SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD Equity Principal Actors - Crossroads Theatre Company Auditions

SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD - NYC EPA

Crossroads Theatre Company | New Brunswick, NJ

Notice: Audition • Call Type: EPA

AUDITION DATE

LOCATION

Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Actors' Equity New York Audition Center
165 W 46th St, 16th Fl
9:30 AM - 1:30 PM (E)
New York, NY 10036

CONTRACT

PERSONNEL

LOA

$900 weekly minimum (LOA ref. LORT)

Artistic Director: Ricardo Khan
Managing Director: Ezra Ezzard
Casting Directors: McCorkle Casting, LTD

SEEKING

See breakdown for specific production personnel. Equity actors for roles in SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD (see breakdown).

EXPECTED TO ATTEND

Artistic Director: Ricardo Khan

No roles will be understudied.

OTHER DATES

PREPARATION

First rehearsal — April 21
First preview — May 19
Opening — May 23
Closing — June 14

Please prepare a brief contemporary monologue, one minute in length. Please bring a physical copy of your headshot and resume stapled together.

OTHER

https://crossroadstheatrecompany.com/

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

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

SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD — set in 1970s South Africa

In Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Dead, the characters are defined by their resilience, agency, and the masks they wear to survive the oppressive apartheid system. The play explores how Black South Africans, particularly through the characters of Styles, Sizwe Bansi, and Buntu, navigate, resist, and, at times, succumb to the dehumanizing pressures of apartheid.

Sizwe Banzi
Sizwe Banzi is a poignant, desperate figure representing the millions of Black South Africans stripped of their identity by apartheid pass laws. He appears older though is probably in his 30s or 40s, as life has already been a hard one for him. He is a hardworking father from King William's Town in South Africa who has travelled 150 miles from his home in search of a better life and a way to care for his wife, Nowetu, and their four children.

Styles — ALREADY CAST
Styles is the owner of a photography studio in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, and the play’s narrator/introducer. Independent and creative: Styles is a former Ford factory worker who escaped the circus monkey lifestyle of manual labor to become his own boss. He is fashionable (often wears a bow tie) and takes pride in his self-employment.

He views his studio as a strong-room of dreams, where he preserves the dignity and aspirations of ordinary Black people. Performative and charismatic, he breaks the fourth wall, directly addressing the audience to tell stories about his past. He uses his wit to subvert racist authority and recalls a time he felt like a man when he managed to reverse roles with his white boss, Bradley, while painting safety lines.

Buntu (doubles as Styles)
A long-time resident of Port Elizabeth and a friend who takes in Sizwe and advises him on how to navigate the system. Buntu understands the harsh reality of apartheid. He is pragmatic and cynical. While he operates within the system, his actions in helping fellow Black men are a quiet form of resistance. He is a good brother and appreciates the struggle, but survival is his priority.

Generous and protective, he offers his couch, drinks, and guidance to help Sizwe, acting as a supportive, family-like figure. System-savvy, he is the one who finds the dead man's passbook and recognizes the opportunity it provides.