Walt Whitman, you might remember, is Brooklyn’s most famous author ever, even if he never received a $3.5 million book deal in his day. Because he’s so famous and well-liked, a Brooklyn group stages Walt Whitman reenactments, going around to events parroting Whitman’s pro-poetry agenda. And since WW was the original hipster and was into dudes before it was cool/even a little bit socially acceptable, the group is looking for someone to play Peter Doyle, the greatest lurver of Whitman’s life. The casting call describes the ideal Doyle as 17-25, 5’5″-5’8″, of medium build; and that “an authentic Cork-Limerick accent would be a plus but any convincing generic Irish accent will be acceptable.” And it might pay too! Full ad below: Via Craigslist (the part about pay is the second graf):
Brooklyn based actor/director John Beshaw-Farrell is seeking a young actor (17-25) to play Peter Doyle, the young Irishman broadly agreed to have been the great love of poet Walt Whitman’s life. (Mr. Farrell’s bio can be found here: http://becomingwaltwhitman.com/life-story-j-farrell/) Although the gigs will be occasional (depending on seasonal factors, festival dates etc.) your job will be to accompany the older Whitman on outings that will include Arts Festivals, Street Theater, Public and Private performances as well as the odd theatrical appearance and busking junkets.
The next date will be the Coney Island Performance Festival on Oct. 14th. This is a legitimate project (detailed at http://becomingwaltwhitman.com ) operating in conjunction with GOH Productions. Outings are generally on weekends and when money is earned (or available) it will be split three or four ways (again depending on the nature of the engagement) Candidates should be 5’5″-5’8″ and of medium build (the costume already exists!) .
An authentic Cork-Limerick accent would be a plus but any convincing generic Irish accent will be acceptable. Candidates will often appear in the guise of a “walker” – accompanying “Whitman” as he saunters, reads, poses for photos and sells (in a limited fashion) merchandise promoting the larger project. The larger project? The ambition is to continue to build support and recognition with a view to a larger theatrical presentation in the new year. Mr. Whitman has previously appeared at Barbes, Dixon Place and numerous festivals including the New York Poetry Festival, DUMBO Arts Festival and the Brooklyn Book Festival. Please forward a recent photo or two, a short bio and any other info/description that might be illuminating. Be sure to include contact info!