Self-Tape Auditions for the North Carolina premiere of SOVEREIGNTY
By Mary Katheryn Nagle
Directed by Carolyn Dunn
There will be 14 performances:
August 21 – September 13, 2026
First 3 weeks of performances will be held at the Arts Factory in Charlotte, NC.
The final weekend will be performed in Cherokee, NC.
When
Self-Tape Audition Submissions are due May 1, 2026 at 11:59PM EST.
Virtual Callbacks will be held during the week of May 11, 2026.
Schedule
- Virtual rehearsals will tentatively start the week of July 22-25, 2026
- In Person rehearsals will begin July 27. Rehearsals will go through August 15. A specific rehearsal calendar with times and breakdowns will be provided to the cast in July.
- Technical/Dress Rehearsals will be August 16-20
- Charlotte Performances are set for August 21-23, 27-30, and September 3-6.
- Cherokee Performances will be September 11-13
- No conflicts will be allowed between August 11 – September 13, 2026
Self-Tape Instructions:
Step 1: Preparation
- Please read through the cast breakdown and audition sides to determine who you would like to audition for.
- Set up your recording area. Ideally, videos will be shot from the waist up with a plain background.
Step 2: Recording
- Please slate your name, age, and what location you’re based out of (i.e. Charlotte, Oklahoma, NYC) at the beginning of your video
- Before beginning your side, please state which side you will be performing.
- For sides that are with multiple characters, please have a someone read the other lines off camera.
Step 3: Submission
- Please post your self-tape as an Unlisted YouTube video (click here for a step by step tutorial).
- Go to threebonetheatre.com/audition and fill out the audition form. This is also where you will put your YouTube link as well as uploading your resume and headshot.
- Audition forms and tapes are due by May 1, 2026 at 11:59PM EST. Callbacks are tentatively scheduled the week of May 11th. If you receive a callback, you will get an email from Three Bone Theatre no later than May 9th.
Tips
- Know your scene
- Read the full script or sides multiple times
- Set up a clean space
- Plain wall behind you
- Good light on your face (window or lamp in front)
- Quiet room
- Have a friend read with you if there are other characters in the scene. They should be off camera.
- Set your camera
- Eye level
- Chest/waist up
- Usually horizontal (landscape)
- Pick your eyeline
- Look just next to the camera (not into it)
- Imagine the other person there
- Keep it simple (appearance)
- Solid, simple clothes. No costumes or busy patterns
- Do a quick slate
- Relax, you got this!
- You can record 2–3 takes. Don’t overdo it
- Please only submit one audition take.
- Check before sending
- Can you be seen clearly?
- Can you be heard clearly?
About The Play
Pesent-day Oklahoma, a young Cherokee lawyer, Sarah Ridge Polson, and her colleague Jim Ross defend the inherent jurisdiction of Cherokee Nation in the U.S. Supreme Court when a non-Indian defendant challenges the Nation’s authority to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence. Their collaboration is juxtaposed with scenes from 1835, when the Cherokee Nation was eight hundred miles to the east in the southern Appalachians. That year, Sarah’s and Jim’s ancestors, historic Cherokee rivals, were bitterly divided over a proposed treaty with the administration of Andrew Jackson, the Treaty of New Echota, which led to the nation’s removal to Oklahoma on the infamous Trail of Tears.
A direct descendant of nineteenth-century Cherokee leaders John Ridge and Major Ridge, Mary Kathryn Nagle has penned a play that twists and turns from violent outbursts to healing monologues, illuminating a provocative double meaning for the sovereignty of both tribal territory and women’s bodies. Taking as its point of departure the story of one lawyer’s passionate defense of the rights of her people to prosecute non-natives who commit crimes on reservations, Sovereignty opens up into an expansive exploration of the circular continuity of history, human memory, and the power of human relationships.
Character Breakdown
- We practice identity conscious casting! We consider the complexities of identities integral to the characters. Genders/Races/Ages of the characters are included in the descriptions.
- Actors of any genders, sizes, abilities/disabilities, and other identities are invited to audition for these roles.
- All roles are paid and non-union. Stipends will be $150-350/week depending on the actor’s travel and role.
We will cast 9 actors.
JOHN RIDGE – (Male, Native American, 20s-30s) The son of Major Ridge, John Ridge was an influential leader in Cherokee Nation from the 1820s to his assassination in 1839. He served as a clerk to Cherokee Nation National Committee (the Council), and, with his father, signed the Treaty of New Echota.
SARAH RIDGE POLSON – (Female, Native American, 20s-30s) A direct descendant of Major Ridge, and of John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup, Sarah is a graduate of Yale Law School and a citizen of Cherokee Nation who returns home to Cherokee Nation after a long absence.
MAJOR RIDGE/ROGER RIDGE POLSON – (Male, Native American, 50s-70s) Given the title “Major” after fighting with General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, Major Ridge was an influential leader in Cherokee Nation politics from the 1810s until his assassination in 1839. He served many yeas as the speaker of Cherokee Nation Council and as Chief John Ross’s assistant, until the divide that takes place in this play. He and his son were among those who signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835, which became the basis for the forcible removal know as the Trail of Tears.Roger Ridge Polson is also a direct descendant of Major Ridge and the others. Rodger is the father of Sarah Ridge Polson and Watie Polson.
ELIAS BOUDINOT/WATIE – (Male, Native American, 20s-30s) Elias’ father was Major Ridge’s brother. Elias went to Cornwall for school with his cousin John Ridge and then returned home to Cherokee Nation and became the first editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first printed paper of an Indian Nation. He also signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. Watie is Sarah Ridge Polson’s brother and Rodger (Ridge) Polson’s son. He works for the Cherokee Nation police force.
JOHN ROSS/JIM ROSS – (Male, Native American, 30s-40s) John Ross is the Chief of Cherokee Nation from 1828 until his death in the 1860s. John Ross led Cherokee Nation through significant turmoil, including the removal and the Civil War. he is revered by Cherokees today as one of the most important Cherokee leaders of all time.
Jim Ross is a direct descendant of John Ross. Jim is Sarah Ridge Polson’s boss in the attorney general’s office.
ANDREW JACKSON/BEN – (Male, White, 50s-60s) Andrew Jackson is an American solider and statesman who served as president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. He believed Indians were an inferior race that should disappear from the face of the earth.Ben is a Special Victims Unit police office in present-day Oklahoma. He becomes Sarah Ridge Polson’s finace. He is non-Indian.
SAMUEL WORCESTER/MITCH– (Male, White, 40s-60s) Samuel Worchester is a white man who went to live in Cherokee Nation as a missionary. He worked with Elias Boudinot to translate the Bible into Cherokee. His arrest in 1832 sparked one of the most significant Supreme Court cases in United States history, Worcester v. Georgia.
Mitch is a lawyer, non-Indian, living in Oklahoma. He is the childhood friend of Sarah and Watie
SARAH BIRD NORTHRUP/FLORA RIDGE – (Female, White, 20s-30s) Sarah Bird Northrup is John Ridge’s wife and the daughter of a schoolmaster in Cornwall Connecticut. She is non-Indian. Flora is a direct descendant of Major Ridge and a citizen of Cherokee Nation. Flora runs the family cemetery where Major Ridge and John Ridge are buried, just a few hundred yards from where John was murdered. Sarah and Watie are her niece and nephew, and Rodger is her brother.
CHORUS MAN: GOVERNOR FORSYTH, GEORGIA GUARD, WILLIAM WIRT, REVEREND SCHERMERHORN, DRUNK MAN, BARTENDER (Male, White, 30s-40s)
Audition Sides
Access the audition sides for Sovereignty here.
If you have any issues – please email hailey@threebonetheatre.com