The Mouse: A Callback

by Sarah Caroline Billings

2023 Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition Semi-finalist.
--
A high-stakes callback is lent depth by the plot and words of Hamlet.
Runs 90 minutes with no intermission or scene breaks. Set in a rehearsal room. 1W/2M. You in yet?
--
A director calls back a young unknown actor.
"Hamlet" is going up on Broadway in six months, and a move to stay relevant, the director has decided Hamlet will be played by a woman....

2023 Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition Semi-finalist.
--
A high-stakes callback is lent depth by the plot and words of Hamlet.
Runs 90 minutes with no intermission or scene breaks. Set in a rehearsal room. 1W/2M. You in yet?
--
A director calls back a young unknown actor.
"Hamlet" is going up on Broadway in six months, and a move to stay relevant, the director has decided Hamlet will be played by a woman.
Throughout that evening, the true nature of the two is revealed and tension escalates as the text of "Hamlet" gives words to their conflict. The power shifts between the director and the actor, reality shifts, and blackmail ends the play. Or does it? And the question remains: is revenge actually wild justice?

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The Mouse: A Callback

Recommended by

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman: The Mouse: A Callback by Sarah Caroline Billings
    “

    A thrilling play that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is such a great role for a woman, and it's a very easily produced play. Real time, single set, 3 actors, all dealing with very real stuff while playing with Hamlet in such a great way - I love the paraphrasing and the acting, the very idea of a call back and the power dynamics! Such high stakes! And such real fuckery! Wonderfully done!

    A thrilling play that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is such a great role for a woman, and it's a very easily produced play. Real time, single set, 3 actors, all dealing with very real stuff while playing with Hamlet in such a great way - I love the paraphrasing and the acting, the very idea of a call back and the power dynamics! Such high stakes! And such real fuckery! Wonderfully done!

    ”

Character Information

1W/2M
Note on casting:
It is the playwright’s wish that persons of every race/ethnicity, level of ability, and gender presentation be actively considered for all roles.
  • Anna
    30’s. Experienced but unvalidated actor. Takes herself very seriously, care-taker.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Dan
    50’s. Not necessarily white progressive director, extremely like-able. Feels like horn-rimmed glasses.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Josiah
    30’s. Personal friend of WOMAN’s and assistant director to MAN. Earnest and ambitious.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Development History

  • Reading, Benefit for BAFF, 2020
  • Reading, Chain Theater, NYC, 2020
  • Reading, The Barrow Group, NYC, 2019

Awards

  • Playwriting Lab
    Chain Theater
    Finalist
    2020