We Are Here: An Audio Drama
Project Overview
Podcast summary
Audition guidelines
- You don't need a top-of-the-line microphone or a home studio, but some kind of professional recording equipment is required. My current recording setup is a Blue Yeti mic, pop filter, and a laptop for reference.
- Please record in a quiet room, with decent acoustics--both for your audition and when we enter production.
- Please include some way to contact you with your audition. (Discord or email is preferred.)
What to expect if you get the role
- If you audition for a lead role and get it, you can expect to be putting in 4 hours a week at maximum while we're recording a season, probably less--and for a minor role, you can expect about one hour a week while recording.
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This is not a paid role. I'm looking into the possibility of applying for grants/working out some other way to pay actors, but as it stands there isn't going to be any money coming out of it. However, if it did get to the point where we could make money off of it via a Patreon page, merchandise, etc., obviously the first thing on the agenda is paying actors. That being said, if there's any favours I could do for you in exchange for your work, I'm open to discussing that. - Once we do enter production, there will be deadlines for when I need recordings. However, this is also a passion project, and so if something comes up for you we can always change that. It's super important to me that everyone on my team feels comfortable and respected.
- I currently have a four-season arc planned out for the show, each season taking about a year to produce. This is a long-term commitment, so keep that in mind when auditioning. As well, the show will deal with some heavy, potentially triggering topics--which I'll mention before sending each script--and there is swearing, so keep that in mind.
- You will need to make a Discord account if you get the role, as I'll be coordinating table reads, deadlines, and sending scripts via a Discord server.
Please note: I'll be adding more roles as time goes on, so if there's nothing you want to try for, just come back in a week and I might have posted something new! Right now, I'm just trying to test the waters and figure out how this whole thing works. :)
Thank you so much for your interest in the project, and I hope to work with you in the future!
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*He's very kind, and sweet. He has a tendency to get nervous in unknown situations, and infodump a bit. Often reads into social interactions far more than he needs to.
*He struggles with social anxiety, fear of abandonment, and a whole host of other issues. He was abandoned by his biological parents when he was little, and his ghosts represent that trauma. Although his adoptive moms love him, and they have a really nice family dynamic, he's constantly afraid of being left by them anyway.
*Super afraid of letting other people get close to him, and takes a while to open up. He always wants to take care of other people, sometimes to the point of hurting himself.
*His whole character arc is about healing, and learning how to trust other people again, and all that good stuff.
(a bit nervous) Uh, do you want to get started? Or, like, if you don't wanna do it now, I could get you some tea? Cookies? Or, like, a blanket? Whatever you want.
(sad and quiet) I think I'm just... tired. I was up most of last night. Sadie's super worried, I can tell. She wants me to see a therapist--which, I mean, objectively probably a good idea, but I'm just... it's scary. And besides, it's expensive, and we're not exactly rolling in money.
(crying, his voice raised) Leave me alone! I don't want to do this anymore, please. Whatever unfinished business you have with me, please. Don't you have better things to do?
* Sandy is Charlie's mom. She loves her daughter, but has a lot of her own baggage, and doesn't really know how to handle her, so often has left Charlie to raise herself.
*She got pregnant when she was pretty young (around 18 or 19), and married Charlie's dad, Jeremy. But their relationship quickly fell apart. They've been divorced for about a year now, but she's still struggling to figure out who is without him, and how to function on her own. Because she got married and had a kid so young, in some ways she's very mature, and in other ways, she never had a chance to grow up, and figure herself out separate of other people--and still feels a bit like a teenager.
*Her arc is about learning to be brave, and attempting to heal her rocky relationship with her daughter, and make up for how she's failed her in the past.
(quiet and warm, to Charlie) Okay. Well, I'll be back in a few hours. Try to eat something that's not a freezer meal—you look like hell.
(angry, through tears) Jeremy, I gave you everything. I dropped out of college, I moved halfway across the country—I trusted you. I keep our kid, because you tell me to. I marry you, because you say it's best for everyone. But I am so tired of letting you tell me what to do.
(tired and soft) Hey, is there... anything I can get you? I'm really sorry. Something came up that's all. It won't happen again.
* Rob is Angelina's dad. He's very authoritative and controlling, and not a fun person to be around. He can be loving, but only when he feels like he's the one in charge of the relationship--and if other characters challenge that control, he quickly becomes cold and hostile, often punishing his daughter with the silent treatment when she's done something wrong. I imagine him with a very deep, booming voice.
(stern) Angelina? I heard voices. What's going on?
(bitter, his voice a bit raised) Your mother and I are very disappointed in you for your behaviour today.
- Anna is Scott's mom. She sees a lot of herself in him, as they both have experienced being left by close family. She desperately wants her son to have a better life than her, and to grow up in a healthy, safe environment, and she's willing to do pretty much anything to make sure he's happy.
- Her and her wife, Sadie, run a café together, and live in a small apartment above it.
(panicked) Scott. What the hell is going on?
(trying to calm someone down) Hey, look at me. It's gonna be okay. We're... we're gonna work this out.
(confused, and a little bit worried) Honey, we were just down at the cafe closing up. That's all. Are you... okay? Do you need to talk?
- Pandora is one of Scott's two ghosts. She's what he imagines his biological mother was like, although in reality that's just a persona she takes on to freak him out.
- She often scolds him, and talks down to him, manipulating him into believing that she's the only one he can trust, and that the people he loves are lying. I imagine her having a deep, overbearing mom type voice.
- Most of the ghosts have some kind of specialty, and hers is optical illusions. As the series goes on, she'll often freak Scott out by making everything go suddenly dark around him, so he can't see his loved ones, and is completely alone..
(quiet and menacing) They're lying to you, boy. They don't want you, and they never will.
Oh, you want to fight? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.
I am ashamed of you.
- So, for some background: ghosts are essentially projections from an alternate dimension called The Nowhere--essentially, it's a barren hellscape where the air is unbreathable, the ground is made of ash, and nothing grows. So ghosts are forced to feed off of the happiness, hope, energy, and general life force of their human hosts. But Auren is a bit different--he tried to bring his host into The Nowhere to kill them, but they managed to take power/energy from him, sever their connection, and disappear. Ever since, he's had to feed off weak, dying ghosts who haven't been able to take enough from their human counterparts, which has allowed him to come back much stronger than he was originally.
- Because of this, he's ruled over The Nowhere for as long as anyone can remember, and has been alive for thousands of years. He's very cautious and likes to keep everything more or less the same, terrified of losing his power and status.
- He's very composed for the most part, and isn't interested in flashy items or big parties, and keeps to himself. But he does want to keep absolute control over his subjects, and everyone around him.
(righteous and firm) This is ridiculous, and bordering on treason. I don't know what you think you're playing at, but I expect to hear nothing more of it.
(almost bored) Skip the preamble. I'm a busy man. What do you want from me?
(booming and firm) Leave! Now.
- Gabriel is Scott's second ghost. He represents how Scott imagines his biological father--even though he has no connection to him in reality, it's just a form he takes on to freak Scott out.
- He's a very typical intimidating dad--he doesn't talk much, but when he does it's usually some form of scolding or criticism. Where Pandora tries to have a bit of a lighter touch, sowing seeds of doubt and fear in Scott's mind, Gabriel usually just goes straight to yelling at him, since Scott gets really upset by conflict/confrontation.
- Him and Pandora are very closely tied to each other, as neither can really survive without the other. Where she specializes in optical illusions, he specializes in manipulating what Scott can hear. They don't particularly like each other, but they're stuck working together.
(disappointed and a bit condescending) You're whiny, you're miserable to be around--you're a mess. Who would ever want you?
(furious) Don't you dare. No one wants to hear about your stupid, melodramatic problems.
- Sadie is Anna's wife, and Scott's mom. She's not great at letting the people she loves know how much she cares, and often hides behind sarcasm and quiet gestures of affection, but she'd do anything for her family.
- She's a Black woman.
- She's struggled with agoraphobia and depression since she was a teenager. She's mostly got it under control now, after many years of therapy and trying to find the right medication. But sometimes she still has bad days when it's hard for her to cope.
- Sometimes she gets overwhelmed with all her adult responsibilities, and worries she's going to let the people she loves down, but in reality, she's got things under control.
(clearly panicking, but trying to maintain a calm facade) Are you hurt? What happened?
(gentle and warm) I could teach you some breathing exercises if that would help? I know, like, a lot of breathing exercises. You'd think people would just decide on one or two, but... (she laughs softly)
(quiet) You know... if you need anything, you can always talk to me. (she hesitates) I love you.
- This is just a small role with a few lines in the first episode. That being said, because it's so minor, if you want to take on a more major role, or another extra role in later episodes, you'd be the first in line for that. :)
Ms. Wilson, cellphones are not permitted in the library. Hand it over.
- Atlas is pretty quiet, and generally pretty gentle. He definitely gets nervous around other people and feels like he's gonna let them down, but he tries not to show it. I imagine him having a very soft, quiet, soothing voice.
- Atlas is Anna's brother and Scott's uncle. He's always been close to his nephew and his sister and is pretty involved in Scott's life.
- He also teaches Charlie's English class. He's her favourite teacher and the only authority figure in her life who genuinely tries to look out for her, and make sure she's okay. He notices when she starts to act weird at school towards the end of season one, and has a good hunch of what she's gotten herself into.
Hey, are you all right? Do you wanna talk about it? Is there anything I can do to help?
(stern) That kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in my classroom. See me after class.
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