AUDITIONS
Out of Box Theatre is pleased to announce auditions for A FIRSTLADY'S GUIDE TO KILLING THE PRESIDENT by Topher Payne.
Directed by Matthew Busch.
Read this listing in its entirety. Please weigh all requirements carefully.
​ABOUT THE PLAY:
It’s 1923, and Florence Harding has a problem: her husband, President Warren G. Harding. Under the hanging threat of his sex scandals and financial misdeeds, the Hardings embark on a cross-country train tour to generate good press.
But trouble comes along for the ride in the form of two of Warren’s blackmailing mistresses, a scheming “Second Lady” who’s looking to move up, an incompetent herbalist who somehow became Assistant Surgeon General, a debauched newspaper publisher brandishing a legendary cursed diamond, and a ill-tempered pet squirrel named Handsome Pete.
And the source of all the chaos is always charming, useless Warren … whom Florence might just have to deal with once and for all.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION (You will be asked to list your conflicts with these dates on the audition sign up form.)
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REHEARSALS BEGIN: March 30, 2026
REHEARSAL DAYS AND TIMES: TBD (weeknights and weekends)
TECH WEEKEND: May 2-3, 2026 TIME TBD
DRESS REHEARSALS: May 4-7, 2026 6-10pm
OPENING: May 8, 2026
CLOSING: May 17, 2026
SHOW TIMES: Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm
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AUDITION INFORMATION
WHEN: Sunday, January 11. 2-26 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m.
CALLBACKS: Monday, January 12, 2026 at 7:00 pm if needed.
WHERE: Out of Box Theatre - Creator's Den at Artisan Resource Center 585 Cobb Pkwy S. Marietta, 30060 (Rehearsals and performances will also be at this location.)
Please make sure to check the Out of Box Directions page. -https://www.outofboxtheatre.com/directions
ROLES
CAST OF CHARACTERS
FLORENCE HARDING, the First Lady of the United States. Practical, decisive, serving beleaguered CEO energy. Possesses a keen eye and wry wit. A kingmaker, much to her pride and chagrin. Carefully nurses a litany grudges. Deserved more than she got in this life, and she’s acutely aware.
WARREN HARDING, the 29th President of the United States. Charming, fun-loving, restless, not intellectually curious in the slightest. A potentially lethal combination of horny and spoiled. A joyous friend and attentive lover for as long as you’re directly in front of him. Very, very bad at his job.
DR. CHARLES SAWYER, the U.S. Assistant Surgeon General. The President’s best friend of several months. Not an actual doctor. Inquisitive, open-hearted, sweet, a terrible liar. A little stupid. In no way equipped for the machinations of Washington politics.
GRACE COOLIDGE, the Second Lady of the United States. Breezy and utterly unbothered, with a megawatt smile and variable sincerity. Has the serene countenance of a megachurch pastor’s wife- she knows all eyes are upon her, and she’s perfectly at home with that.
EVIE McLEAN, Florence’s best friend and the owner of The Washington Post. Comes from money on top of money, thus enjoys the freedom to say anything she likes. A Washington insider cursed with foresight. Casually hedonistic, solidly self- involved, unflinchingly loyal.
CARRIE PHILLIPS, Warren’s longest-standing mistress. Educated, well-bred, fashionable, sexually liberated, a globetrotter. The most successful blackmailer in recorded U.S. government history. Once a close friend of Florence’s. That is no longer the case. A bit lonesome and homesick.
NAN BRITTON, Warren’s newest mistress. A youthful stenographer, single mother, and aspiring stage performer living in New York. Has a genuinely sunny disposition- doesn’t know what she doesn’t know and that doesn’t bother her one bit. Resourceful, makes friends easily.
AUDITION PREP
Actors will read sides from the script; no outside material needs to be prepared. Please be familiar with all sides attached below as you will likely read for multiple characters.
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SIDES:
​​AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS FORM, YOU WILL GET A LINK TO SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION APPOINTMENT TIME SLOT.
Auditions will take place in groups of 10 in one hour slots. ​
MISC.
If you have any questions, email carolyn@outofboxtheatre.com. Should you need to contact us the day of your audition, please text 770-633-9878