AUDITIONS FOR 2025/26 SEASON
AUGUST 1 + AUGUST 2
The Wilbury Theatre Group will hold auditions for the first four productions of their 2025/26 Season as follows: Equity Principal Auditions will be held on Friday, August 1 from 8am–4pm; and on Saturday, August 2 from 8am–4pm. Equity members without appointments will be seen throughout each audition day, as time permits. Non-Equity performers may also audition, as time permits.
Pre-recorded video submissions will also be accepted until August 2 at 11:59pm.
All in-person auditions will take place at The Wilbury Theatre Group’s performance space inside the WaterFire Arts Center, 475 Valley Street, Providence RI 02908. For an appointment, please email auditions@thewilburygroup.org with an available time block of 2 hours on either Friday, August 1 or Saturday, August 2. We will reply with a specific time slot.
Members of AEA will be given priority for audition times.
Recorded auditions by Members of AEA and non-equity performers will also be accepted, along with a headshot/resume through email by 11:59PM on August 2, 2025 to auditions@thewilburygroup.org
Each performer, in-person and pre-recorded submissions, will be allotted a maximum of 5 minutes. We suggest that all performers prepare one 1-2 minute monologue of their choice. Performers interested in auditioning for OCTET should prepare one 1-2 minute monologue and one 1-2 minute song to be sung a cappella.
***All performers: Please indicate in the email subject heading your status as either an AEA member or non-member.
For example:
SUBJECT: AEA audition - 2025/26 Season
Or…
SUBJECT: Non-union audition – 2025/26 Season
Please prepare a 1-2 minute monologue of your choice. Only Equity performers may choose to read from a script. The Wilbury Theatre Group will provide sides and a reader. Equity members who wish to read a side are encouraged to prepare their own and either bring a copy for the reader or let us know the scene/page numbers upon check–in so we may be prepared to assist you.
If auditioning for the a cappella musical OCTET - Please prepare a short song to be sung a cappella.
Each performer will be allotted a maximum of 5 minutes. Please bring your headshot and resume stapled together. If you are unable to attend this audition, you may submit a video audition. Please see breakdown for details.
Pursuant to the terms of a concession made to this employer's agreement, the employer has agreed that any Equity member who attends this call will have an opportunity to be seen.
Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Character descriptions by the playwrights have been listed below. Unless otherwise noted, characters may be cast by actors of any ethnicity.
Callbacks for individual plays are TBD.
Roles for the 2025/26 Season:
Pre-recorded video submissions will also be accepted until August 2 at 11:59pm.
All in-person auditions will take place at The Wilbury Theatre Group’s performance space inside the WaterFire Arts Center, 475 Valley Street, Providence RI 02908. For an appointment, please email auditions@thewilburygroup.org with an available time block of 2 hours on either Friday, August 1 or Saturday, August 2. We will reply with a specific time slot.
Members of AEA will be given priority for audition times.
Recorded auditions by Members of AEA and non-equity performers will also be accepted, along with a headshot/resume through email by 11:59PM on August 2, 2025 to auditions@thewilburygroup.org
Each performer, in-person and pre-recorded submissions, will be allotted a maximum of 5 minutes. We suggest that all performers prepare one 1-2 minute monologue of their choice. Performers interested in auditioning for OCTET should prepare one 1-2 minute monologue and one 1-2 minute song to be sung a cappella.
***All performers: Please indicate in the email subject heading your status as either an AEA member or non-member.
For example:
SUBJECT: AEA audition - 2025/26 Season
Or…
SUBJECT: Non-union audition – 2025/26 Season
Please prepare a 1-2 minute monologue of your choice. Only Equity performers may choose to read from a script. The Wilbury Theatre Group will provide sides and a reader. Equity members who wish to read a side are encouraged to prepare their own and either bring a copy for the reader or let us know the scene/page numbers upon check–in so we may be prepared to assist you.
If auditioning for the a cappella musical OCTET - Please prepare a short song to be sung a cappella.
Each performer will be allotted a maximum of 5 minutes. Please bring your headshot and resume stapled together. If you are unable to attend this audition, you may submit a video audition. Please see breakdown for details.
Pursuant to the terms of a concession made to this employer's agreement, the employer has agreed that any Equity member who attends this call will have an opportunity to be seen.
Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Character descriptions by the playwrights have been listed below. Unless otherwise noted, characters may be cast by actors of any ethnicity.
Callbacks for individual plays are TBD.
Roles for the 2025/26 Season:
FROM HERE TO WHERE* by Umberto Crenca and the Gillen Street Ensemble
Rehearsals begin September 3, performances September 19 - October 5, 2025 *This production is being devised and developed by members of the Gillen Street Ensemble. There are no additional roles available. OCTET by Dave Malloy Rehearsals begin November 5, performances December 4 - December 21, 2025. PLEASE NOTE: This is an a cappella musical. Actors auditioning for OCTET must be comfortable with extremely difficult harmony, close harmonies, one voice to a part. Experience with a cappella singing a plus. ROLES AVAILABLE: JESSICA - (Soprano 1, G3-A5) She/Her, any ethnicity. Early 30s. Frenetic, uncentered; dealing with the aftermath of a viral video. Craving a reset, away from the hate. TOBY - (Tenor 1, C2-A4) He/Him, any ethnicity. Late 20s. A misanthropic conspiracy theorist. Too smart for his own good. Angry, unsettled, distrustful. Rants. PAULA - (Alto 2, D#3-D5) She/Her, any ethnicity. Late 40s. The leader of this evening’s meeting. Reserved and guarded, she struggles with her marriage, but wears a face of serenity and wisdom. PETER - (Bass 1, C2-F#4) He/Him, any ethnicity. Mid 20s. Awkward, dopey, endearing. Addicted to online gaming. Outwardly happy-go-lucky, but masking some demons. KARLY - (Alto 1, F3-D5) She/Her, any ethnicity. Late 20s. Smart, sharp. An actress frustrated by the inappropriate attention by men. JIM - (Bass 2, B1-D4) He/Him, any ethnicity. Early 30s. Insecure, socially isolated, depressed, bitter. Craves attention, but feels like a failure. MARVIN - (Tenor 2 C2-G#4) He/Him, any ethnicity. Early 40s. A highly educated neurochemist having a crisis of faith. Newly a father. Even-tempered and pragmatic, but overwhelmed by the limitless possibilities of the world. VELMA - (Soprano 2, F3-F5) She/Her, any ethnicity. Early 20s. The newcomer to the group. Full of energy, optimistic and good, but profoundly socially awkward. Grew up with the internet and technology. . SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS by Bess Wohl Rehearsals begin January 2, performances January 29 - February 15, 2026 ROLES AVAILABLE: TEACHER - any gender, any ethnicity, any age. The voice is amplified through a microphone. And. Pauses. A lot at. Odd moments. The teacher speaks the most, and may or may not actually be visible during the course of the play. JOAN - She/Her, any ethnicity, middle-aged, wears a lot of clothes and jewelry from India. She is a therapist and sex educator in colleges, high schools, and in private practice with couples. She likes to focus on pleasure rather than on fear or "don'ts." She is also incredibly, mind-bendingly, soul-crushingly angry and she has been since about the age of six, when her parents got divorced and her mother told her, "Daddy doesn't love us enough." Now, she meditates and does yoga. At times, her rage still bubbles on the surface in little ways, in spite of her efforts to breathe through it. She might compliment you on a haircut when you know it's terrible.. She might spend five minutes brushing her teeth. She might write a really mean anonymous comment on a blog. She might leave, just when you need her the most. JUDY - She/Her, any ethnicity, middle-aged, is Joan's partner. She works at O magazine as a top editor in the art department- a few times a year, she finds herself in the same room with Oprah. She's the kind of person who only needs four hours of sleep per night. She gets a lot of emails. She wakes up and walks on the treadmill while watching Fox News. She finds that building up a healthy rage in the morning helps her greet the day. She likes control. She likes to be in control of her image. She makes a good living. She eats a lot of grilled fish. She's direct. She grew up with three brothers. She always felt she had to prove herself equal to the boys. She has had a recent diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and, as the doctor said, she "will not have a good outcome." This is a serious problem for her sense of control. Her soft spot is Joan. She and Joan met at a Buddhist lecture series in Manhattan. Now, she's not really that into spirituality anymore, knows she should meditate, never has the time, but she's at this retreat because, simply put, she loves Joan madly. She loves how Joan eats. She loves how Joan smells. She loves the heat Joan gives off when she sleeps. She is very afraid Joan will leave, just when she needs Joan the Most. ALICIA - She/Her, any ethnicity, twenties or thirties, is from Southern California. She is the kind of person who manages to make a lot of noise even when she's "in silence." She has zippers on her clothes and bag. She has wrappers that must be unwrapped. She has bracelets that jangle.She sips loudly. She breathes loudly. She has shoes with heels that click. It's because she likes being watched. She was a child actor and beauty pageant star. Most recently, she was in a commercial for a nationwide wireless company, where her role was to act really surprised and say, "Gotcha!" These days, Alicia gets her performance fix by doing karaoke alone. Up 'till a few months ago, she was with Fred. Fred was a hedge fund guy who liked Alicia because she seemed unmoored enough to bend to his will. She was, and things worked for a very long time. But then Fred got bored of being with somebody who would bend to his will. (Alicia believes Fred had undiagnosed ADHD.) Finally, Fred kicked her out. It was around then that a therapist she'd started seeing suggested she develop a spiritual practice. She doesn't have a lot of experience with any of this. But she needs something, anything, actually, to take away the pain of living without Fred, whom she still loves desperately, achingly, utterly. (Shame.) She still spends a lot of time online stalking Fred. She's looking for something- or somebody- to make her feel okay again. NED - He/Him, any ethnicity, somewhere in his forties, has had a severe run of bad luck worse than the worst countrywestern song. Here's what happened. First, Ned, ever the outdoor enthusiast, went rock climbing to try to clear his head, and he ended up falling and cracking his skull in eight places. He spent two years in and out of the hospital, during which time his identity was stolen, his house burned down due to electrical problems, and his wife, Dawn started sleeping with Ned's younger brother, Charlie. Charlie, a failed musician with a past heroin addiction who now sings in a band called Seedlings at kiddie music classes and birthday parties. Pretty soon, Dawn and Charlie had fixed up the house, kicked Ned out of it, and were living together with the kids. Then things got worse. Ned's parents died. Then he started drinking. He tried to stop by joining AA. Then his sponsor, Elijah, went off his meds and walked into traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Soon after that, Ned's dog was hit by a car too. Ned bought a pitcher of kerosene and was about to burndown Charlie and Dawn's House, when something stopped him. A little voice inside. It told him there was another path. And led him to study a variety of meditation, self-helpy, new agey books, which helped him avoid committing homicide. And now, for the very first time, he has saved up enough money to go on a retreat - this particular retreat with this particular teacher, whom he greatly admires. This year, Charlie and Dawn are expecting a kid. Ned is contemplating homicide again. RODNEY - He/Him, any ethnicity, mid-thirties, ageless, fit, gorgeous, grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and teaches yoga in New York and the Hamptons (in the summer). He is married to a woman named Nadine who also teaches yoga. Rodney and Nadine have had articles about them in various local yoga magazines and are designing a line of vegan bags, wallets, and jewelry together, made of a substance that looks exactly like real leather. Rodney wears lots of man-jewelry but he is pulling it off. Rodney met Nadine because she was his student. The truth is, Rodney has had sex with a bunch of his students over the years- both before and after being married to Nadine. In fact, he started his own yoga practice after being kicked out of one in the Bay Area due to sexual harassment. He pursues these women in part because once he has something, he never wants it anymore. He thought Nadine was different because she was extra-gorgeous and had that rich-person inaccessible thing that really got under his skin. Also, she had a trust fund which enhanced his East Coast yoga studio. Now he and Nadine have not had sex in three years. When they try to talk about it, Nadine just bursts into tears and runs out of the room. He has convinced himself that the kindest thing is to stay with Nadine, who is fragile. The truth is, all of the sex with young nubile yogis is really about his panicky fear of aging and death. Nadine makes him feel trapped, and this reminds him he's going to get old and die. His man jewelry does not include a wedding ring. JAN - He/Him, any ethnicity, middle-aged, is from a small town in Finland. He is pale and sweet, with a wide-eyed, continually curious air about him, like a little sprite or a woodland creature. He is a pastor at a small Lutheran church back in Finland, and his church has sent him on a one-year sabbatical to explore religious life around the world and figure out a way to appeal to more of the Finnish people, who have become increasingly secular. He always wears a small backpack, in which he carries a bottle of water, trail mix, sunblock, and other necessities. He does exercises in the morning for his health. Jan likes to be prepared. He came to religion later in life, after a personal tragedy - a son who died after a prolonged and terrible illness at the age of six. Jan's wife then moved to South America to study Argentinian tango. Jan,who had been working in advertising, went back to school to study religion and philosophy, hoping that it might help him understand why things happen the way they do. It didn't explain much, but it did give him a new community. And a sense of purpose, to help others. Still, sometimes at night, when he starts to suspect he really can do nothing to help people, he wakes up seized with a sense of panic that freezes him like a solid wood board. He waits all night for the sun to come up, too scared to move a muscle. Then he takes a lot, lot, lot of pharmaceuticals and tries not to fall asleep in the middle of his sermon the next day. He misses his son. He is hoping maybe this retreat will have an answer for him, where more traditional religious experiences have failed. He also greatly overestimated his familiarity with the English language. THE COMEUPPANCE by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Rehearsals begin February 24, performances March 19 – April 6, 2026 ROLES AVAILABLE: EMILIO - He/Him, any ethnicity, mid to late 30s. A Berlin-based installation artist who has spent the last two years becoming accustomed to being a father, or as he would describe it, his “COVID Project.” CAITLIN - She/Her, any ethnicity, mid to late 30s. A stepmother to the children of a well known congressman. Death pluralizes itself in her life through a string of multiple miscarriages. URSULA - She/Her, any ethnicity, mid to late 30s, visually impaired. The residue of her grandmother’s passing and a failed surgical attempt to save her eye has left her with a hesitancy for life, so much so that she refuses to attend the twenty-year reunion. MARYANN - She/Her, any ethnicity, mid to late 30s. A derma surgeon whose marriage to a resentful general surgeon has perceivably driven her from a “straightedge” identity to a drinking habit that is cause for worry. FRANCISCO - He/Him, any ethnicity, mid to late 30s. A medically discharged military serviceman. His accident has left him with seizure-inducing PTSD. |
**PLEASE NOTE: General Equity Principal Auditions for our Spring 2026 production of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY will be held at a date to-be-announced this fall.
Please provide a copy of your headshot/resume at the time of your audition. For an appointment, please email auditions@thewilburygroup.org In your email, please offer a time block of 2 hours on one of the days. No phone calls please. Any questions should be addressed to auditions@thewilburygroup.org.
Callbacks for all productions will be scheduled at a later date.
Interested stage managers may send a resume to josh@thewilburygroup.org for future consideration.
Artistic Director Josh Short will be attending all auditions. Minimum weekly SPT1 salary for Equity actors is $330. Minimum weekly salary for Equity stage managers is $396, and assistant stage managers is $363.
Please provide a copy of your headshot/resume at the time of your audition. For an appointment, please email auditions@thewilburygroup.org In your email, please offer a time block of 2 hours on one of the days. No phone calls please. Any questions should be addressed to auditions@thewilburygroup.org.
Callbacks for all productions will be scheduled at a later date.
Interested stage managers may send a resume to josh@thewilburygroup.org for future consideration.
Artistic Director Josh Short will be attending all auditions. Minimum weekly SPT1 salary for Equity actors is $330. Minimum weekly salary for Equity stage managers is $396, and assistant stage managers is $363.