Columbia University Playwright Program
New York, MN
US

CONTACT NAME

Amanda Rodriguez

DESCRIPTION

CASTING NOTICE

WINGS // WATERMELON

By Mo Holmes

Production Type: Theatre
Casting: Child Actor
Paid: $150 or more depending on fundraising
Location: Lenfest Center for the Arts | 615 W 129th St · New York, NY 10027

https://academicinformation.arts.columbia.edu/content/2026-new-plays-festival#!#cu_card_group_media-4544

Apply with email
Submission deadline: March 24, 2026

ABOUT THE PLAY

“There’s mean things happenin’ in this land. What’s left to do but make a scene?”

WINGS // WATERMELON follows the 1500—a group of sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and their families from the Missouri Bootheel who camped along a highway in January 1939 to protest the failings of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Drawing from historical record and familiar stories of people who take to the road, the play explores protest as both displacement and the making of community.

WINGS // WATERMELON is an original play with music, presented in a hybrid format that weaves together a reading with fully staged scenes, brought to life by a dedicated ensemble of artists. This show is the thesis work of playwright Mo Holmes at Columbia University.

ROLE BREAKDOWN

Role of BOY:
-Black
-Age: 11-14
-Actor and guardian must be comfortable working in an ensemble-based production

REHEARSALS & AVAILABILITY

Must be available April 27–May 10

A parent or guardian must be present for all rehearsals and performances in which the minor appears.

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES

May 9 @ 8:00 PM
May 10 @ 3:30 PM
May 10 @ 8:00 PM

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mo Holmes is a Black queer Southern playwright, librettist, and dramaturg, born in San Antonio and raised along the long stretch of road from Texas to Alabama. She is a winner of the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize and the Next Wave Initiative Lorraine Hansberry Award, a Jane Chambers finalist, and a two-time O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist. Her work has been developed and presented by The Bushwick Starr, Playwrights’ Center, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, The Fire This Time Festival, and others nationwide.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit:

• Child’s name and age
  Parent/guardian name and contact information
  Headshot (if available)
  Brief note about prior performance experience (not required)

Apply with email.
Submission deadline: March 24, 2026

DURATION

Apr 27, 2026 - May 10, 2026

APPLY BY EMAIL

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APPLY BY PHONE

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APPLY BY POSTAL SERVICE

3213 South 5th Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408