Who wants to be mother superior?

In L.A., it’s not unusual for actors who are tempted by better-paying jobs to quit theater roles before opening night.

But “I have never experienced anything like this,” said casting director Michael Donovan, referring to International City Theatre’s “Agnes of God,” which opens April 25 in Long Beach.

The role of a mother superior was passed from Michael Learned to Mariette Hartley to Diane Ladd to Kathleen Nolan to the current Mimi Cozzens.

The reasons for exiting the play ranged from roles in “Elizabeth the Queen” at the Folger Theatre in Washington (Learned) and “Cabaret” on Broadway (Hartley), to the war-related postponement of a big actors’ union meeting (Ladd) and medical treatment after an accident (Nolan).

Meanwhile, the role of a psychiatrist in the same production migrated from Linda Hamilton, who left for a possible television pilot, to the current Marcia Rodd.

“Whee -- what a ride,” Donovan said. “May I never have to do this again, please.”

-- D.S.