Now Casting: Mrs. Whitman’s Words for Women

Mrs. Whitman’s Words for Women, winner of Murphys Creek Theatre’s 2024 Quill to Act New Play Festival, receives its world premiere professional production this fall, directed by Jodi Vaccaro.

About the Play

Set in 1918 at the University of Michigan, the play follows three young women living in one of the first all-female dorms as they begin to question a system designed to turn them into obedient wives and hostesses. What begins as quiet resistance becomes a bold, illegal campaign to distribute birth control information to factory workers in Detroit. With urgency, wit, and emotional depth, the play explores the roots of the women’s rights movement and the cost of challenging societal norms.

Rehearsal & Performance Schedule

  • Rehearsals begin: September 2, 2025, in Murphys, CA

  • Preview performance: September 25

  • Run: September 26 – October 19

    • Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2:00 PM

    • Additional Community Night performance: Monday, September 29 at 7:30 PM

  • All actors are expected to be off-book by the first rehearsal.

Compensation & Housing

  • Roles pay up to $1,400

  • Actors may choose to volunteer their role instead of accepting payment

  • Housing provided for actors traveling more than 50 miles

  • Actors are responsible for their own travel

  • All paid actors must submit W-4 and I-9 forms

Audition Details

Characters (Must be able to play age 17–25 on stage)

  • Grace (17–18): A young woman from rural Michigan studying veterinary science. Her family expects her to marry quickly and well. THIS ROLE IS CAST.

  • Roy (23–25): Grace's older brother and a medical student at the university. Married and expecting a child, he’s been tasked with finding Grace an appropriate husband.

  • Lillian (21): The daughter of a university professor, filling the place her brother George would have held before his death in the war. Grieving but hopeful, she’s searching for her place. She sings and plays the ukulele. THIS ROLE IS CAST.

  • Ida (18): A big personality with big ideas, sent to the university by her wealthy "Aunt Elizabeth" to study industrial engineering. Raised in the city and exposed to radical thinking, Ida is blunt, bold, and deeply driven. THIS ROLE IS CAST.

  • Alice (21): Roy's pregnant wife, slightly awed by the university women. She’s their age but has already made the life choices that define her path. She envies their freedom. THIS ROLE IS CAST.

  • Harriet (19–20): A mid-year transfer to the Martha Cook Building. The actor portraying Alice will also play Harriet. THIS ROLE IS CAST.

Read the Script

The script for Mrs. Whitman’s Words for Women is provided HERE for audition purposes only. This material is the intellectual property of the playwright and is not to be shared, reproduced, distributed, or performed in whole or in part without express written permission from the author.

By accessing this script, you agree to use it solely for the purpose of preparing for auditions with Murphys Creek Theatre.

Questions?