ARENA STAGE 2026-27 SEASON "ACT 1" Equity Principal Actors - Arena Stage Auditions

ARENA STAGE 2026-27 SEASON ACT 1 - WASHINGTON, D.C. EPA

Arena Stage | Washington, DC

Notice: Audition Call Type: EPA REVISED

Updated Salary & Breakdown.

AUDITION DATE

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (E)
Lunch 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

APPOINTMENTS

These calls will be run on a 1st come, 1st served basis. The sign-ups will begin at 9am.

CONTRACT

LORT Non-Rep
$1320 weekly minimum (LORT B+)
$1213 weekly minimum (LORT B)
$1114 weekly minimum (LORT C)

SEEKING

Equity actors for roles in Arena Stage's 2026-27 Season Act 1 (See breakdown). Also seeking understudies (for all roles) and swings. Equity Performers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities and expressions, and performers living with disabilities are encouraged to audition.

PREPARATION

Please prepare 1 short song & 1 short monologue OR 2 contrasting short monologues. Auditions may not exceed 3-minutes total. An accompanist will be provided. Please have a headshot and resume (as a pdf) on your phone ready to upload to an online form. Please bring a hard copy of your headshot and resume stapled together. Always bring your equity card to EPAs.

LOCATION

Arena Stage
1101 6th St SW
Washington, DC 20024
Please enter the building through the main doors on Sixth St. Please be ready to show ID at the main desk. The Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

PERSONNEL

Expected to attend:
Raiyon Hunter: Casting Director

OTHER DATES

See breakdown for production specific dates.

OTHER

www.arenastage.org

Please do not attend both DC and NYC auditions. Please choose your closest location. Arena Stage will provide reasonable accommodations to individuals who request them in advance. Accommodation requests may include but are not limited to: Large Print Materials, Social Narratives, and ASL Interpretation. Please call 202-554-9066 with any questions.

An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition. Equity's contracts 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

Arena Stage 2026-27 Season Act 1

Some character breakdowns within this document include gender specifications that reflect the identity of the characters as written by the playwrights. However, we encourage performers with any gender expression and/or gender identity to audition.

All dates are subject to change.

NIKOLA (Kreeger Stage, LORT B)

First Rehearsal: 8/31/26
First Preview: 10/9/26
Opening: 10/22/26
Closing: 12/6/26
Directed by Marshall Pailet
Choreography by Katie Spelman
Music Supervision by Dominic Fallacaro
Music Direction by Heath Saunders.

SYNOPSIS: Nikola - A New Musical charts the rise of famed inventor Nikola Tesla from unknown engineer to eccentric genius to “mad scientist.” As his celebrity rises and the war of the currents with Thomas Edison heats up, Nikola pushes himself, his followers, and the limits of electric power to dangerous extremes to connect the world and reach his vision of a new tomorrow. Nikola features book and lyrics by Nikko Benson and Benjamin Halstead, music by Nikko Benson, music supervision by Dominic Fallacaro, choreography by Katie Spelman, and direction by Marshall Pailet. Meet the visionary. See the visionary electric musical.

SEEKING:

Nikola Tesla [Tenor, Mid 20s - early 30s]: A visionary inventor whose vivid visions of the future often leave him feeling isolated, misunderstood, and at times even a little insane. With an overactive imagination and near-photographic memory, he can visualize inventions fully formed in the air around him, seeing possibilities decades before anyone else can comprehend them. His ability to see what doesn’t exist is both his genius and his curse, driving groundbreaking innovation while pulling him further away from reality and ordinary human connection. At first, Tesla believes science can transform the world for the better, but after Edison’s betrayal, he becomes increasingly consumed by the need to prove his vision right at any cost.

Katharine Underwood [Soprano, 20s - 30s]: A dazzling New York City socialite who has mastered the art of connection in a world where women are rarely taken seriously. She moves through high society like a conductor, orchestrating conversations, relationships, and influence with effortless charm. Beneath her wit and magnetic confidence is a woman deeply restless with the limits placed on her life. Her connection with Tesla begins as fascination but grows into a rare and profound intimacy as they recognize in each other a familiar hunger to be understood.

Thomas Edison [Tenor, mid-30s to early-50s]: A charismatic, larger-than-life showman of an inventor - equal parts genius, mogul, and diva - who has built his empire as much on turning innovation into spectacle. Beneath the bravado is a man who has worked relentlessly to construct not just a system of power, but a legacy with his name stamped on it.

Robert Underwood-Johnson [Tenor, late 20s - early 40s]: A slick, charming reporter who moves effortlessly through a fast-changing world, shaping its chaos into his hard-hitting exposés. A master of words, he knows exactly who to be in every room, including the devoted husband to Katharine Underwood-Johnson.

J.P. Morgan [Soprano, 30s]: The ruthless king of American capitalism. To Morgan, nothing is more seductive than power, and he uses it to bend the world to his every will. Tesla's brilliance intrigues him, recognizing great power in him. Morgan agrees to finance Tesla's massive wireless tower believing it will make him the man who owns the future itself.

George Westinghouse [Baritone, 40s-50s]: A booming, big-hearted industrialist with the soul of an optimist and the energy of a hype man - Nikola Tesla’s most enthusiastic champion. Flush with success from his railroad innovations, he believes power should belong to everyone, not just the elite.

Guglielmo Marconi [Tenor, 20s - 30s]: A young immigrant inventor bursting with ambition, swagger, and just enough brilliance to be dangerous. Marconi is inspired by Tesla's wireless communication ideas, yet he lacks in communication skills.

ENSEMBLE SINGERS: Ages 20s – 30s, all gender identities, all ethnicities, all body types. Seeking strong and vivid singer/actor/dancers to play various members of society. Most ensemble tracks will understudy principal roles.

ENSEMBLE DANCERS: Ages 20s – 30s, all gender identities, all ethnicities, all body types. Seeking energetic/expressive/dynamic dancers. Strong vocals an advantage.

PRIMA FACIE (Kogod Cradle, LORT C)

First Rehearsal: 10/13/26
First Preview: 11/13/26
Opening: 11/20/26
Closing: 12/27/26

SYNOPSIS: Tessa is a brilliant criminal defense attorney who has fought her way to the top of her field, defending men accused of sexual assault. She trusts the system that made her success possible. But when the unthinkable happens to her, she finds herself sitting where her clients’ accusers once sat. What follows is a reckoning with the law's patriarchal power and the gap between the burden of proof and truth. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is an electrifying, award-winning one-woman show that doesn’t just ask what justice means. It demands we do something about it.

SEEKING:

TESSA [White, woman, 30s]: A brilliant, ambitious defense barrister who has worked her way to the top of her field through intelligence, determination, and belief in the legal system. Tessa is sharp, charismatic, funny, and fiercely competitive in the courtroom.

PURPOSE (Fichandler Stage, LORT B+)

First Rehearsal: 1/5/27
First Preview: 2/5/27
Opening: 2/11/27
Closing: 3/28/27

SYNOPSIS: Meet the Jaspers—a Black political dynasty of civil rights leaders, pastors, and congressmen who have long anchored Black American life. But beneath the surface, cracks and secrets simmer. When the youngest son, Naz, returns home with an unexpected guest, long-buried resentment boils over, fracturing the family's foundation. Wickedly smart, outrageously funny, and ultimately devastating, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose is a provocative, deeply felt exploration of legacy, belonging, and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.

SEEKING:

SOLOMON JASPER [Black, Man, 50-60s]: The patriarch of the Jasper family. A legendary civil rights leader and minister. Commanding, intelligent, and deeply invested in legacy and public image.

CLAUDINE JASPER [Black, Woman, 50s-60s]: The matriarch of the Jasper family. Fiercely protective of the family and committed to maintaining its image. Warm but controlling.

NAZARETH JASPER [Black, Man, 30s]: The youngest son of the Jasper family and the play’s narrator. Introspective and sensitive, he left divinity school and prefers a quieter life centered around photography and nature.

SOLOMON “JUNIOR” JASPER JR. [Black, Man, 40s]: The eldest son and former state senator, who has recently been released from prison for campaign fraud and embezzlement. Charismatic, arrogant, wounded, and desperate for validation.

MORGAN JASPER [Black, Woman, 40s]: Junior’s wife. Intelligent, exhausted, brutally honest, and no longer interested in pretending everything is okay. She is also facing prison time connected to Junior’s scandal.

AZIZA HOUSTON [Black, Woman, 30s]: Naz’s friend. Smart, curious, grounded, and emotionally open.