We get asked about auditioning for our plays a lot now, which is a good way to have it, so we thought we would post a note about how we will approach casting for the upcoming season.  After all even if you aren’t looking to audition, we think it helps our audience better understand the process that goes on behind the scenes.

Bluff City Theater is a professional, Equity theater that hires professional actors (as well as directors, stage managers and designers).  Depending on the play, we may go entirely with Equity professionals, or add in non-Equity professionals (professionals who aren’t members of Actors’ Equity Association).  All of our lead players will fall into one of these two categories.  Larger plays may require that we supplement our cast with talented amateurs-these can be students attending university or college in a theater program or really talented local actors who have other jobs but like to act on the side.  And then, when we do our big summer musical, we also invite talented youth and children to join the cast.  We Auditions Graphic 2find them in a variety of ways- from our ongoing youth programs, from school drama programs and from amateur theaters throughout the region.

Sometimes, we know before we announce the season who we want to cast in a particular play or role- such as Trish Barr in The Lady With All The Answers this season.  But in most cases, we like to look at a variety of people for roles, both professional and amateur.  In these cases, we put out an audition call, either open or restricted, which is just the way it sounds.

If you are interested in auditioning, you can find out about these calls one of several ways.

  1. Via our website and email list.  We send out email blasts via Mail Chimp for every major announcement, so make sure we have your email on file and we’ll send audition notices directly to your inbox.
  2. On our Facebook Page.  Like our Facebook page and you’ll receive updates whenever we post something important.
  3. On the Actors Equity website. This page is reserved for AE members, but is really important for us to reach the absolute best talent we can find.
  4. On Backstage.com.  Backstage is the most widely-used general purpose auditions site in the US.  We use it to reach non-equity professionals as well as Equity members, and theater students and grads who are looking for their big break.

We’ll be holding auditions later this year for our first couple of plays.  Then in the spring, we’ll hold auditions for the summer season.  Watch the sites noted above and you’ll be sure to not miss your opportunity to be part of the magic at Bluff City Theater.  We hope this answers the question, “How do I audition?”.  If you still have questions, feel free to contact us at auditions@bluffcitytheater.com.