Auditions

Breakdown: THE FACE OF EMMETT TILL

Auditions are by appointment: September 21 and 22 6:30pm-9:30pm in La Mirada, CA. Our offices are located at 15517 Phoebe Ave, La Mirada.

Additional Project Info:

Part of our educational field trip series. There are 3 performances only, all in one day, Thursday October 20, 2022. 9:30am, 12:30pm and 7:00pm. Not every actor is called to every rehearsal, based on size of character/role. We rehearse weeknight evenings and weekends during the day (overall).

Roles:

[MAMIE TILL-MOBLEY]

32-45 years old, Black, female. Mother of Emmett, this play is based on her story, through her words. Appears at ages 32 and 67 in the play as flashbacks and modern story telling are blended.

[EMMETT TILL]

12 to 16 years old, Black male. The young boy beaten and killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The central character in “the hate crime that changed America.”

[MORRIS DEES]

38 to 50 years old, white male. Head of Southern Poverty Law Center.

[ALMA SPEARMAN]

45 to 55 years old, Black female. The mother of Mammie, Grandmother of Emmett.

[HENRY SPEARMAN]

50 to 65 years old, Black male. Stepfather of Mamie.

[ROY BRYANT]

23 to 33 years old, white male. Small-time supply-store owner in Money, Miss

[CAROLYN BRYANT]

19 to 28 years old, white female. The woman whose accusations led to the murder of Emmett Till.

[J.W. MILAM]

35 to 48 years old, white male. Stepbrother of Roy Bryant. One of the men who attack and murder Emmett.

[ROY WILKINS]

35 to 48 years old, Black male. Executive secretary of the NAACP.

[MOSES WRIGHT]

55 to 70 years old, Black male. Great-uncle of Mamie and Emmett.

[A.A RAYNER]

45 to 60 years old, Black male. South-side Chicago funeral director

[MAURICE]

16 to 20 years old, Black male. Country cousin of Emmett

[WILLIE REED]

19 to 25 years old, Black male. Key witness of the events. Resident of Money, Miss

Storyline:

The Hate Crime that Changed America

The Face of Emmett Till is a true-to-life dramatization of the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till, a Chicago teenager who, while visiting relatives in Money, Miss., was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by two white men who claimed they wanted to teach him a lesson for “allegedly” whistling at a local white woman. The horror and the brutality of this crime were magnified even more when his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the fateful decision to invite the media to the funeral where she had an open casket. The shocking pictures were published by the American Black press and were later republished around the world. The ramifications of this act are still being felt today. As retold for the first time within a creative, nonfictional genre by Mamie Till-Mobley, the play chronicles this tragedy, its aftermath, and her heroic crusade for justice.