When the Lafayette siblings return to their late father’s crumbling Arkansas estate to settle his debts, they uncover a hidden photo album containing horrific historical artifacts. As long-buried rivalries ignite and secrets leak out, the family is forced to confront their shared history and implicit complicity in a dark past.
Appropriate is a powerful and thought-provoking play about three siblings who reunite at their late father’s Arkansas home and confront a disturbing secret from his past. Appropriate offers a distinctive exploration of family, identity, and inherited secrets by revealing how buried histories shape the stories we tell about ourselves, and one another. Sarah Paulson won a Tony award for her role in the 2023 Broadway revival.
"A razor-sharp, fiercely funny, and devastating interrogation of American history." — The New York Times
Cast Details
Toni Lafayette: Female, 50’s, The eldest Lafayette sibling. Fiercely protective of her family home and deeply invested in preserving her version of the family’s history. Intelligent, volatile, and emotionally complex, Toni struggles to maintain control as buried secrets come to light.
Bo Lafayette: Male, 40’s/50’s, Toni’s younger brother. A successful, composed, and pragmatic man who returns to the family home to settle his father’s estate. Bo attempts to approach the family conflict rationally, but his own history and complicated relationships make it difficult to remain detached.
Franz Lafayette: Male, Late 30’s/early 40’s. The youngest Lafayette sibling, estranged from the family for years. His unexpected return forces the family to confront painful truths about their father and themselves. Franz is intense, wounded, and unpredictable, carrying a deep sense of anger and betrayal.
River: Female, 20’s. Franz’s much younger partner. Open-minded, spiritual, and eager to find meaning in the world, River brings a contrasting perspective to the Lafayette family. His optimism and curiosity are tested by the family’s history and dysfunction.
Rachael Kramer-Lafayette: Female, 40s. Bo’s wife and mother to Cassidy and Ainsley. A sharp, outspoken New Yorker with strong opinions and a fierce protective instinct toward her children. Rachael often finds herself caught in the middle of the Lafayette family’s tensions, navigating complicated relationships, buried resentments, and uncomfortable truths. She is intelligent, emotionally complex, and unafraid to challenge the family when pushed.
Cassie, Female, Teenager. Bo’s daughter. A bright, perceptive young woman who is navigating her own identity while witnessing the unraveling of her family. Cassie brings youthful energy and emotional honesty to the story.
Rhys, Male, Late teens. Toni’s son. A young man caught between his mother’s expectations and his own desire to understand the family’s past. Rhys provides another generation’s perspective on the family’s complicated legacy
Open Reading and Auditions
An Open Reading will take place at Coventry Vision Hub, 33-35 Earlsdon Ave South, CV5 6TH on Sunday 20th September at 7:30pm. Anyone is welcome who would like to find out more about the production, is interested in auditioning for one of the roles, or simply enjoys reading or hearing a play out loud.
Auditions will then take place on Thursday October 8th at the theatre, at 7:30pm.
See the website for further information about the play, casting requirements and auditions or contact the director Dean Sheridan on deansheridanperformer@live.co.uk
EDI Assessment
In line with our EDI policy, we undertake an EDI impact assessment of all our artistic programming. This play deals with issues of systemic racism, historical racial violence, and white privilege. For the purposes of the story narrative, specific ethnicity and playing gender identifications are called for. The playwright who comes from a global majority background, intentionally requires an all-white ensemble to place whiteness and historical privilege under direct dramaturgical scrutiny. There can be flexibility around casting with regard to age and disability.