Auditions Announcement

Gualala Arts invites actors to audition for a two-act play that takes place from Autumn 2008 through Spring 2009, based on real teacher “rubber rooms” in New York City. When a complaint is filed against one of the 70,000 teachers in New York’s public schools, they’re sent to a Reassignment Center, one of a series of empty offices in the Department of Education Building. There, they sit and wait for their case to be reviewed. Usually for months. Sometimes for over a
year. A claim of improper behavior by a failing student lands Evelyn Reid in “the rubber room,” where she encounters a group of teachers, some guilty, some not, who have long since lost any hope of returning to a classroom.  Over the course of the school year, these colleagues form an unlikely alliance, reminding each other of forgotten passions, emerging to face life outside in unexpected new directions. They also learn French and workshop a screenplay.

Auditions by Appointment
To schedule, email CathyCassettaYoga@gmail.com and include the role(s) you’re interested in. A packet with audition materials and a conflict calendar will be sent in advance. Cold readings from the script will be used—no preparation necessary!

Rehearsals & Performances

• Zoom “table work” begins in November- (please, do not let that put you off; the work we do will be the same as if we were in person. We will be working with the text, making discovery about story and characters)
• In-person rehearsals start December in the Gualala/Sea Ranch area. Final schedule will accommodate cast-availability as much as possible, but conflicts will be a consideration in casting.
• Tentatively no rehearsal  scheduled for Dec 19–Jan 4
• Performances: February 6–15, 2026 at Gualala Arts Center
  (No performance Saturday evening, Feb 14 💓)

Cast Breakdown
Ensemble cast: 2 men, 5 women. Multicultural casting encouraged.

• Candace Metzger – 30s, assertive, emotionally charged, New Jersey native
• Evelyn Reid – 30s, guarded yet warm, New England native
• Lila Wadkins – 50s, maternal, witty, Upstate New York
• Toby Fleming – 20s, geeky, uncertain, Brooklyn
• Fred DiSalvo – 50s, bombastic gym teacher, Hell’s Kitchen
• Roberta Burke – 60s, sharp-tongued queen bee, Bronx
• Atwood (unseen) – authoritative panel head; gender flexible

Questions?
Contact Cathy Cassetta at CathyCassettaYoga@gmail.com

This is a true ensemble piece—everyone is in nearly every scene. Rehearsals will be scheduled with cast availability in mind. Come be part of a story that’s funny, poignant, and deeply human.