Audition Information
Auditions will be held on Sunday, May 10, 2026, and May 11, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.at Hole in the Wall Theater (116 Main Street, New Britain, CT 06051)
Callbacks, if necessary will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the New Britain Police Station Community Room. (10 Chestnut Street, New Britain, CT 06051)
If you plan to audition, you can sign-up ahead of time here. Walk-ins are welcome!
You may print and fill out an audition form to bring with you. You may also fill this out in person, should you prefer.
Auditions will consist of readings from the choreopoem. The sides are available for preparation here. Memorization is not required.
About the Play
Belly: An American Love Story is a series of poems, collectively called a “choreopoem.” Belly: An American Love Story travels across time to tell the stories of Black women’s experiences of reproduction past, present and future. It is an intergenerational voyage of Black woman/motherhood, transpiring through the mediums of word, song and dance. The choreopoem begins by looking back at the histories and context of Black women’s reproduction as experienced through the transatlantic slave trade. It explores intersecting themes such as pregnancy and birth, maternal health disparities, loss and various other facets, both good and challenging, of Black women and mother’s experiences. Finally, Belly ponders the idea of liberation and justice as the characters dream radically about the future and world that they would like to see for themselves, their families, and communities. In the end, the central theme arising from the work is love. While it highlights the complicated histories and current challenges experienced by Black women/mothers in the United States, it also centers the legacies of love, care work, support and resistance employed by Black women in order to survive.
About the Playwright
Dr. Haile Cole has a B.A. in Sociology and African-American Studies and received both her M.A. and PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. The concentration for her graduate studies focused on African Diaspora Studies and she also received a portfolio in Women and Gender Studies. Over the years, Haile has conducted research on alternatives to incarceration for mothers and their children in both Texas and New York as well as maternal and infant mortality for Black women nationally and in Texas. Overall, her scholarly interests include Black feminisms, community-engaged/social justice research methodology, motherhood, and health disparities. Some of her most recent projects have also included creative work such as photography and a stage play based on her doctoral research. She has served on the faculty at a number of academic institutions including Texas State University, Amherst College, Northwestern University and the University of Connecticut. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut University. She has spent the last 10 years devoting her time to community and social justice activism centered on the needs of poor and working-class mothers and women of color in Austin, TX and is passionate about reproductive justice work. She is also a trained birth educator and birth companion (doula).
Questions?
Reach out to the director, Laurie Maria Cabral, at LCabral909@aol.com