Upcoming Auditions
The Lifespan of a Fact
Black Box Productions
By Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell
Based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal
Auditions: May 21-22, 6:30 p.m.
Callbacks: May 23, 6:30 p.m.
Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D’Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy—an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check D’Agata’s essay, the two come head to head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth.
Director: Meghan Hopper
First Read: June 3, 2024
Tech Sunday: July 7, 2024
Preview: July 11, 2024
Perfs: July 12-21, 2024
Strike: July 21, 2024
All roles available. Actors of all races, ethnicities, and physical abilities are encouraged to audition.
Jim: (M, 20s) An ambitious, eager intern who is determined to prove himself to his new boss. Meticulous and uncompromising, Jim sees the world of fact checking in black and white. “By changing paint colors and statistics … by misrepresenting official and searchable documents, you undermine your argument, you undermine society’s trust in itself. Which is why facts have to be the final measure of truth.” (55)
John: (M, 30s-50s) A skilled, thoughtful essayist whose work may keep the magazine afloat. Confident and celebrated, John is more concerned with the flow and effectiveness of the story he’s telling than the details that support it. “I take liberties with things that deepen the central truth of the piece. Don’t get bogged down in the details, keep your eye on the big picture.” (21)
Emily: (F, 30s-60s) The editor in chief of a once-prominent magazine that is falling on hard times. Practical and pragmatic, Emily must focus on the big picture – not just one essay, but her entire staff and the reputation of the magazine. “[Story] is how you organize your life–all life. Scientists say that life is atoms and forces and fluids and genomes. But we live in stories. Events organized to make ourselves known to each other and to history. Organized in a way that gives our lives meaning.” (23)
Sign up to auditions HERE
Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida
Mainstage
Auditions: June 25-27, 2024
Performances: September 13-29, 2024
An enslaved Nubian princess, Aida, finds her heart entangled with Radames, an Egyptian soldier who is betrothed to the Pharaoh’s daughter, Amneris. As their forbidden love blossoms, Aida is forced to weigh her heart against the responsibility that she faces as the leader of her people. Aida and Radames’ love for one another becomes a shining example of true devotion that ultimately transcends the vast cultural differences between their warring nations, heralding a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity.
Music Direction: Raven Dockery
Orchestra Direction: Julie Johnson
Mars Lost
Black Box Production
Auditions: August 13-15, 2024
Performances: October 4-13, 2024
During a time of personal turmoil, Angela is miraculously offered the opportunity to participate in a bold project tasked with colonizing Mars but soon she discovers that the real challenge of going to a new planet is confronting the things she’s leaving behind.
Director: Morgan Gates
The Haunting of Hill House
Mainstage
Auditions: August 25-27, 2024
Performances: October 18-Nov 3, 2024
Cut off from the outside world by its remote location and shunned by all who know its forbidding and sinister reputation, Hill House has remained empty and silent except for the daily visits of its grumbling caretaker, Mrs. Dudley. Its isolation is broken by the arrival of Dr. Montague, an investigator of supernatural phenomena who has been granted a short lease by the present owner. His mission is to delve into the morbid history of the house and to come to grips with the occult forces that have made it uninhabitable for many years. He is joined by three others, all unacquainted, but all having their particular reasons for accepting Dr. Montague’s invitation to share his Hill House sojourn. Their visit begins with jovial informality, but their sensibilities are soon jolted by strange and eerie occurrences. As they struggle to disguise their mounting fears they are joined by Dr. Montague’s wife and a friend, who have come to Hill House for purposes of their own.
Director: Del Lovejoy
Legally Blonde the Musical
Mainstage
Auditions: September 16-18, 2024
Performances: December 6-22, 2024
Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there, she struggles with peers, professors and her ex. With the support of some new friends, though, Elle quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world.
Director: Ami Majeskie
Music Direction: Ashley Makeever
60 Minute Shakespeare: Macbeth
Academy Black Box Production
Auditions: September 24-26, 2024
Performances: November 15-24, 2024
A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia.
Director: Madison Penzkover
This is an auditioned, tuition-based class
Akeelah and the Bee
Mainstage
Auditions: November 24-26, 2024
Performances: February 7-23, 2025
Akeelah has a crazy passion for words: the more abstruse and labyrinthine, the better. But this gift is almost overwhelmed by the challenge of her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her a spot in the National Spelling Bee, which inspires the people in her neighborhood with her courage and tenacity.
Director: Ashley Levells
Next to Normal
Mainstage
Auditions: December 10-12, 2024 (audition dates subject to change)
Performances: March 14-30, 2025
Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart.
Director: Jenn Dobby
Music Director: Julie Johnson
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Black Box Production
Auditions: January 14-16, 2025
Performances: Feb 28-March 9, 2025
Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, PA, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house. Also on the scene are sassy maid Cassandra, who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina, whose prettiness somewhat worries the imperious Masha.
Director: Mary Rynders
Enchanted April
Mainstage
Auditions: March 4-6, 2025
Performances: May 2-18, 2025
From the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Feeling lost in the shadows of marriage and forgotten in the rush of 1920s post-war society, two London housewives pool their savings to rent a villa in Italy for a ladies-only holiday away, reluctantly recruiting a pair of difficult upper-class women to share the cost and the experience. Together under the Mediterranean sun, the four women clash—and then begin to bond and bloom—until men once again upset the balance.
Director: Mark Neufang
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Cabaret
Auditions: March 18, 2025
Performances: May 14-15, 2025
An 80s cabaret with the Adequate Band.
Director: Julie Johnson
The 39 Steps
Mainstage
Auditions: April 15-17, 2025
Performances: June 6-22, 2025
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance!
Directors: Rhonda Schmidt & Laura Kloser
Commitment to Diversity and Equity
WCT is committed to increasing representation of our whole community on our WCT stage, artistic teams, staff, and volunteer groups, and are dedicated to creating a safe, respectful, and equitable workplace for all.
We acknowledge that while we have come a long way to become equitable and accessible to our community with disabilities, and have proudly provided opportunities of leadership for all gender identities, we have not yet had a proportionate cultural representation and equity in our theatre and we are working intentionally to improve.
If you are interested in joining the Diversity and Equitable Practices Committee, please reach out.