SCHEDULE AN AUDITION

Sign up below to schedule an audition on May 16 and/or 17 for the 2026 SC New Play Festival. We are seeking performers for our world premiere production, as well as for public readings of new plays and musicals in development.

We are looking for performers of all races, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities and body types. If you need to schedule a virtual audition, send an email to auditions@scnpf.org.

Below you’ll find a breakdown of all the shows and roles in this year’s festival. Navigate to the bottom of the webpage to select audition day and time.

Audition Sides and Selections will be sent to those who sign up closer to the audition time.

The House That I Live In: Josh White’s America

by Donnetta Lavinia Grays
music and lyrics by Josh White
directed by Tamilla Woodard

Important Dates:

• Rehearsal Begins: July 14, 2026

• Previews: July 29, 2026 

• Opening: July 30, 2026 

• Closing: August 09, 2026

Rehearsals are from 2:00pm – 10:00pm Tuesday – Friday and various times at the weekends. We may rehearse up to 42 hours a week. Your schedule and hours will vary depending on the size of the role. Performances are July 29-August 9 on Thursday, Fri, Sat, Sun Eve and Sat and Sun Matinee.

Pay ranges from $375 per week for local, non-union actors (local is defined as living within 150 miles of Greenville); $500 for out of town, non-union actors. For AEA union actors the weekly rate is $650.00 per week, plus per diem, health and pension. Housing for out-of-town artists is available.   

We will prescreen with video auditions. All who are interested should prepare a video audition and email them to Auditions@Scnpf.org no later than 5pm on Monday, May 11. Videos should either be submitted via Google Drive, Dropbox, or YouTube link. Please make sure the link is viewable by anyone for easy sharing amongst the team. Include your headshot, resume, audition form, and conflict calendar in the email along with the show-specific material we are requesting. Reels are not considered a submission.

What to prepare: Please prepare 32 bars (verse and chorus) of a spiritual or gospel song to be sung a capella, along with a monologue of your choice. Send the video to auditions@scnpf.org

Callbacks will be scheduled for Saturday, May 16 between 2pm and 6pm EST in Greenville, SC. If we need to schedule you for a callback appointment, you will receive an email by Thursday, May 14 at 8pm.  

CHARACTERS:

JOSH WHITE: 30s-50s. African-American Male. Charming. Clean-cut. Greenville native. Master Blues guitarist. We follow his rise to fame and his hearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee. The horror of his father’s death under Jim Crow fuels his heartbreak and his fight against injustice. Must be a skilled guitar player/singer.

CAROL WHITE: 30s- 50s. African-American Female. Bronx-born. Elegant with a wry sense of humor. Josh’s wife and staunchest advocate. She speaks directly to the audience and guides us through Josh’s story as she also struggles to understand the man she loves. Must be able to sing jazz and gospel chords. 

PAUL ROBESON: 30s-50s. African-American. Iconic baritone. Regal. Charismatic. He and Josh become good friends, and his involvement with CPUSA becomes a linchpin in Josh’s hearing. Sings Ballad for Americans. 

PAPA, RICHARD WRIGHT, ENSEMBLE:  African-American. 30s–50s. Versatile actor/singer to play Papa, Joe Walker, Richard Wright, and ensemble. Strong vocal harmony skills; musical instrument skills a plus. 

LEONARD DE PAUR, BAYARD RUSTIN, ENSEMBLE: African-American. 20s–40s. Plays multiple roles including Bayard Rustin, Leonard De Paur, and ensemble. Strong actor with vocal ability and range; musical instrument skills a plus especially piano and / or wind instrument like Saxophone.

JOHN HENRY ARNOLD, LANGSTON HUGHES, ENSEMBLE: African-American. , 20s–40s. Plays Langston Hughes, John Henry Arnold, and ensemble. Poetic sensibility, strong presence, and vocal harmony skills required; musical instrument skills a plus.

MAMA, ENSEMBLE: African-American Female, 30s–60s. Josh’s mother and other roles. Deep emotional grounding, nurturing yet strong. Vocal harmony skills required; musical instrument skills a plus.

LORRAINE HANSBERRY, BILLY HOLIDAY, ENSEMBLE: African-American Female, 20s–40s. Plays Judy White, Lorraine Hansberry, and Billie Holiday. Strong singer required; musical instrument skills a plus.

REP. JOHN S. WOOD, (R. GA), RADIO ANNOUNCER, PETE SEEGER, ENSEMBLE: White Male, 30s–60s. Plays multiple roles including Rep. John S. Wood, Pete Seeger, FDR, and a radio announcer. Strong character actor and vocalist; musical instrument skills a plus especially Banjo and /or Guitar

FRANK S. TAVENNER JR., WOODY GUTHRIE, ENSEMBLE: White Male, 30s–60s. Plays Frank S. Tavenner Jr., Woody Guthrie, and others. Strong actor and singer; guitar or folk music skills a plus, especially Guitar.

LIBBY HOLMAN, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, ENSEMBLE: White Female, 30s–60s. Plays Libby Holman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others. Strong character actor and singer; musical instrument skills a plus.

Fission

by Cindy Lou Johnson
Directed by Damaso Rodriguez.

Important Dates:

• Rehearsal Begins: August 4, 2026

• Presentation: August 7, 2026 

Rehearsals are from 9:00am – 6:00pm from Aug 4-7. We may rehearse up to 42 hours a week. Your schedule and hours will vary depending on the size of the role. Presentation is August 7 at 7pm at Greenville Theatre.

Pay is $500 per week for local, non-union actors (local is defined not requiring housing and/or travel). For AEA union actors the rate is $17.00/hr, daily hours will be 7hr out of 8.5hr max, or $500, whichever is greater, plus per diem, health and pension. Housing for out-of-town artists is available.   

What to prepare: Audition Sides will be mailed out to those who sign up.

Scroll below for audition sign ups.

Saturday, May 16 between 10-2:00pm EST and Sunday, May 17 between 10am-2:00pm

CHARACTERS:

LISE MEITNER - Female, mid-30s.
A brilliant theoretical physicist building her career in Berlin. Precise, driven, and quietly radical, Lise is a Jewish woman pushing against institutional barriers in her pursuit of the mysteries of radioactivity . She has chosen to center her life around science—sometimes to the exclusion of everything else—but she remains capable of warmth, humor, and deep loyalty.

MEITNER - Female, 60s.
A brilliant theoretical physicist, the older split self of Lise. Rigorous, controlled, and deeply introspective, Meitner is in pursuit of truth—scientific, personal, and moral. Where Lise is driven to discover, Meitner is driven to understand. Precise and unsentimental, she brings a sharp, questioning intelligence to everything she observes, including herself.

OTTO HAHN - Male, mid-30s.
A chemist and Lise’s collaborator. Intelligent, energetic, and eager for recognition, Otto thrives on discovery and forward momentum. He is drawn to Lise’s brilliance and depends on her insight, though he does not fully grasp it. Warm, social, and often playful, he avoids conflict when possible, but his need for stability and validation ultimately shapes his choices.

ELISABETH SCHIEMANN / MARGRETHE BOHR - Female, mid-30s.
ELISABETH: A botanist and political thinker. Direct, articulate, and unafraid to speak her mind, Elisabeth engages the world with clarity and conviction. She is intellectually rigorous but socially grounded, with a sharp wit and a strong moral center.
MARGRETHE: Insightful, perceptive, and deeply attuned to others. Margrethe listens closely and speaks with intention, often clarifying and shaping the ideas around her. Warm and emotionally intelligent, she creates space for connection while holding her own intellectual authority.

MAX PLANCK / REGISTRAR - Male, 60s.
MAX PLANCK: A leading physicist and institutional authority. Thoughtful, measured, and principled, Planck values order and continuity. He has a deep love of music and a quiet sense of humor, bringing warmth and occasional playfulness to his interactions. He prefers harmony—intellectually and personally—and works to maintain it even as the world around him shifts.
REGISTRAR: A bureaucratic gatekeeper. Formal, rigid, and dismissive, he enforces rules without question and resists disruption to established systems.

NIELS BOHR / ERNEST RUTHERFORD / KURT HESS - Male, mid-30s to mid-40s.*Note: Bohr is Danish, Rutherford is from New Zealand, and Hess is German. Some facility with and distinction between these accents is appreciated.
NIELS BOHR: A visionary physicist. Curious, expansive, and intellectually adventurous, Bohr embraces uncertainty and possibility. He engages others with enthusiasm and openness, often thinking out loud and inviting collaboration.
ERNEST RUTHERFORD: A confident and pragmatic scientist. Direct, grounded, and authoritative, Rutherford values results and clarity. He speaks plainly and moves decisively.
KURT HESS: A scientist aligned with the Nazi regime. Controlled, watchful, and opportunistic, Hess operates with quiet menace. He exerts pressure through authority and ideology, rarely raising his voice but always asserting power.

Night Game

By Octavio Solis
directed by Lisa Portes

Important Dates:

• Rehearsal Begins: August 5, 2026

• Presentation: August 8, 2026 

Rehearsals are from 9:00am – 6:00pm from Aug 5-7. We may rehearse up to 42 hours a week. Your schedule and hours will vary depending on the size of the role. Presentations are August 8 at 10am and 2pm at the Warehouse Theatre.

Pay is $500 per week for local, non-union actors (local is defined not requiring housing and/or travel). For AEA union actors the rate is $17.00/hr, daily hours will be 7hr out of 8.5hr max, or $500, whichever is greater, plus per diem, health and pension. Housing for out-of-town artists is available.   

What to prepare: Audition Sides will be mailed out to those who sign up.

Scroll below for audition sign ups.

Saturday, May 16 between 10-2:00pm EST and Sunday, May 17 between 10am-2:00pm

CHARACTERS:

Ted Williams: 40’s male. Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, at the twilight of career. Latino but looks like John Wayne. Tall, broad and athletic, but beaten up by playing for decades in the MLB.

Danny Williams: 40’s male. His brother who lives in San Diego, in the last stages of leukemia, frail, skin and bones, and smaller and with darker skin than Ted. They should look like they’re from different worlds, even though they came out of the same womb.

The Broadcaster : The God Mic, who alternately sounds like Curt Gowdy and their father, Samuel Stewart Williams

The Communist Revolution: A Ninth-Grade European History Project (THERE WILL BE A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION)

By Grace McLeod
Directed by Shelley Butler

Important Dates:

• Rehearsal Begins: August 5, 2026

• Presentation: August 8, 2026 

Rehearsals are from 9:00am – 6:00pm from Aug 5-8. We may rehearse up to 42 hours a week. Your schedule and hours will vary depending on the size of the role. Presentations are August 8 at 7pm at the Greenville Theatre

Pay is $500 per week for local, non-union actors (local is defined not requiring housing and/or travel). For AEA union actors the rate is $17.00/hr, daily hours will be 7hr out of 8.5hr max, or $500, whichever is greater, plus per diem, health and pension. Housing for out-of-town artists is available.   

What to prepare: Audition Sides will be mailed out to those who sign up.

Scroll below for audition sign ups.

Saturday, May 16 between 10-2:00pm EST and Sunday, May 17 between 10am-2:00pm

CHARACTERS:

Sasha – f, 15, white. An A+ student who loves to hear herself talk in
class. Magnetic and funny but also very stubborn and self-righteous.

Mark – m, 50s, white. A classic "worked his way up from nothing"
success story. Great at making people feel seen, terrible at admitting
when he's wrong.

Caroline – f, 50s, white. A housewife and former Google engineer. The
smartest person in every room she walks into but she'd never let
anyone know it.

Tommy – m, 15, Latinx. An A+ student who only speaks up when he has
something of value to say. Shy but very emotionally intelligent and
perceptive.

Family Show (TBA)

Check back for more information, we plan to announce this show soon.

Important Dates:

• Rehearsal Begins: August 6, 2026

• Presentation: August 9, 2026 

Rehearsals are from 9:00am – 6:00pm from Aug 6-9. We may rehearse up to 42 hours a week. Your schedule and hours will vary depending on the size of the role. Presentations are August 9 at 2pm.

Pay is $500 per week for local, non-union actors (local is defined not requiring housing and/or travel). For AEA union actors the rate is $17.00/hr, daily hours will be 7hr out of 8.5hr max, or $500, whichever is greater, plus per diem, health and pension. Housing for out-of-town artists is available.   

What to prepare: Audition Sides will be mailed out to those who sign up.

Click here to sign up for an audition slot.

Auditions will be scheduled for Saturday, May 16 between 10-2:00pm EST and Sunday, May 17 between 10am-2:00pm EST in Greenville, SC.

TBA

TBA

TBA