Auditions
Thank you for your interest in auditioning for A.C.T.!
We are glad to meet you.
Interested in performance opportunities for students grades 3-12?
Click here for more information about other Young Conservatory performance opportunities.
Casting at A.C.T.
Inclusion is a core value at A.C.T. We are committed to anti-racist casting practices and strive to be a place where actors of all identities and backgrounds can bring their full selves to the audition and rehearsal room. We recognize that A.C.T. has historically done harm to our local Bay Area BIPOC community and we are committed to change. We also recognize that this is ongoing work; we know we will continue to evolve and we simultaneously recognize the value in naming our specific commitments. Many of these commitments are inspired by or come directly from We See You White American Theater and the Bay Area BIPOC Equity Action Plan, and we are grateful to our local and national BIPOC colleagues for their labor in developing these documents.
- We commit to identity-conscious casting. “Colorblind” casting is an outdated practice that we will not engage in. As part of this, we commit to having rigorous conversations with creative teams about identity conscious casting at the start of each process.
- We commit to reading characters with broad imaginations and assuming that all characters can be played by actors of any race, ethnicity, gender, and physical ability unless specified by the playwright.
- When a playwright notes a character’s race and/or gender, we will honor it in our casting process. (Specifically, we will not cast white performers in BIPOC roles. We will not cast cisgender actors in trans, gender non-conforming, or nonbinary roles.)
- We commit to using inclusive language in our casting breakdowns and in our audition and rehearsal rooms.
- We commit to auditioning a diverse slate of actors for each role where race, ethnicity, age, gender, and/or physical ability is left open by the playwright.
- We commit to an open submission form that allows Bay Area actors to submit themselves on a rolling basis to increase access. Submissions will be reviewed monthly.
- All actors who attend show-specific auditions will be contacted about their casting decision before casting is announced publicly. (Please note that “show-specific auditions” do not include generals or EPAs.)
- We commit to giving actors a respectful amount of time to prepare material. Material will be sent to actors at least three days in advance of their initial audition.
- We commit to casting and understudy tracks that consider distinctions in age, race, ethnicity, gender, and physical ability when asking an actor to play or cover more than one role.
- We commit to including BIPOC voices with key casting input when casting work that tells BIPOC stories. We strive to create and nurture an audition process and environment that is inclusive and welcoming with BIPOC representation throughout.
We anticipate that these commitments, as well as the language we use to describe them, will evolve with our anti-racism and inclusion work and in response to the needs of the Bay Area theater community. Feedback on these commitments is welcome and encouraged and can be sent to casting@act-sf.org.
Auditions at A.C.T.
A.C.T. holds local general auditions for AEA actors every year, usually in the spring. In seasons when we are producing a musical or a show with music, A.C.T. also holds separate musical auditions for AEA actors. In addition, we attend both the AEA and non-AEA portions of the Theatre Bay Area (TBA) general auditions, which are held annually in the Bay Area during the winter.
For more information about TBA’s auditions, please call 415.430.1140 or visit theatrebayarea.org.
A.C.T. also holds out-of-town AEA general auditions in various locations, including New York and Los Angeles, in accordance with LORT/AEA rules. Audition announcements will be listed on this webpage and on the AEA website.
Due to A.C.T.’s LORT status, there are very few openings for non-Equity actors. However, local actors are welcome to submit materials for A.C.T. to keep on file regardless of union affiliation.
Casting of actors 18 years old and under is coordinated through the A.C.T. Young Conservatory, which can be reached at 415.439.2444. For performance opportunities within the Young Conservatory, click here.
2024-2025 Equity Principal Auditions
In the spirit of collaboration and for actors’ convenience, Berkeley Rep and A.C.T. are co-hosting EPAs at Actors’ Equity New York Audition Center on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (We co-hosted two days of Bay Area EPAs in San Francisco and Berkeley on April 29-30, 2024.)
Please schedule your appointment through AEA and be sure to fill out our AirTable form. Actors should prepare a short monologue OR a short song OR a one-minute monologue and 16 bars of a song. Audition may not exceed 3 minutes. An accompanist will be provided; please bring sheet music if you would like to sing. Please bring two copies of your headshot and résumé. Both Berkeley Rep and A.C.T. welcome actors of all races, ethnicities, ages, gender identities, abilities/exceptionalities, and body types.
Submitting to A.C.T.
Bay Area actors are always welcome to submit their headshot, resume, and work sample (optional) by filling out this form. Submissions may be updated any time by filling out the form again. All materials submitted through this form will be kept on file in A.C.T.’s casting database. Submissions will be reviewed monthly.
Questions?
For questions related to general casting at A.C.T please contact our casting department at casting@act-sf.org.