Below is the information for the SAG-AFTRA/IFA table read. We are pleased to announce that we are reading “I Don’t Dream in Spanish Anymore” from filmmaker Missy Hernandez. Her script was part of the Chicago Independent Producers Lab. The table read is a volunteer opportunity for SAG-AFTRA members to meet local filmmakers and participate in their pre-production development process. If you are interested in putting yourself on tape (audio or video), for consideration to read one of these roles, please email Kathy.Byrne@sagaftra.org to request the sides for the specific role(s) you are interested in. Sides will be provided for the main characters not the “also reading for” roles.
The Table Read is on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 6 pm at the KRC at 1 E. Erie, Chicago, IL with a rehearsal on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 5:30 pm. If you are able to commit to these 2 days - please feel free to submit. Deadline for submissions is March 15 at 5 pm.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Logline: A scientist must return to her roots to escape the horrors of an ancestral curse that threatens to kill her and her unborn child. The closer she gets to the truth of why her grandmother fled her homeland, the more danger she puts on herself and her pregnancy.
Project Synopsis: ISABEL (30s) is a Chicago-born Puerto Rican and a scientist who researches how trauma changes the genetic expression in the DNA of both the individuals who experienced it and the generations that follow. Conducting a study on migrant women and their families, she is focused on the trauma of displacement and assimilation. Upon entering the third trimester of her high-risk pregnancy, she is struck with visions. Terrible images of a witch, a fire, and bloodied hands haunt her dreams and intrude upon her daily life. After chasing an apparition into oncoming traffic and lands her in the hospital, Isabel's abuela, AMALIA (70s) warns Isabel that the curse will kill her in childbirth unless she finds a way to break it. Furious, Isabel dismisses this idea until the strength and frequency of her nightmares put a strain on her research and her marriage. Frightened about being labeled “crazy” and certain her husband will blame the stress of her work, Isabel seeks Amalia's help. The old woman offers little help, unable or unwilling to revisit the trauma that forced her to flee her homeland. Amalia retreats into her memories of the friend she loved and lost, LUISA, the only daughter of a dangerous BRUJA. Luisa, whose spirit Isabel chased into traffic, infiltrates Isabel’s dreams. After she learns that her husband sabotaged her career for “the sake of her health” Isabel runs away to Puerto Rico to discover the origins of the curse on her own. Against her better judgment, she uses her nightmares to guide her to the scene of the mysterious tragedy that caused the curse and the women who can help her break it.
Project Information: This project is a drama that mixes magical realism and horror. As scripted, it will be filmed in Chicago and Puerto Rico in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.
Casting Notes: For the production, characters listed with specific race, ethnicity, and language fluency will be cast as described. Though the reading will be held in English, some words, phrases, or moments translate better in Spanish. We would love to see as many bilingual actors (in roles that require it) as possible. Spanish utilized during the reading will be minimal and dependent on the comfort levels of the actors cast. The fluency levels listed are for character reference and are not a determining factor in the casting of this table read.
NARRATOR A charismatic and expressive voice to capture the spirit and pacing of this story and its elements of magical realism, thriller, and horror. Female. Spanish Proficiency: Fluent/Native speaker. Bilingual actors are a plus.
ISABEL (Lead – Late 30s) Isabel is a professor and scientific researcher in her late 30s. She is 7 months pregnant after a series of fertility issues and a miscarriage. Raised by her abuela, Amalia, after Isabel’s mother died in childbirth. A Native Chicagoan of Puerto Rican descent. Intelligent, intuitive, bold, and unyielding. Spanish Proficiency: Competent but clunky. Bilingual actors are a plus.
AMALIA (Lead – 70+) Amalia is a stern and secretive woman in her 70s who fled Puerto Rico as a young woman. She carries a lot of pain and guilt over the loss of loved ones and terrible events that were not her fault. Spanish Proficiency: Fluent/Native Spanish speaker. Speaks English with a Puerto Rican accent. Bilingual actors are a plus.
DANIEL (Lead – 50s) Daniel, Isabel’s husband, is a Latino man in his 50s, a professor, and a writer. Seemingly protective of his wife, their unborn child, and the life he has built for himself, he is a charming man with a jealous streak and the need to be seen as the one in control of the relationship.
CARLOS (Supporting – 30s) Carlos is a dance instructor with a sixth sense running away from their “gift” and destiny of becoming a healer. A reluctant ally to Isabel on her journey. An ambiguous, androgynous character of Latinx descent in their 30s. Spanish Proficiency: Competent to fluent. Bilingual actors are a plus. ALSO READS FOR: YOUNG AMALIA’S HUSBAND
LUISA (Supporting – Late teens) Luisa, the only child of the Bruja, was Young Amalia’s best friend. A magical person with child-like innocence and an otherworldly understanding of how things are and should be. Haunts Isabel and pulls her toward breaking the curse. Spanish Proficiency: Fluent/Native speaker. Bilingual actors are a plus. ALSO READS FOR: JULIA, LITTLE LUISA
YOUNG AMALIA (Supporting – Late teens) Amalia was a young woman in her teens and early 20s before being hardened by life’s traumas. A brave and generous person willing to risk her life and go against her family’s wishes to do what is right and help a friend in need. Spanish Proficiency: Fluent/Native Spanish speaker. Bilingual actors are a plus. ALSO READS FOR: LITTLE AMALIA, AMALIA LUISA,
THE BRUJA (Supporting – 50s) A fearsome and scarred woman (physically and emotionally), the Bruja was driven to witchcraft in desperation after a terrible crime that was committed against her. She raised her only daughter, Luisa, in the seclusion of the forest. Her daughter is her everything in life. She curses Amalia and her descendants. Spanish Proficiency: Fluent/Native speaker. Bilingual actors are a plus. ALSO READS FOR: OLD DOÑA BEATRICE, INDIGENOUS LATINA
JOHN/MIDDLE-AGED WHITE MAN (50s) A friend and fellow faculty member at the university where Isabel and Daniel teach. Male. ALSO READS FOR: BRANDON, KEVIN, SHOPPER, LOCAL MAN, PRIEST, WAITER, YOUNGER FARMER
PROF. PETERSON (60s – 70s) A stuffy and condescending fellow faculty member at the university where Isabel and Daniel teach. Open race/ethnicity. ALSO READS FOR: STEVE, NEIGHBOR, MEDITATION GUIDE, SHOP OWNER, OLDER FARMER
OLIVIA (50s) Isabel’s friend and fellow faculty member at the university. Supportive and sisterly – a genuine friend and confidant to Isabel. Female. Open race/ethnicity. ALSO READS FOR: MARTINA, THE ULTRASOUND TECHNICIAN, BUS DRIVER, LOCAL WOMAN
VERONICA (60s) A friend and fellow faculty member at the university where Isabel and Daniel teach. Female. Asian-American. ALSO READS FOR: YOUNG DOÑA BEATRICE/AMALIA’S MOTHER, FEMALE PASSENGER, ASHLEY, DOCTOR PRASAD, SECRETARY, JESSICA.
This is an unpaid table read. This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA Chicago members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2024 or in compliance with the November 2023 dues extension program). Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.
ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event.