Southeastern Theatre is ready to bring life to “Dark Skinned Pavement,” the winning play of the 2020 Inkslinger Playwriting Competition.

Written by playwright TJ Young, “Dark Skinned Pavement” features an all-Black cast consisting of three men and two women. Auditions for the production will be held Feb. 10 from 4-7 p.m. in recital hall, Room 202 of the Pottle Music Building.

Freshman Alexandra Owens, an assistant director of the production, shared that actors of all skill levels are welcome to audition.

“With auditions, I’m hoping to see many new faces there. With the theatre department always growing, we can never have what would be ‘enough’ actors as a whole, so just finding more people who may want to try acting for the first time or even continue to act,” said Owens.

Those wanting to audition are asked to prepare a short, contemporary monologue between one and two minutes long.

Owens also gave advice for anyone who might be nervous to audition.

“To those who may be nervous about coming out to audition for the show, the best advice I would be able to give out is to always take a chance with it because not only would you be working to obtain a role, but you’d be able to get experience and that is always a good foundation to start with in a possible acting career,” she said.

Theresa Brown, a freshman psychology major and stage manager for the play, shared what having an all-Black cast means to her.

“There is a huge significance about an entire Black cast,” she said. “One, it is not common to see an all-Black cast, and two, the entire play revolves around the characters being Black. It makes the story, and I think the play itself is so significant right now and reflects American society today from the perspective of a Black family.”

In the midst of Black History Month, the casting for “Dark Skinned Pavement” is a wonderful experience for Owens.

“As a young Black woman, seeing productions that share Black stories is always so wonderful to me. Not only are we sharing some kind of insight of Black people in an artistic sense, but it can also start a discussion among those who have seen the project. Especially with ‘Dark Skinned Pavement’, my hopes in this show focusing more on topics such as racism as well as loss brings a much needed conversation about this kind of issue among our audience as well in the POC community,” shared Owens.

Those wishing to reserve an audition slot or request further information can contact Brown at [email protected].