Alter Ego Blog

COMPANY NAME
AlterEgo Productions (www.alteregoproductions.org)

TITLE OF PRODUCTION
A First Class Man by David Freeman

Please note: This production is intended to be an equity showcase (pending equity approval).

Budget and resources commensurate with the code.

PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
Creative Directors: Bhavna Thakur, Nilay Oza
Producers: Prashant Vijay, Seema Malik, Puja Ogale

David Freeman, Playwright: David Freeman is a screenwriter and the author of six books, including the story collection A Hollywood Education, The Last Days of Alfred Hitchcock, a memoir about his experience writing a script with the great director; One of Us, a novel of Egypt and England, and most recently It's All True. His play Jesse and the Bandit Queen ran for 200 performances at The Public Theater in New York, won several prizes, and has played around the world. His journalism, reviews, and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

Kareem Fahmy, Director: Hailing from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Kareem Fahmy has directed nearly twenty productions in the U.S. and Canada. Montreal directing credits include the Canadian premieres of Naomi Iizuka’s Language of Angels and Suzan-Lori Parks’ Venus, Patrick Marber’s Closer, and Constance Congdon’s Tales of the Lost Formicans. In New York: Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (The Theatre of the Riverside Church), Judith Thompson’s Lion in the Streets (Abingdon Theater), Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class and Bertolt Brecht’s Drums in the Night (Schapiro Theater), The Way To Begin (Horace Mann Theater), and Anton Chekhov’s On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (Schapiro Studio). Kareem is the founder and Artistic Director of The Alternate Theatre, a company which has a mission to bring the best of contemporary Canadian drama to New York City audiences. Kareem is a graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Directing program where he studied under Anne Bogart. (www.kareem.alternatetheatre.com)

UNION CATEGORY
Union/Nonunion Stage

APPROXIMATE PRODUCTION DATES & LOCATIONS
Rehearsals: First week of September to first week of October

Performances: October 5th to October 29th (12 performances and 4 possible extensions in this time frame) at the 45th Street Theatre (45th btwn 8th and 9th Aves)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/CAST BREAKDOWN

About the Company: Alter Ego Productions has been around since 2002 and this will be our fifth production. Some of our past shows include Hayavadana by Girish Karnad, Chaos Theory by Anuvab Pal, Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard and Fatwa by Anuvab Pal. Our productions have had sold out shows and have been very well-received by the media. In addition to attracting traditional off-off-Broadway theater goers, we have a large following amongst young, South Asians.
Here are some past comments about us:
“The professionalism, wit and daring on abundant display make AlterEgo Productions a company to look out for" — TheaterMania
"Alter Ego's production shines throughout, proving their staging worth of Stoppard's own talents" — Martin Denton (NY Theatre)
You can also find out more information about us at www.alteregoproductions.org.

A First Class Man — SYNOPSIS: The amazing true story of the most enigmatic mathematician of the 20th century, Srinivasa Ramanujan. A largely uneducated clerk from South India, Ramanujan was a mathematical prodigy who developed theorems so advanced that they stunned the world (and continue to be studied today). Brought to Trinity College at Cambridge in the early 1900s to work with some of the world’s most respected mathematicians, his unfaltering religious beliefs were in sharp contrast to the ideals of reason and fact that were held by the British. A First Class Man is also the story of Ramanujan’s mentor and friend, G.H. Hardy. An atheist, an eccentric rationalist, and groomed in formal pure mathematics, Hardy was challenged to accept that according to Ramanujan, his mathematical genius was a gift from the Hindu Gods. The collaboration between Hardy and Ramanujan was as much about coming to terms with the differences their culture and it was about math, and this unique relationship — dense, complex, even romantic — is at the heart of this sweeping epic of a play, set during the tumult of the beginnings of the First World War. A play about genius and love, and a class of cultures that would turn the world of mathematics upside down.

CHARACTERS
Ramanujan: Male, early to mid-20s or early 30s, South Asian (dark skinned)
A mathematical genius. His cross-cultural exchange with Hardy and England is a challenge for him—he is at odds with the English way of life. At conflict with his own beliefs and the beliefs of the culture he has been thrown into. He is extremely religious and believes that his mathematical abilities are a gift from God. Rituals play an important role in this life. At the same time he becomes extremely close to Hardy with whom he shares a complex relationship and a very productive mathematical collaboration. He is sensitive and emotional and being far away from his home is difficult for him. During his stay in England he has an affair with Esme, an Englishwoman who fulfills his emotional needs yet tears him apart inside because this relationship is entirely against the grain of his religion and culture. He falls sick and we see a transformation in the Ramanujan who arrived in England—his time in England will bring him success and confidence but also sickness and mental anguish. (Note, this character appears in nearly every scene. A large time commitment is associated with being cast in this role).


G. H. Hardy: Male, early to mid-30s, Caucasian
Handsome, well-spoken, and fiercely intelligent, he is product of the best English education. Hardy is at the top of his field in Cambridge. He loves cricket and math and is an atheist, he is (defying the populace) anti-war and believes in proof and rigor in math. Despite his archetypal “stiff-upper lipped Englishman” exterior, inside he is an emotional whirlwind, using his rationality to suppress desires both emotional and sexual, guilt for abandoning his religion, and an aching loneliness. He alone recognizes the potential in the young unknown Indian Ramanujan fights for him to be accepted in the hallowed halls of Trinity. He develops strong, somewhat protective, potentially romantic feelings toward Ramanujan.

J. E. Littlewood: Male, early to mid-30s, Caucasian
A fellow mathematician and Hardy’s closest personal friend. Strong-willed, domineering, comically arch in personality. He has reservations at first about Ramanujan coming to England. Littlewood always speaks his mind, caring little for the feelings of those around him. He simply calls it like he sees it. Politically astute and a pragmatist. In touch with the world around him – imaginative, powerful, and humorous. But most of all, ambitious. He knows more about Hardy than Hardy does himself.

Esme Smith-Elliott: Female, 20s or 30s, Caucasian
Sensuous, curious, utterly romantic, Esme is a painter and extremely knowledgeable of Indian culture. She is perhaps what one may call an "Indophile". She has delicacy and intuition. She has a clear inner thought process and is not fooled by anyone. She lives with Sankar but develops a deep relationship with Ramanujan which throws his world into tumult.

Manu/Sankar: Male, early to mid-20s, South-Asian
Two roles played by the same actor. Manu is Ramanujan's younger brother. Smiling, good-natured, enthusiastic. He likes to live by the book and works diligently toward his goals of attaining a higher education and a respected position in society so he can please his mother. He is constantly overshadowed by Ramanujan, yet his deep love for his brother causes him to protect him.

Sankar is an Indian man living in England and denounces everything Indian. He has a live-in girlfriend but continues to sleep with women all over Cambridge. He is selfish, arrogant, charming and sophisticated. He takes what he wants from the world and makes no apologies. Languid and verbose, he treats Ramanujan with a mixture of affection and disdain.

Komala/Aunty Sita: Female, 50s, South-Asian
Komala is Ramanujan's mother who is extremely traditional and religious. She wants the best for her son but is against his going to England. She is the epitome of the conventional, south-Indian woman yet she is the main force in her household. She has a strong personality and is the primary influence on Ramanujan through his formative years. Cunning, crafty, deeping loving of her sons, she constructs an elaborate plan to ensure Ramanujan’s return to India.

An older Indian woman living in England, Aunty Sita is somewhat comical in her quest to get her niece, Jaya, married to a good Indian man. She is well educated and from the Indian upper class.

Chaplain/Mr. Vishvanathan: Male, late 40s to 50s, either Caucasian or light-skinned South Asian
Two roles played by the same actor. Mr. Vishvanathan is a math teacher who is extremely sure of himself and what he knows. He berates Ramanujan for his curiosity and free thinking. The Chaplain is an Englishman who is chaplain at Trinity in England and has a strong belief in his religion and values. He is at first confounded by Ramanujan and his Hindu beliefs. He sees Indians from a colonizer’s point of view and thinks the "natives" cannot appreciate English culture and civilization.

Janaki/Jaya: Female, early 20s, South Asian
Janaki, demure and shy, becomes Ramanujan’s bride in an arranged marriage when she is very young.

Jaya is an Indian girl living in England, embarrassed by her aunt's quest for a husband for her. She has abandoned her conventional upbringing to carry on an affair with Sankar.

Sir Martyn Blake/The Major: Male, 40s or 50s, Caucasian
Sir Martyn is a British colonizer in Indian. He has an aristocratic, Old-world English way about himself. Somewhat domineering, he nonetheless is one of the few in India to identify Ramanujan’s potential for mathematics.
The Major is a member of the staff at Trinity College. Set in his ways. Very absorbed in the privileged world of academia.

NOTE: All actors cast must be:
- adept at dialects (especially South Asian and British)
- excellent at movement (Viewpoints-trained, Suzuki-trained eagerly accepted)
- ability to play more than one role (for many of the cast)
- good at group work and group movement

Auditions:
Auditions to be held on:
Wednesday August 9th from 6pm to 10pm (at Columbia University)
Thursday August 10th from 8pm to 11pm (at Columbia University)
Callbacks will follow on Monday August 14th at 8pm (at Champions studio, 257 W. 39th St. 14th floor, NY)
(Alternative audition times can also be arranged based on availability)
If selected for an audition, actors will be asked to prepare either a monologue or a piece of dialogue from A First Class Man. A reader will be provided for dialogue.

Submission accepted by mail only:
***please include your e-mail address and phone number with your submission. We will contact you if you are selected for an audition***
Mail headshots to
Kareem Fahmy
417 W. 118th St., #2
New York, NY 10027