Auditions

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY STATEMENT

The production team for Chicken & Biscuits is committed to celebrating individuals’ talents and consciously creating equal and inclusive opportunities for performers. As such, performers of any and all races, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, body types, religious affiliations, and performers with mental or physical disabilities are strongly encouraged to audition. If you are in need of special accommodations to support your audition and/or involvement in the production, please email Playhouse Managing Director Tyler Stouffer at tyler@youngstownplayhouse.org before your audition so we can arrange for those accommodations to be met.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Can sisters Baneatta and Beverly bury their father without killing each other? In this celebration of Black joy, grief and healing, an extended family is brought back to St. Luke’s Church to inter their patriarch, Bernard Jenkins. Family stressors abound as Beverly shows up to the chapel with her “blessings” on display, Baneatta’s son brings his neurotic Jewish boyfriend along and Beverly’s nosy daughter keeps asking questions no one wants to answer. Meanwhile, Baneatta’s husband Reginald tries to keep the peace, but when a shocking family secret reveals itself at the pulpit, the two sisters are faced with a truth that could either heal or break them.

AUDITION DATES / TIMES

No appointment necessary, please walk in during one of the times below. If you are unable to make one of the times below, please email tyler@youngstownplayhouse.org to make other arrangements.

Saturday, September 19, 2026 1:00-5:00pm

Sunday, September 20, 2026 2:00-5:30pm

Principal Callbacks (by invitation only if needed) Monday, September 21, 2026 6pm – 9pm

All Auditions and Callbacks will take place in the Moyer Room of The Youngstown Playhouse (600 Playhouse Lane Youngstown, OH 44511). To navigate to the Moyer Room, enter the Youngstown Playhouse from the Main Entrance and continue passed the stairs to the right and continue to the back of the building. The Moyer Room is right next to the Concession Stand.

REHEARSALS

First Rehearsal – Monday, September 28th

Full rehearsal schedule will be available at auditions

First Tech Rehearsal (No Conflicts Permitted past this date) – Sunday, November 15th Time TBD

PERFORMANCES

All performances take place at The Playhouse Downtown (220 W. Boardman St. Youngstown, OH)

Performances:
Friday, November 21, 2026 – 7:30pm
Saturday, November 22, 2026 – 7:30pm
Sunday, November 23, 2026 – 2:30pm
Friday, November 27, 2026 – 7:30pm
Saturday, November 28, 2026 – 7:30pm
Sunday, November 29, 2026 – 2:30pm

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Director Dr. Lundeana Thomas is seeking a diverse cast of eight actors to bring this hilarious comedy to life. Performers should be prepared with a 1-2 minute monologue that shows off your personality. Performers may be asked to sing a few bars of a song a capella (something simple like “Happy Birthday” or a favorite church hymn will do just fine!)

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

• BANEATTA MABRY – An upstanding and stern Christian woman. Mother to Kenny and Simone, and wife to Reginald. She’s overbearingly full of love, but quite uptight and stubborn in her religious ways. Late 40s to mid 50s, Black.

• REGINALD MABRY – Baneatta’s faithful husband and the new pastor of their home church. He’s the peacemaker of the family. Reginald is a ball of love with a side of corny dad jokes. 50s, Black.

• KENNY MABRY – Baneatta and Reginald’s youngest child. He’s proudly queer, but cowers in the presence of his mother. Kenny bites when he needs to, but at the end of the day he just wants to beloved. Mid to late 20s, Black.

• LOGAN LEIBOWITZ – Kenny’s neurotic and dramatic Jewish boyfriend of four years. He often spins himself into a tizzy, but always wants to be there for Kenny. Logan’s weed pen is his crutch for tough times. Mid to late 20s, White.

• BEVERLY JENKINS – Baneatta’s younger sister. The “fun aunt” who’s always in a push-up bra. But don’t mistake her vibrance for incompetence. She’s a savage, “classy,” not so boujee, but definitely ratchet when necessary. Early 40s to 50s, Black.

• LA’TRICE FRANKLIN – Beverly’s daughter. She’s nosy, loud, and in everyone’s business but her own. When not on her phone, she shows love – but in her own Gen Z way. Sarcasm is her love language. 15, Black.

• SIMONE MABRY – Kenny’s older sister and Baneatta’s favorite. She followed the “right path.” Though pulled, she can be shady. While fierce on the exterior, Simone is internally wounded from a recent failed engagement. 30s, Black.

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  BRIANNA JENKINS – Baneatta and Beverly’s half sister through an affair. She didn’t know her father, but has come to his funeral to gather more details on him. She’s sweet, vulnerable, and collected. Early 40s to 50s, Black.