cullud wattah
By Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Directed by ILesa Duncan
Rehearsals begin: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Performances: February 26-March 8, 2026
Mitchell Theatre
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Auditions are open to all students, regardless of major, as well as staff, faculty, and members of UW-Madison communities.
Generals: Friday, September 12th 2-5 pm, Saturday, September 13th 10-11 am in Vilas 1090.
Please sign up for a time via this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D49AAA822AAF49-58045288-cullud#/
Callbacks*: Saturday, September 13th, 12-3 pm Vilas 1090.
*Callbacks 12-1 pm held for Dance Nation company
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Actors are encouraged to read the script prior to auditions. A content advisory notice is below. Perusal copies of the script are available in the Department of Theatre and Drama Main Office, 6173 Vilas, 821 University Ave, during regular hours 8 am-5 pm Monday to Friday. For a digital copy, go to this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1is0mgr6KUEStcIs7LagoOBm8n0XGZ1LT/view?usp=drive_link&elqTrackId=BAE13F025861C5556A9EDB70C900D86A&elqTrack=true .
For Generals:
1-2 minutes, contemporary monologue, or personal story. Alternatively, auditionees can use one of the provided monologues here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yWGFHonycXydxA0M5A_qMGal-bdRHcn6?usp=sharing
For Callbacks:
Actors called back will receive an email in advance with details. Sides will be provided.
THE PLAY:
It is 2016 and it has been 936 days and counting since Flint, Michigan, has had clean water. Third-generation General Motors employee Marion finds herself on the cusp of a promotion until her sister begins participating in protests accusing the company of poisoning the water. Forced to confront their past and weigh their limited options for the future, the family finds their tight-knit unit threatened by more than just the toxicity of the water. Written by UW-Madison and First Wave alumna Erika Dickerson-Despenza, this powerful play deconstructs the linear passage of time to ponder the choices we make for the sake of our survival.
Content advisory: This production includes mature language, and distressing topics including abortion, miscarriage, illness, and racism.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION:
Rehearsals for University Theatre will take place January 20-February 25, 2026, Monday-Friday 6-10 pm with 1-2 TBD Saturdays based on company availability.
Student actors cast in this production must register for 1-3 credits of THEATRE 360 in the Spring term.
ROLES OPEN FOR AUDITIONS:
Roles may be cast by actors who identify as any gender, age, race, ethnicity, ability, or nationality unless indicated below. The directing team is committed to primarily casting from UW-Madison’s student population and therefore seeks actors with flexibility who can play younger or older aged characters.
*/** All instances of staged intimacy and staged violence for the characters required of the script are noted below.
PLUM – 9. physically frail, arithmetically sharp African American girl. curious, intuitive & wise.
MARION – 34. a robust cinnamon-colored African American woman, worn from care-taking. she is responsible, pragmatic & status quo. a third-generation engine assembly line worker at general motors. A widow. plum & reesee’s mama.
REESEE – 17. a queer, brass African American young woman devotee of yemoja. deeply curious about the spiritual nature of healing. A dancer & aspiring doula.
BIG MA – 60s. slight build with an elegant presence. a stern but deeply loving African American woman. the widowed matriarch of the cooper family – but only in title. a mississippi migrant with the south in her mouth; she often talks in pictures. rooted in a Blk southern baptist aesthetic that she finds herself queering.
AINEE – 37. a 34 weeks pregnant African American woman the color of pulled taffy. addiction survivor. frank, humorous & slick-mouthed; a straight shooter. fiercely maternal. the family historian & rebel interested in building political power. marion’s older sister.
A Note on Staged Intimacy: All staged intimate contact will be led in rehearsals by a consultant trained in staging intimacy. All instances of staged intimacy for the characters required of the script are noted with the character description below. Other instances of scripted intimacy (such as kisses to the hand, embraces) are optional and based on actors’ consent, with the intimacy director, director, or in partnership with both, in line with UT guidelines. If actors have questions, they will be given an option to indicate this on the audition form.
Intimacy moments:
Page 52-54 – Marion stands in her bathroom wearing only her panties and bra. She examines her body and kneads the rashes adjacent to her navel and on her inner thighs. She rubs ointment over the rashes. She puts on a pair of nylons. She covers herself with a towel. Ainee tugs Marion’s towel, It falls to the floor. Marion tries to cover the rashes with her bare hands. Marion picks up the towel and wraps it around herself, holds it in place.
Page 106 – Plum sits close to Ainee. Ainee carefully sits Plum in her lap.
A Note on Staged Violence: All staged contact will be led in rehearsals by a consultant trained in staging violence. All instances of staged violence for the characters required of the script are noted below. If actors prefer not to be considered for characters because of required staged violence or have questions they will be given an option to indicate this on the audition form.
Physical/Violence moments:
Page 9 – Big Ma jabs Reese with her cane.
Page 11 – Big Ma whacks Ainee with her cane.
Page 31 – Big Ma jabs Ainee with her cane.
Page 37 – Reesee’s Yoruba dance w/ machete
Page 39 – Reesee swings the machete above her head, almost nicks Ainee in the process, she ducks.
Page 40 -Reesee dances again
Page 66 – Big Ma tries to hit Reesee with her cane, but Reese successfully dodges her.
Page 103 – Big Ma pops Reesee on the back on her head.
Page 130 – Big Ma jabs Reesee with her cane.
Pages 131-133 – The tub overflows with contaminated water. Plum is submerged and unconscious. Marion attempts to solitarily lift Plum. Plum rises out of the tub and exits the bathroom. Marion tries to lift the memory of Plum from the tub. She slips and loses her grip. She tries again and again.
***There will be no staged intimacy or violence of any kind in auditions or callbacks***
Heightened Content moments:
Page 13 – Big Ma and Marion discuss abortion.
Page 26 – Ainee references past miscarriages.
Page 53-55 – Ainee runs to the toilet, her panties slide to her ankles below her dress and she plops down on the toilet seat. Ainee wipes herself, pulls her panties up.
Page 89 – Ainee’s water breaks
Pages 91-98 – Intermission – Ainee in a bloody hospital gown redacts the class action lawsuit text, including a description of her stillbirth.
Page 101 – Blood runs between Reesee’s thighs. She finds a pad or tampon, reaches for a pair of panties and changes. Removes remaining blood with baby wipes. Cleans soiled panties.
Page 103 – Big Ma discusses the love of but constraint exploring a lesbian relationship with her best friend..
Page 108 – Ainee is lactating though her shirt.
Page 116 – Ainee lactating through her robe.
A Note on Ensemble Movement/Choreography: All movement will be led in rehearsals by a faculty artist and/or consultant trained in ensemble practices and/or movement. All movement exercises and choreography will be adapted to the abilities and experience level of members of the ensemble. No experience is necessary.
A Note on Mental Health Resources: A mental health advisor from University Health Services will be assigned to all University Theatre shows as a resource for questions and concerns.
Important Note on COVID-19: Please note that with safety considerations related to COVID-19, staging, including movement, intimacy and violence may be curtailed, abstracted, or cut. The University Theatre adheres to all University policies on COVID-19 concerning events and classes UW COVID information https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/covid/. As such, UT highly recommends practices that align with the current CDC guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/covid/prevention/index.html.
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Do you have questions?? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Artistic Director Aly Amidei at aramidei@wisc.edu or Director of Theatre Production Jahana Azodi at jadzodi@wisc.edu
Do you have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Aly Amidei at aramidei@wisc.edu or Jahana Azodi at jadzodi@wisc.edu