Geffen Playhouse 2026-27 Season Equity Principal Actors - Geffen Playhouse Auditions

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE 2026-27 SEASON - LA EPA

Geffen Playhouse | Los Angeles, CA

Notice: Audition

Call Type: EPA

AUDITION DATE

Monday, July 27, 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Lunch 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

CONTRACT

LORT Non-Rep
$1213 weekly minimum (LORT B)
$889 weekly minimum (LORT D)

SEEKING

Equity actors for roles in Geffen Playhouse's 2026-27 Season (See

BREAKDOWN

).

PREPARATION

Please prepare a monologue no longer than 2-minutes in the spirit of one of our season's plays.

LOCATION

Actors' Equity Association - Los Angeles
5636 Tujunga Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91601

PERSONNEL

Expected to attend:

• Lexy McAvinchey: Associate Producer
• Phyllis Schuringa: Artistic Associate/Casting Director

See

BREAKDOWN

for production specific

PERSONNEL

.

OTHER DATES

See

BREAKDOWN

for production specific dates.

OTHER

https://www.geffenplayhouse.org

EPA Procedures are in effect for this audition. An Equity Monitor will be provided.

Equity's

CONTRACT

s prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.

Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.

BREAKDOWN

Geffen Playhouse 2026-27 Season

PURPOSE

Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Director - Phylicia Rashad

Rehearsal begins October 20, 2026

First Preview - November 11, 2026

Opening - November 19, 2026

Closing - December 13

Possible extension until December 20, 2026 Gil Cates Theater, LORT B

SYNOPSIS: For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black radicalism. Rowdy, hilarious and filled with intrigue, Purpose is an epic family drama and a long-awaited world premiere from one of the country’s most celebrated voices

SEEKING:

SOLOMON SONNY JASPER - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, 60s, male-identifying, patriarch, a key figure in the student protest wing of the American civil rights movement who went on to become a highly visible politician, spokesman, and religious leader during the latter half of the twentieth century. Hiding an illness from his children.

CLAUDINE JASPER - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, female-identifying, 60s, married to Sonny, a key figure in the student protest wing of the American civil rights movement who went on to become a highly visible politician, spokesman, and religious leader during the latter half of the twentieth century. She embraces her role of matriarch and is just as responsible for the political work her husband has accomplished. Strong-willed. Used to being in the spotlight.

NAZARETH JASPER - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, early to mid-30s, male-identifying. Youngest son of Sonny Jasper, a key figure in the student protest wing of the American civil rights movement who went on to become a highly visible politician, spokesman, and religious leader during the latter half of the twentieth century. A nature photographer (he did not go into the family business of politics). He's returned home to Chicago for his mother's birthday. WILL ALSO UNDERSTUDY SOLOMON

SOLOMON JUNIOR JASPER, JR. - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, late-30s/early-40s, male identifying Former State Senator, who served five consecutive terms before he was found guilty of federal embezzlement and a few counts of wire fraud. He was just released from prison. Slick and charming. He can take any curse and turn it into a blessing. WILL ALSO UNDERSTUDY NAZARETH

MORGAN JASPER - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, late-30s/early-40s, female-identifying. Married to Solomon, Jr. Got sucked up in her husband's political fall and was sentenced to 12 months for filing false tax returns but, because they have a set of twin boys, the judge allowed them to serve their time consecutively. She is about to go to prison and is not happy about it. WILL ALSO UNDERSTUDY AZIZA

AZIZA HOUSTON - [CAST.

SEEKING

UNDERSTUDY] Black, female-identifying, early to mid-30s. Earthy, headstrong, and determined. She was raised in a Black Panther household and that has shaped how she moves through life. She’s chosen to have a baby by herself. She is an outsider entering the world of the Jasper family as she doesn’t come from the political class. WILL ALSO UNDERSTUDY MORGAN.

LIBERATION

Written by Bess Wohl

Director - Whitney White

Spacing Rehearsal - week of January 11, 2027

First Preview - January 27, 2027

Opening - February 4, 2027

Closing - February 28, 2027

Gil Cates Theater, LORT B

This production is the second stop in a 3-city tour. We are looking for understudies for LA only

SEEKING:

LIZZIE - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Dora and Susan.] Female identifying. Flexible age to play 20s-40s. White. A journalist, searching to understand choices made in the past so she can find a way to live with the present-day complications of motherhood, ambition, and heterosexual marriage. Plays herself in the present and her mother in the past. In the present, she is searching, curious, insistent, and secretly navigating a deep and crippling sense of loss. As her mother in the 1970's, she is ambitious, hopeful, optimistic, brave and profoundly conflicted. As both, she is a woman striving to step into her true self, if only she could figure out how. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

MARGIE - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Isidora] Female identifying. 50s-60s. White. A midwestern homemaker, mother of two grown boys, and wife of a man who neither appreciates her nor notices her thinly sublimated rage. Her husband is retired now, and she is looking for a way to get out of the house, so she doesn't stab him. Maybe she's kidding... Maybe she's genuinely homicidal. (She's not even sure herself.) Important: she is not a doormat and could have done many things if she had been given the chance. For now, she must settle for making an excellent cheese ball. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

SUSAN - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Dora and Lizzie] Female identifying. 20s. White. A radical, queer free spirit living out of her car with a pet bird and a fragile relationship to her own mental health. Her way of seeing the world is utterly brilliant, completely unique, and at times deeply painful. She has profound visions, she has frightening dreams-- all in all, she is ahead of her time, which makes it very hard to live at all. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

CELESTE - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Joanne] Female identifying. Late 30s. Black. Harvard/Radcliffe educated, editor and writer. Left her life as a New York City writer and activist and came home to this stifling midwestern town to care for her sick mother, who is slowly dying. She is grounded, precise and at times guarded-- in part as she is on a journey with being open with her sexuality and where she sits at the intersection of queerness and blackness. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

ISIDORA - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Margie] Female identifying. 30s. White. An Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. at age 12, was abandoned by her mother and raised by nuns, and later got married to an American - but only to get a green card (and maybe a credit card too). She is brash, proud of her sexuality and sensuality, opinionated and bitterly desperate for action. Hard to tell at times whether what's motivating her is optimism or nihilism. Or maybe it's just plain rage. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

DORA - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Lizzie and Susan] Female identifying. Mid 20s. White. A prim, midwestern good girl, whose neat hair and sensible pumps belie a fierce ambition and growing determination to claw her way up the professional ladder. Her character goes through drastic growth and change as she will mature from a quietly deferential, competent secretary to a successful, globe-trotting marketing maven over the course of her life. Ultimately, she will find the courage to resist the conventions of her upbringing. THIS ROLE WILL REQUIRE FULL FRONTAL NUDITY.

JOANNE - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy, will also understudy Celeste] Female identifying. Early 30s. Black. She's got four obstreperous young sons and an unhelpful husband to deal with, on top of working a full-time job. She cannot get on board with women fighting to work outside the home when she's already been working outside the home her whole life-- and would change places with a bored housewife any day of the week. She's direct, perceptive and unafraid to call out hypocrisy wherever she finds it. (Will Double as Lizzie in a single scene with Bill.)

BILL - [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy] Male identifying. Late 20s-early 30s. White. Bill is smart, clean-cut, athletic, down-to-earth. A hard-working young lawyer with a healthy sense of ambition, and an equally strong sense of justice. He's got the chance of a lifetime to move to New York for a job opportunity but

is also head-over-heels in love with Lizzie. He's an optimist who truly believes in the promise of equal partnership between men and women, and that, with love, anything is possible. He's also deeply scared that Lizzie will break his heart.

THE MONSTERS

Written by Ngozi Anyanwu

Director - Awoye Timpo

First Rehearsal - February 2, 2027

First Preview - March 3, 2027

Opening - March 11, 2027

Closing - April 4, 2027

Possible extension until April 18, 2027

Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, LORT D

SYNOPSIS: As a seasoned MMA fighter at the end of his career, BIG reluctantly agrees to coach his younger sister. LIL, a fierce and hungry newcomer with something to prove. Years of distance, resentment and unresolved pain simmer beneath every training session.

SEEKING:

BIG:

Black

late 30s too mid 40s

A mixed martial arts fighter who on his way to retirement

Or at least should be

He’s still an excellent mover

To us he appears to be definition of masculine

He looks strong

Because he is

In fact he brawlic

physically imposing

But for all his strength

He is in fact not that tough

BIG was boy who had to be a man early

Too early

And is now brimming with regret

He keeps his feelings close to his chest

A stoic

But not without emotion

Big brimming with regret, loss and grief

For the things he could have been and the things he’ll never get to be

Which is a beautiful fighter

So he’ll pour it all into Lil

LIL: [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy]

Black

Late 20s to early 30s

She’ll

Become a fighter

Cause she’s always been one

Scrappy

Vulnerable

Incredibly charming

Wears her need on her sleeve

A weakness

For all

The hurt

All the loss

She’s still managed to maintain her girl

Her openness

Which is its own kind of strength

Often underestimated but make no mistake

She can take care of herself

And brimming just underneath is deep need resentment

N a capacity for brutality

Is her physical power and potential to be one of the greats

She’s vibrating with it

CLOSING COSTS - World Premiere

Written by Grace McLeod

Director - Hannah Wolf

Produced in association with IAMA

Stand alone first week of rehearsal - October 6 - 12, 2026

Rehearsal continues - February 23, 2027

First Preview - March 31, 2027

Opening - April 8, 2027

Closing - May 2, 2027

Gil Cates Theater, LORT B

SYNOPSIS: A scrappy real estate agent and her Uber-driving boyfriend are secretly living in the luxury property she's desperate to sell: a disastrously flipped fever dream where corners are cut and nothing works the way is should. When the home's developer shows up, things go from unethical to unhinged.

SEEKING:

Kayla: 35, Black. Kayla is an actor turned real estate agent who has been dealt a raw deal and is really just trying to hold it all together. There are a lot of life choices (egg freezing, marriage, kids) that Kayla needs to make quickly while also deciding if she should hold onto her comedy dream. She is a determined survivalist who is impossible not to root for. The role involves physical comedy (falls, running, etc.) and some intimacy (touching, kissing).

Raffi: Mid-late 30s, Armenian American. Raffi is an actor/model/Uber driver, much to the disappointment of his family of lawyers. He grew up in Glendale and LOVES IT. He's a golden retriever boyfriend who is willing to do anything to make Kayla happy. The role involves physical comedy (falls, carrying a body, climbing, running) and some intimacy (being in a towel, kisses, physical touches).

Aaron: Late 20s, White. Aaron was in a frat at USC and flirts with Alpha-Maxxing. He comes from LA development money and nepo-babied his way into a career as a house flipper with a bro-tastic social media presence. The role involves physical comedy (falls, crawling, being dragged).

Steph: Early-Mid 30s, Chinese. Steph is a masc of center lesbian husband, who is also 8 months pregnant. She is a playwright who comes from money, but instead of being apologetic about it, she's confident in her privilege and identity. She's got swagger for days and doesn't care what anyone else thinks - except for her wealthy mother who bankrolls her life. The role involves physical comedy (crawling, being covered in water) and some intimacy (touching, same gender kissing).

Claire: [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy] Late 20s, White. Claire is a femme of center non-profit housing lawyer on the Brooklyn Lesbian to Atwater Village Pipeline. Claire truly cares about housing rights and her northeast LA clients, but she is constantly feeling guilty about her whiteness and her proximity to extreme privilege and is VERY worried about what other people think about her. Role includes intimacy (touching, same gender kissing).

Brian: Late 40s-early 50s, White. Brian is a longtime working actor who got his big break in his mid-40s when he landed the lead in a network TV show called Truth Sucker. On the outside, he's the blandly handsome vampire detective that Midwestern moms love, but on the inside, he's deeply anxious, highly opinionated, and a little neurotic. Brian has settled in nicely to a network money life with his long-time partner, Javi. The role includes intimacy (touching, same gender kissing).

Javi: Early-Mid 40s, Latine. Javi grew up in Atwater Village and is eager to return to his old neighborhood. He's a waiter turned aspiring massage therapist/curandero, a dream he put on hold once Brian's acting career really took off. Javi leads with optimism and assumes the best of people until they prove they don't deserve it (and then he can be fiercely protective, especially of Brian). The role includes physical comedy (falls, running) and intimacy (touching, same gender kissing).

Veronica: Mid-late 40s, White. Veronica is a no-nonsense shark of a realtor who grew up in the Valley and doesn't have time for any of this. She speaks fast, thinks faster, and fights hard for her clients, who love and fear her in equal measure.

WINE IN THE WILDERNESS

Written by Alice Childress

Director - LaChanze

Produced in association with LaChanze Productions

First Rehearsal - May 4, 2027

First Preview - June 2, 2027

Opening - June 10, 2027

Closing - July 3, 2027

Gil Cates Theater - LORT B

SYNOPSIS: Set during the height of the 1964 Harlem riot, Wine in the Wilderness unfolds in the apartment of Bill Jameson, a painter determined to capture the essence of Black womanhood in his latest tryptych. As friends take shelter from the rising tensions outside, the arrival of a young woman disrupts Bill's carefully constructed vision and exposes the assumptions, judgement and hierarchies shaping both his art and his community.

SEEKING:

Bill Jameson – an artist aged 33, Black

Oldtimer – [CAST.

SEEKING

Understudy] an old roustabout character in his 60s. Sonny-Man – A writer aged 27, Black

Cynthia – A social worker aged 25. She is Sonny-man’s wife, Black

Tommy – A woman factory worker aged 30, Black