audition
Are you interested in performing? Please reach out and submit your information to our database! Submitting to our actor database does not guarantee an audition or casting consideration. However, all submissions are kept on file as a resource for our artistic and directing staff. We review this database periodically and reach out to actors whose profiles match the needs of upcoming projects.
Shotgun Players in Berkeley, CA is seeking non-union actors for our 2026 season. While we don’t currently have an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, we remain hopeful for future collaboration. See below for our full casting call.
Iphigenia in Splott
Iphigenia in Splott
By Gary Owen
Directed by Michelle Talgarow
Auditions TBD | Callbacks TBD
Iphigenia in Splott:
She’s brash, reckless, and unapologetically self-possessed. Stumbling through life in the nowhere town of Splott, Effie – short for Iphigenia – numbs her days with hookups and hangovers. Life on the edge turns into a face-off with reality and its wrenching consequences. Inspired by the Euripidean Iphigenia in Aulis, this epic story is brutally honest, piercing, terrible, and tender, sometimes all at the same time.
First Rehearsal
Monday, June 15, 2026
First Tech Rehearsal
Thursday, July 16, 2026
First Preview
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Opening (Performances Wed-Sun)
Saturday, Aug 1, 2026
Announced Closing
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Extended Closing & Strike
Sunday, August 30, 2026
CHARACTERS AVAILABLE
Effie (she/her) – Reckless, aggressive and fiercely resilient, she’s a young woman from the Cardiff district of Splott in Wales, who lives a life of heavy drinking, drugs, and daily hangovers but she has an emotional complexity beneath her hardened exterior. She can be funny and swaggering one moment and utterly heartbreaking the next.
Content advisories are a tool to help our patrons choose how they want to engage with each play. While we have tried to cover the most common sensitivities, the list below is not exhaustive. Some listed advisories refer to lines only briefly mentioned in the plays, whereas others are major themes of the work. These advisories will be updated regularly as plays are developed in rehearsal and production.
If you have any questions, we encourage you to call or email the box office, and we’re happy to provide more context. (510.841.6500, ext. 303 or [email protected]).
THE FALL SHOW
The Fall Show
Created by Erika Chong Shuch and Charles Mee
Directed by Erika Chong Shuch
Pay: $19.80/hr
Auditions – Please submit a self tape with a monologue (2 minute max) and song (1 minute max) that shows your range by February 1 to [email protected]. Please also include the headshot and resume with your submission.
If you can’t do a self tape, we will be hosting in person auditions on Sunday, February 8. Please let us know by January 25 if you would like to attend the in-person audition.
Description: Long-lasting love is full of comfort and conflict. An elderly couple’s unexpected romance unfolds against a maelstrom of movement and memory in an intimate examination of their relationship. Through collisions, tenderness, and sudden eruptions, The Fall Show follows a cycle of tenderness and chaos while meditating on the expression of love ‘til the very end.
A draft of the script can be made available upon request.
Production Dates
First Rehearsal
Monday, August 3, 2026
First Tech Rehearsal
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Trailer Videography
Thursday, September 24, 2026
First Preview
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Opening (Performances Wed-Sun)
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Announced Closing
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Extended Closing & Strike
Sunday, November 2, 2026
ROLES:
Sam & Eddie – 70s or older – Any Gender Identity
Two people discovering love later in life. Think Jewish grandparents with bite: witty, sarcastic, full of edge, yet deeply warm. They’ve fought in revolutions, lived through decades of change, and still carry that spark of rebellion. Singing is essential, and it’s a bonus if one of them can play piano.
Ensemble (5) – Any Age / Any Identity – A bold, movement-driven collective. The ensemble creates the world through devised storytelling—fluid, physical, and alive. Expect intergenerational pairings, romantic sparks, polyamorous clusters, and a charge of raw sensuality. Performers should be comfortable with intimacy, explicit sexuality, and fearless physical expression. Passion, play, and chemistry are key.
THE DEATH OF MEYERHOLD
The Death of Meyerhorld
Written and directed by Mark Jackson
Pay: $19.80/hr
Auditions TBD | Callbacks TBD
“Our country has a fever. We must look to it!”
A revolution is on the march across our country. But whose revolution is it? We’re told it’s great—while artists and journalists are canceled for telling the truth. We’re told it’s about justice—while our friends, neighbors, and co-workers are disappeared in plain sight. Where are we—Soviet Russia? The story of maverick theater artist Vsevolod Meyerhold and his era is surprisingly like the story unfolding on our streets today. Meyerhold’s fight for freedom in turbulent times is our fight.
Production Dates
Kickoff & First Rehearsal
Sunday, October 4, 2026 11-7pm
Workshop rehearsals
Monday, October 5 – Thursday, October 8, 2026 6:30-9:30pm
First Taste
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Rehearsals Continue
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
First Tech Rehearsal
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Trailer & Archival Videography
Monday, November 23, 2026
Final Dress & Production Photography
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
First Preview
Saturday, November 28, 2026
Opening (Performances Wed-Sun)
Saturday, December 5, 2026
Announced Closing
Sunday, January 10, 2027
Extended Closing & Strike
Sunday, January 31, 2027
CHARACTERS AVAILABLE
All actors should be comfortable and have some past experience with intensive movement (e.g. dance experience, clowning, or acrobatics, etc)
The acting tracks listed below are grouped according to the original genders of the historical figures they include; however this production may involve cross-gender casting. Key roles are underlined.
W1 – 20s–30s – Actress, Old Woman, Wife, Imperial Bourgeoisie, Maria Babanova, Stella Adler, Dresser. Young, driven, rhythmic, emotionally available.
W2 – 30s – Razonova, Woman, Imperial Bourgeoisie, Mother, Zinaida Raikh, Phoebe Brand. Leads with emotion, protective, a force of nature, responds instinctively from the heart.
M1 – Mature 30s–early 40s – Meyerhold, Lee Strasberg.
A strong mover, charismatic and funny, confident to the point of arrogance. Fiery, prideful, action-oriented, both magnetic and problematic.
M2 – 50s – Stanislavsky, First Secret Police Man, Lunacharsky, Muscovite, Critic #4.
Comic role with a serious undertone. Optimistic, realistic, bright, brings humor with weight beneath it.
M3 – 40s–50s – Chekhov, Second Secret Police Man, White Guard Sniper, Kugel, Muscovite, Critic #1, NKVD 1. A natural comedian, funny, sharp timing, with versatility for absurdity and humanity.
M4 – 40s–50s – Danchenko, Husband, Third White Guard, Mayakovsky, Waiter, Baker, Critic #5, NKVD 4. Understands satirical comedy. Trustworthy, reserved, quietly the smartest in the room but never flaunts it.
M5 – 30s – Jackson, Second Robber, Bolshevik Soldier, First White Guard, Garin, Clifford Odets, Critic #2, Yury. Grounded yet flamboyant. Fiery, passionate, with a bold presence.
M6 – 30s – Artistic Director, First Robber, Bolshevik Soldier, Second White Guard, Ilinsky, Harold Clurman, Critic #3, NKVD 3. Fiery and unpredictable, a wild card energy that keeps others on edge.
M7 – 20s–30s – Kosheverov, Actor, Careful Man, Imperial Bourgeoisie, Second Prisoner, a Student, Sanford Meisner, Gladkov. Youthful, comic chops, naïve yet playful, with a sharp sense of humor.
M8 – 20s–30s – Counter Revolutionary, Actor Playing Sorin, Suspicious Man, Imperial Bourgeoisie, Abrosimov, Tereshkovich, Shostakovich, Malcontent.
A physical/character role, acrobatics and physical versatility required. Gender-fluid energy in today’s lens. Emotional
M9 – 20s–30s – Yakov, Train Conductor, Shady Man, Bolshevik Soldier, First Prisoner, Bebutin, Samoilov, Elia Kazan, Newspaper Man, NKVD 2. Comic chops with edge. A tough soldier who loves theatre—smart, frustrated, brutish at times, with anger rooted in being overlooked.
Shotgun Players is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. We honor our inclusive community of artists, audience, staff, board, and company members and celebrate our many differences as we unite in our shared love for theater. Shotgun Players does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Applicants from underrepresented identities and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Are you interested in performing? Please reach out and submit your information to our database!
Shotgun Players is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. We honor our inclusive community of artists, audience, staff, board, and company members and celebrate our many differences as we unite in our shared love for theater. Shotgun Players does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Applicants from underrepresented identities and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.