FIRE!! is a world premiere Philadelphia production that captures the vibrant spirit of 1920s Harlem and the young Black artists who helped define a cultural revolution. Set over one star-lit night, the play follows six emerging writers—including Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman, and Zora Neale Hurston—as they gather to launch FIRE!! Devoted to Young Artists, a bold magazine that would become a landmark in American literary history.
Blending humor, realism, and magical realism, FIRE!! brings to life stories from the magazine through music, movement, and poetry. It is a celebration of youthful vision, artistic defiance, and the spark that lit the Harlem Renaissance. FIRE!!... honors the courage of young writers daring to ignite a new movement of literature in America - It is a love letter to youth, collaboration, and the heat of becoming.
This is a world premiere production adapted by Marilyn Campbell Lowe and Paul Oakley Stovall, and directed by Raelle Myrick Hodges. The script will continue to be developed throughout the rehearsal process.
Looking for actors, dancers and musicians. Please note: seeking African American artists to portray historical literary figures from the 1920s; The play takes place prior to these iconic figures' literary recognition.
Please prepare a 1–2 minute contemporary monologue, and sixteen bars of a ballad to be sung.
Auditions will be held at 7135 Germantown Avenue on Monday, June 16 from noon - 5pm, and the AEA EPA call Tuesday, June 17 from 10am - 6pm (lunch 1:30 - 2:30).
First rehearsal - 9/2/2025. Opening - 10/16/2025. Closing - 11/3/2025.
Character Descriptions:
Langston Hughes - (in his 20s) a prominent African American poet, playwright, and social activist, best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. His writing captured the everyday lives, struggles, and dreams of Black Americans, using jazz-inspired rhythms and accessible language.
Gwendoly Bennett - Gwendolyn Bennett was a poet, artist, and journalist associated with the Harlem Renaissance, known for celebrating African American heritage and identity in her work. Her poems and essays often explored themes of racial pride, femininity, and cultural legacy, contributing significantly to early 20th-century Black literary and artistic movements.
Zora Neale Hurton - Zora Neale Hurston was an influential African American author, anthropologist, and folklorist best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her work celebrated Black Southern culture and dialect, blending storytelling with anthropological insight to preserve African American folklore and traditions.
Helene Johnson - Helene Johnson (mid 20s) was a pioneering African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance, known for her vivid and emotionally resonant verse that explored themes of racial pride, identity, and the complexities of Black life in America. A cousin of novelist Dorothy West, Johnson published over thirty poems in prominent literary journals such as Opportunity, Fire!!, and Vanity Fair, and was recognized by contemporaries like Robert Frost for her innovative style and thematic depth .
Richard Bruce - (21 years old) Richard Bruce Nugent , often publishing as Richard Bruce, was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the few openly gay writers of the era. His groundbreaking work, including the short story Smoke, Lilies and Jade, explored themes of race, sexuality, and identity with a bold modernist style.
Wallace Thurman - ( late 20s) Wallace Thurman (1902–1934) was a pioneering African American writer and editor central to the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Salt Lake City, he moved to Harlem in 1925, where he became managing editor of The Messenger and co-founded the literary magazine Fire!!, which challenged prevailing notions of Black art.
To schedule an audition please email [email protected]. Please include your character(s) of preference, prefered audition time, and union status (AEA or non-AEA).
