Show: BY THE WATER
Theater: The Summit Playhouse
Theater Website: https://www.thesummitplayhouse.org/summit-playhouse-auditions-674889.html
Theater Phone: (908) 273-2192
Start date of auditions: 08/09/2026
The Summit Playhouse
10 New England Avenue
Summit NJ 07901
Audition Info:
BY THE WATER
by Sharyn Rothstein
Directed by Karen Thornton
Producers: Sam Nissen and Pam Heller
Stage Manager: Idris Schaffer
AUDITION DATES/TIMES:
Sunday, August 9 at 7:00 PM
Monday, August 10 at 7:00 PM
Callbacks (if needed): Wednesday, August 12
LOCATION:
The Summit Playhouse
10 New England Avenue
Summit NJ 07901
The Summit Playhouse is seeking actors for BY THE WATER, a heartfelt and compelling drama by Sharyn Rothstein.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Murphy family struggles to rebuild their Staten Island home and their lives. As old wounds resurface and loyalties are tested, each family member must decide what they’re willing to fight for—and what they’re willing to leave behind. Filled with humor, warmth, and deeply human characters, By the Water is a moving story about family, community, and the meaning of home.
Actors should be prepared to read from sides provided at the audition. Please bring a headshot and résumé if available. The audition form is available for download HERE, along with sides HERE (scroll to bottom of page in the link).
If you are unable to attend in person, please email summitplayhouseinfo@gmail.com to arrange an alternate audition.
REHEARSALS:
Rehearsals begin the week of August 23 and will be arranged around actors’ schedules.
PERFORMANCES:
October 17-18, October 23-25, October 30-31, & November 1, 2026
Whether you’re a longtime member of the Summit Playhouse family or auditioning with us for the first time, we’d love to see you. Join us as we bring this beautiful story of resilience, hope, and community to the stage.
Seeking 3 women and 4 men, ages early 30s to 60s.
MARTY MURPHY, 60s, blue-collar, a community man with a fierce sense of loyalty and of the way the world should work. Tough but charming. Capable of changing moods on a dime.
MARY MURPHY, 60s, a woman of faith, sweet but never saccharine. A loving mother and very devoted wife, who has made a life out of looking past the faults of those she loves.
SAL MURPHY, early-mid 30s, ambitious, smart, a born-again Manhattanite. An innate sense of humor and warmth have been chipped away at by an unforgiving family, but they’re still there.summit
BRIAN MURPHY, early 30s, a recovering user and all-around badass. Inherited his father’s charm and quick laugh; until a recent stint in prison, he lived a dangerously charmed life of being rewarded for the wrong things.
PHILIP CARTER, early 60s, a retired auto-mechanic/body-shop owner, a friendly man with an easy sense of humor, a natural peacekeeper.
ANDREA CARTER, early 60s, funny, shrewd, and opinionated; the kind of great friend and strong woman who quickly becomes more sister than friend.
EMILY MANCINI, early 30s, Brian’s former high school sweetheart; now a wry, self-aware woman coming to terms with a crumbling marriage and the fact that life at 30 doesn’t look like what she thought it would. Works in the city, probably lives in Brooklyn or Queens.
