Spotlight Theatre is seeking actors for their November 2025 production of “The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer", by Carson Kreitzer. While the play is based on true events and most of the characters are based on real people, we invite actors of all genders, races, ethnicities and abilities to audition for the role(s) they feel best suited for. All roles are currently available.
Auditions will take place at Spotlight Theatre, located at the Twentieth Century Club, 84 S Lansdowne Ave, Lansdowne PA, 19050, on Thursday, August 7 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Saturday, August 9 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Callbacks, if needed, will take place on Sunday, August 10 at 7:00 PM.
Please note that this is a volunteer opportunity, all roles are unpaid. Performances will take place on November 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23 of 2025. Rehearsals will begin in early September and will take place primarily on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and Sundays. Not all actors will be called for all rehearsals.
For the audition, please prepare a one to two minute monologue, and review the attached sides for the role(s) you would like to be considered for:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10e5JcHWNAETEg3yDQmE7qwVgrPdWCVdJ
If you would like to audition, please sign up for a time slot via signup genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4CA9AF2FA2F58-57418893-love#/
Please feel free to email director Kelci Schlierf with any questions, at [email protected]
CHARACTERS:
J.Robert Oppenheimer: Male, 40’s-50’s
A theoretical physicist who believes strongly in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, seemingly at any price. Sees himself as an underdog and perhaps overcompensates to prove himself.
Ambitious, calculating, and sentimental. He has a nervous and frenetic energy, but can also be commanding and at times, charming. The play takes place in Oppenheimer’s memory. We see an older, remorseful version of him reflecting on the events of the play.
Lilith: Female, any age
A feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology. The first wife of Adam, created at the same time and by the same clay, she was banished from the Garden of Eden for refusing to submit to Adam. She is viewed in some interpretations as a demon. Lilith appears as a hallucination who speaks to Oppenheimer throughout the play. Lilith is at times egging Oppenheimer on, at other times calling out his hypocrisy and the price of his ambition. She is cunning, speaks the truth as she understands it, and does not mince words. She has lived since the earliest days of man and has seen humans commit atrocities for centuries. Lilith seems to feed off of violence and chaos.
Kitty Oppenheimer: Female, 30’s-40’s
A botanist and wife of Dr. Oppenheimer. Kitty is stylish, sharp-witted and always the life of the party. She drinks heavily throughout the play and struggles with alcoholism in the latter years. Kitty has a quick temper due to extreme pain caused by pancreatitis. Her marriage to Oppenheimer is tumultuous, and she is aware that her husband is having an affair with Jean Tatlock.
Jean Tatlock: Female, 20’s-30’s (Also plays Mother/Censor/Reporter/Nurse)
A psychiatrist and passionate member of the American Communist Party. She begins an affair with Dr. Oppenheimer while she is a Graduate Student. Their relationship is passionate and intense. Jean suffers from clinical depression and dies by suicide. Jean is highly intelligent, deeply empathetic and has a strong sense of justice. (Please note, Jean’s suicide takes place on stage in the play)
Scientist One/Rabi: Male, 40’s-50’s (Also plays Groves/Security One/Hoover)
A scientist and close friend of Dr. Oppenheimer, Dr. Rabi is a quick-witted and brilliant scientist. Rabi is collaborative and excited to be a part of such a pivotal scientific discovery. (This character has a brief dance sequence).
Lt. General Leslie Groves oversees the Manhattan Project from a military standpoint. He reports to the government on the progress of the project. Groves is cold, direct, and at times impatient.
Scientist Two/Teller: Male, 50’s-60’s (Also plays Voice Over/Lansdale/Security Two)
Dr. Teller: An eccentric scientist who is fiercely determined to design the Hydrogen bomb. Aggressive and hostile toward those who oppose him. (Please note this character, Teller, delivers a long monologue at the top of Act 2)
Lansdale: United States Army colonel who was in charge of intelligence and security for the Manhattan Project
Scientist Three/Young Scientist: Male, 20’s-30’s (Young Scientist/Soldier/British Envoy/Strauss)
Young Scientist: Eager to prove himself as a scientist to his more experienced peers. Uncomfortable with the number of casualties that result but passionate about the work. Perhaps a bit naive and idealistic.
Strauss: The cunning and AEC Commissioner, he is hostile toward Oppenheimer and fights to revoke his security clearance. A conservative republican, he is determined to prove that Oppenheimer is a Communist, and thus a threat to the United States Government.
Auditions will take place at Spotlight Theatre, located at the Twentieth Century Club, 84 S Lansdowne Ave, Lansdowne PA, 19050, on Thursday, August 7 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and Saturday, August 9 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Callbacks, if needed, will take place on Sunday, August 10 at 7:00 PM.
See above detail on audition materials, scheduling, and character descriptions.
