Auditions FAQ

Unable to audition in person?  We still want to see you!

If you live outside the DC-metro area, you can still audition for our summer programs – and we hope you do!  Here’s what you do: email Emma Mearns (programassistant@travelingplayers.org) for a registration link.  Once we have received your registration, we will organize a time to meet with you via Zoom. You may be scheduled to audition with other students or you may be solo.

In the Zoom room, you will perform your monologue, play some games, and discuss what the summer will look like for you if accepted. You’ll have a chance to ask us questions, too!

Studio Day Camp (grades 2-4)

• No, this program does not require an audition.

Residential Camps & Conservatories (grades 4-12)

• Yes, all of our residential programs are by audition only.

No, sorry.  While we understand that it can be hard to plan your summer, it’s impossible for us to cast actors who might not accept the parts.  By coming to the audition, you’re making a commitment to the show and to the other ensemble members. Our auditions are binding.

Nope.  You’ll be in the audition room the whole time.  We’re equally interested in how you play with others (and with whom you play particularly well) as we are in your monologue.  Additionally, we will be playing improvisational games.  So plan to spend the whole time with us!

Yes. We select new actors each year. Usually, this means returning members will be re-accepted, but not always. Plus, for casting purposes, it’s important for us to see how you’ve grown or changed over the year: the audition isn’t just to determine if we’ll use you, but also how.

We accept actors into our programs by considering the needs of the individuals and the needs of the play.  We have to cast the plays with actors who are right for the roles.  We also have to find roles that will challenge the individual actors, and sometimes we don’t take a brilliant actor because they stand to get a better part in a non-auditioned program. We also select people based on how they work in the group and what kind of energy they bring in.  

You will perform the monologue that you memorized, but that is just one section of the auditions.  You will be given lots of opportunities to display your skills through improvisation, readings from scripts, and group discussions.  The audition is an opportunity for the director to get to know you and to see how you work and play with other potential members of the ensemble.  It is also an opportunity for you to get to know your potential castmates. You will have your best audition if you relax, have fun, and connect with your fellow performers!  We have been told that our auditions are significantly more fun than the average audition.  We plan to keep it that way. 

Yes you can!  You can’t be cast in both, as they overlap.  But, this will allow you to be cast in the show that will give you the most challenging role.  Here’s how it works:

• Figure out which program you’d prefer, since we will take that into consideration.  We genuinely care about what you’re interested in learning, particularly since the disciplines are so different.  
• Audition for your first choice as early as possible. You only need to audition once. If you specify a preference, then the director of that ensemble has first dibs on you if they think you would do well in their play. The staff will discuss how they would potentially use you in either production, and accept you into the program with the greatest challenge for you as an actor (meaning the largest substantial role).

The notification goes out within a week of the audition.  Students are accepted, declined, or called back.

Actors are called back so that the director can see how the actor plays with other auditionees. (For example, if we’re considering you for the role of Romeo, but no Juliets audition this round, you’ll need to read together at the next round of auditions.  The same is true of comedy duos.)  If called back, then you will not be charged another audition fee.