New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane — 2026 Season — New Orleans, LA
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Lupin Theater, Tulane University
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (C)
155 Dixon Hall Annex, New Orleans, LA 70118
To schedule an audition appointment please email
shakespearecasting@tulane.edu with your preferred audition time.
Expected to attend:
Independent Theatre Contract
$402 weekly minimum – 2025 rates
Callbacks: in person on January 24, 12:00–5:00 PM.
Equity actors for roles in New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane's 2026 season (see breakdown below).
Please prepare a 1–2 minute Shakespeare monologue in verse.
Rehearsal Dates: April 28 – May 21, 2026
Performances: May 22 – June 7, 2026
Performance Schedule: May 22, 23, 28–30, June 4–6 at 7:30 PM and May 24, 31, June 7 at 1:30 PM
Rehearsal Dates: June 2 – 25, 2026
Performance Dates: June 26 – July 12, 2026
Performance Schedule: June 26, 27, July 2–4, 9–11 at 7:30 PM and June 28, July 5, 12 at 1:30 PM
Rehearsal Schedule: Tuesday–Friday evenings 6:00–10:00 PM; Saturday & Sunday 12:00–5:00 PM
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.
King Lear: The aging King of Britain who divides his kingdom among his daughters, only to be betrayed by Goneril and Regan, which leads to his madness and eventual tragic realization.
Goneril: Lear's eldest daughter and the wife of Albany. Ruthless and ambitious—betraying Lear and eventually plotting her husband’s demise to marry Edmund; she will stop at nothing to gain power.
Regan: Lear's second daughter and the wife of Cornwall. Equally cruel and power-hungry as her sister, conspiring with Goneril to remove her father from the throne.
Cordelia: Lear's youngest and most beloved daughter, who is disinherited for refusing to flatter him. Honest, compassionate, forgiving, and strong-willed. She remains loyal to her father and later returns with a French army to save him.
Earl of Kent: Lear’s loyal friend and supporter who is banished for defending Cordelia. He later returns in disguise to continue serving Lear.
Earl of Gloucester: A nobleman, devoted to the King, whose story parallels Lear's. He is deceived by his son Edmund and ultimately becomes a victim of the play's unfolding tragedy.
Edgar: Gloucester's son, born to married parents, who is tricked by his brother Edmund and forced to flee. He disguises himself as a mad beggar to survive and eventually seeks justice.
Edmund: Gloucester's son, born to unmarried parents, who is driven by ambition. He plots against his father and brother, Edgar, to gain power and status.
Oswald: Goneril’s steward who is an opportunistic accomplice helping Goneril’s plot.
Fool: Lear’s loyal court jester known for his truth-telling and protection of the King.
Duke of Albany: Goneril’s husband who eventually gains strength and stature in recognizing Goneril’s misdeeds.
Duke of Cornwall: Regan’s husband who will stop at nothing to ruin Lear.
King of France: Cordelia’s honorable husband who supports her in her attempts to rescue Lear; he married for love, not dowry.
Duke of Burgundy: Cordelia’s suitor who rejects Cordelia upon learning she has been disinherited.
Other: Doctor, Attendant, Messenger, Captain (may be doubled)
Note: Several roles will be double cast. Double casting TBD.
Macbeth: A leading general in the Scottish army who is rewarded with a noble title and rises to become King of Scotland through violence and manipulation.
Lady Macbeth: Macbeth’s spouse and closest ally, who drives the plan to seize the crown and works to secure and protect their rule.
Banquo: A respected general and ally of Macbeth whose descendants are prophesied to rule Scotland, making Banquo a target.
King Duncan: The reigning monarch of Scotland whose visit to Macbeth’s castle ends in assassination.
Malcolm: Duncan’s elder child and rightful heir, forced into exile and later returning to reclaim the throne.
Donalbain: Duncan’s younger child, who flees Scotland after the king’s murder and is cut off from the line of succession.
Macduff: A Scottish noble who refuses to support Macbeth’s rule and leads the effort to oppose and overthrow the king.
Lady Macduff: Macduff’s spouse left unprotected when Macduff flees Scotland, whose murder exposes the cost of resisting Macbeth’s rule.
Lennox: A Scottish noble who witnesses the unraveling of Macbeth’s court and shifts allegiance as the truth emerges.
Ross: A nobleman and political messenger who moves between factions and delivers news that shapes events.
The Three Witches: Supernatural figures who deliver prophecies that spark Macbeth’s rise and downfall.
Fleance: Banquo’s child, targeted to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy and ultimately escaping.
Seyton: An attendant and officer serving Macbeth in the later part of the play, present as the king’s power and control deteriorate.
The Porter: A servant at Macbeth’s castle who answers the gate on the morning after Duncan’s murder.
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