pm and sign-ups will be available at 5:30. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE TIME.

We will have monologues for you to read from the play if you choose, or you can prepare a 1-minute monologue on your own.

SYNOPSIS:

Atascadero is the true and untold story of John Henry Scott, a young q***r Black man was sentenced to and treated in the infamous California State Hospital of the same name, and the hundreds of thousands of q***r people just like him at institutions just like it all around the country, including here at the St. Louis Insane Asylum.

From the mid-1900s through the mid-1970s, q***r Americans could be locked away in these institutions for years (or longer), when their only crime was simply being q***r. Once inside, these prisoner patients would be “treated” with cutting-edge medicine, including electro-shock therapy, castrations, and lobotomies performed with an ice-pick.

John Henry Scott was “sentenced” to Atascadero after being mugged by three white men when he was leaving a poetry reading in San Francisco. His mother, Elizabeth Scott Price, worked tirelessly for his release. At its core, Atascadero is a story of love, sacrifice, perseverance, and found family.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** This is an ensemble cast. Each character is pivotal to the story and several of them have intense scenes.
Because this play is a true story, we are telling the stories of real people who have never had their stories told before. We then feel it is important to cast performers who can realistically portray truth to their stories. That said, we need people who can play:

Black Woman (aged 25+)
Jewish/Caucasian Man (late 20s/early 30s)
Black Man (Mid 20s)
Transgender Latin Woman (30s) -- THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST
Caucasian Woman (50-65)
Male - Any race (30s)
Caucasian Man (60s+) -- THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS

SAM BIRNBAUM: 30 year old gay Jewish man. He survived Auschwitz as a young child but his parents did not. Perhaps as a result, he is idealistic and principled, even in the face of what’s unfolding in front of him. He is a patient at Atascadero.

JOHN HENRY SCOTT: He is between 25 and 30 and is a gay African American man. He is exceptionally bright, well-read and a fan of philosophy and poetry. His story is true, as he was a real-life patient at Atascadero.

NANCY POPPY: THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

DR. WALTER JACKSON FREEMAN: THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

CARLA: She is an older white Le***an woman, between 50 and 65. She is a WWII veteran of the Army Nurses Corps and is a patient at Atascadero. She has been at the facility since it opened 6 years ago (in 1954) and it’s her fourth such location. She comes from a wealthy family who committed her involuntary to hide the shame of having a le***an in the elite East Coast family. She keeps to herself and actively avoids engaging with any other patients, until she realizes she can’t.

DR. COSGROVE: A young doctor at the prestigious Atascadero who is ambitious enough to want to learn from Dr. Freeman and ruthless enough to make life altering decisions carefully and shrewdly. He is sincere in his desire to help and believes that’s what he’s doing is for the greater good. Can be any race.

NURSE ANDERSON: Dr. Freeman’s Nurse. African American woman, a little older, between 45 and 55. She is kind when she’s around other people but ruthless when one on one. She also has definitely negative feelings about her patients.

MRS. PRICE: She is also a real person. She’s African American and John Henry Scott’s mother. She battles with Atascadero staff to get news about her son and what is happening to him. She loves her son dearly and accepts him for who he is.

*Nurse Anderson and Mrs. Price will be played by the same person Actor.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (314) 328-0990 and ask for Jay. You can also message us here on this page.

Rehearsals will begin next week. For the first week, there will be three rehearsals for each actor. For the last two weeks of August, just two per week. Once we hit September it will be three times a week into performance week (October). Rehearsals will be from 7 to 9 pm at the Jade Room on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

07/31/2025

OMG! We are just 1 Week Away From Auditions!

PLEASE HELP US BRING THIS AWARD-WINNING SCRIPT TO LIFE, AND TELL THIS IMPORTANT & TRUE STORY.

Auditions for Atascadero: A True Story will be held August 7th and 8th at The Jade Room at PRISM (4510 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, MO). Auditions will go from 6 to 9 pm and sign-ups will be available at 5:30. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE TIME.

We will have monologues for you to read from the play if you choose, or you can prepare a 1-minute monologue on your own.

SYNOPSIS:
Atascadero is the true and untold story of John Henry Scott, a young q***r Black man was sentenced to and treated in the infamous California State Hospital of the same name, and the hundreds of thousands of q***r people just like him at institutions just like it all around the country, including here at the St. Louis Insane Asylum.

From the mid-1900s through the mid-1970s, q***r Americans could be locked away in these institutions for years (or longer), when their only crime was simply being q***r. Once inside, these prisoner patients would be “treated” with cutting-edge medicine, including electro-shock therapy, castrations, and lobotomies performed with an ice-pick.

John Henry Scott was “sentenced” to Atascadero after being mugged by three white men when he was leaving a poetry reading in San Francisco. His mother, Elizabeth Scott Price, worked tirelessly for his release. At its core, Atascadero is a story of love, sacrifice, perseverance, and found family.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** This is an ensemble cast. Each character is pivotal to the story and several of them have intense scenes.
Because this play is a true story, we are telling the stories of real people who have never had their stories told before. We then feel it is important to cast performers who can realistically portray truth to their stories. That said, we need people who can play:

Black Woman (aged 25+)
Jewish/Caucasian Man (late 20s/early 30s)
Black Man (Mid 20s)
Transgender Latin Woman (30s) -- THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST
Caucasian Woman (50-65)
Male - Any race (30s)
Caucasian Man (60s+) -- THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS

SAM BIRNBAUM: 30 year old gay Jewish man. He survived Auschwitz as a young child but his parents did not. Perhaps as a result, he is idealistic and principled, even in the face of what’s unfolding in front of him. He is a patient at Atascadero.

JOHN HENRY SCOTT: He is between 25 and 30 and is a gay African American man. He is exceptionally bright, well-read and a fan of philosophy and poetry. His story is true, as he was a real-life patient at Atascadero.

NANCY POPPY: THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

DR. WALTER JACKSON FREEMAN: THIS ROLE HAS BEEN CAST

CARLA: She is an older white Le***an woman, between 50 and 65. She is a WWII veteran of the Army Nurses Corps and is a patient at Atascadero. She has been at the facility since it opened 6 years ago (in 1954) and it’s her fourth such location. She comes from a wealthy family who committed her involuntary to hide the shame of having a le***an in the elite East Coast family. She keeps to herself and actively avoids engaging with any other patients, until she realizes she can’t.

DR. COSGROVE: A young doctor at the prestigious Atascadero who is ambitious enough to want to learn from Dr. Freeman and ruthless enough to make life altering decisions carefully and shrewdly. He is sincere in his desire to help and believes that’s what he’s doing is for the greater good. Can be any race.

NURSE ANDERSON: Dr. Freeman’s Nurse. African American woman, a little older, between 45 and 55. She is kind when she’s around other people but ruthless when one on one. She also has definitely negative feelings about her patients.

MRS. PRICE: She is also a real person. She’s African American and John Henry Scott’s mother. She battles with Atascadero staff to get news about her son and what is happening to him. She loves her son dearly and accepts him for who he is.

*Nurse Anderson and Mrs. Price will be played by the same person Actor.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (314) 328-0990 and ask for Jay. You can also message us here on this page.

07/15/2025

Note From The Director: We've gotten a couple of questions about when rehearsals are for the show from some of the folks asking about auditions. So we decided to be super transparent and post our rehearsal schedule!

First thing you need to know, there will be no callbacks. We will be able to cast the show from the two audition dates. You only need to show up for one night, do your thing, answer some questions, maybe read a bit, and that's it. Everyone will get a call or email by Saturday morning letting you know the outcome. Rehearsals begin the following Monday.

Second, for the month of August, MOST of the cast will only have rehearsals twice a week. As we move into September it becomes three times a week. We are "Off Book" by September 8.

As an actor I've been in over 50 full-scale productions. Nothing chaps my hide more than having to be at a rehearsal for 2 hours when I'm only in 2 pages of the section that's being rehearsed. Your time will be respected. If you're not needed for that rehearsal, you'll know the moment you're cast. (This is assuming all hell doesn't break loose because someone mentions that Scottish play when we're actually IN the theater space. So, ya know, don't do that.)

07/12/2025

It's live! Our final show poster!

07/12/2025

Come help us tell this vital and important story!

06/12/2025

AUDITIONS ANNOUNCEMENT

Auditions for Atascadero: A True Story will be held August 7th and 8th at The Jade Room at Prism (4510 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, MO). Auditions will go from 7 to 9 am and sign-ups will be available at 6:30. We will have monologues for you to read from the play if you choose, or you can prepare a 1-minute monologue on your own.

SYNOPSIS:
Atascadero is the true and untold story of how LGBTQ prisoners were treated at the infamous California State Hospital of the same name, and the hundreds just like it all around the country, including the St. Louis Insane Asylum. From the mid-1900s through the mid-1970s, q***r Americans could be locked away in these institutions for years (or longer), when their only crime was simply being q***r. Once inside, these prisoner patients would be “treated” with cutting-edge medicine, including electro-shock therapy, castrations, and lobotomies performed with an ice-pick.

Set over three days in 1960, we meet real life historical figure Dr. Walter Freeman, “The Lobotomist,” who late in his career performed procedures at Atascadero. We also meet some of the institution’s real-life patients, like John Henry Scott, who was “sentenced” to Atascadero after being mugged by three white men when he was leaving a poetry reading in San Francisco.

*** PLEASE NOTE *** This is an ensemble cast. Each character is pivotal to the story and several of them have intense scenes.

Because this play is a true story, we are telling the stories of real people who have never had their stories told before. We then feel it is important to cast performers who can realistically portray truth to their stories. That said, we need:

Black Woman (aged 50+)
Jewish/Caucasian Man (late 20s/early 30s)
Black Man (Mid 20s)
Transgender Latin Woman (30s)
Caucasian Woman (50-65)
Male - Any race (30s)
Caucasian Man (60s+)

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS
SAM BIRNBAUM: 30 year old gay Jewish man. He survived Auschwitz as a young child but his parents did not. Perhaps as a result, he is idealistic and principled, even in the face of what’s unfolding in front of him. He is a patient at Atascadero.

JOHN HENRY SCOTT: He is between 25 and 30 and is a gay African American man. He is exceptionally bright, well-read and a fan of philosophy and poetry. His story is true, as he was a real-life patient at Atascadero.

NANCY POPPY: Nancy was born with the name Rafael Martinez, but since she was young, she always knew she was different. At the time this play takes place, over three days in 1960, she would have been called a Transvestite. In today’s world we would know her as a Transgender Latinx, and one with a bigger-than-life personality who has been a patient at Atascadero for over a year. While she has had to fight her entire life, she is still uncommonly kind.

DR. WALTER JACKSON FREEMAN: Dr. Freeman is also a real person, who performed procedures at Atascadero in 1960, and at several other facilities similar to the St. Louis Insane Asylum. For decades Dr. Freeman was the most famous neurologist in the country and was credited with creating the “icepick lobotomy.” Lauded by scientists and doctors around the world, for years it was viewed as a tremendous aid for people suffering from schizophrenia, like psychosexual deviancies (aka homosexuality). He is earnest and sincerely believes what he is doing is helping. At this time, Dr. Freeman is 65 years old and his “star” is beginning to fade.

CARLA: She is an older white Le***an woman, between 50 and 65. She is a WWII veteran of the Army Nurses Corps and is a patient at Atascadero. She has been at the facility since it opened 6 years ago (in 1954) and it’s her fourth such location. She comes from a wealthy family who committed her involuntary to hide the shame of having a le***an in the elite East Coast family. She keeps to herself and actively avoids engaging with any other patients, until she realizes she can’t.

DR. COSGROVE: A young doctor at the prestigious Atascadero who is ambitious enough to want to learn from Dr. Freeman and ruthless enough to make life altering decisions carefully and shrewdly. He is sincere in his desire to help and believes that’s what he’s doing is for the greater good. Can be any race.

NURSE ANDERSON: Dr. Freeman’s Nurse. African American woman, a little older, between 45 and 55. She is kind when she’s around other people but ruthless when one on one. She also has definitely negative feelings about her patients.

MRS. PRICE: She is also a real person. She’s African American and John Henry Scott’s mother. She battles with Atascadero staff to get news about her son and what is happening to him. She loves her son dearly and accepts him for who he is.

*Nurse Anderson and Mrs. Price will be played by the same person.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (314) 328-0990 and ask for Jay.

06/12/2025

SYNOPSIS
Atascadero is the true and untold story of how LGBTQ prisoners were treated at the infamous California State Hospital of the same name, and the hundreds just like it all around the country, including the St. Louis Insane Asylum (pictured). From the mid-1900s through the mid-1970s, q***r Americans could be locked away in these institutions for years (or longer), when their only crime was simply being themselves. Once inside, these prisoner-patients would be “treated” with cutting-edge medicine, including electro-shock therapy, castrations, and lobotomies performed with an ice-pick.

Set over three days in 1960, we meet real life historical figure Dr. Walter Freeman, “The Lobotomist,” who late in his career performed procedures at Atascadero. We also meet some of the institution’s real-life patients, like John Henry Scott, who was “sentenced” to Atascadero after being mugged by three white men after leaving a poetry reading in San Francisco.

06/11/2025

Yup! It's finally happening! A project nearly 10 years in the making. Five years to research it, several months to write it, and five years trying to find it a stage, the acclaimed script is finally making it's way to a stage. Atascadero opens in St. Louis this October!

Atascadero received top honors as a finalist in three international playwriting competitions and now will make its world premiere at the Jade Room at Prism on Thursday, October 16 2025.

Tickets will be $30 and must be 21 and up to attend. Information on how to purchase advance tickets will be updated in July 2025.

Atascadero: A True Story

08/09/2025

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07/31/2025

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