Switch Theatre Company is holding auditions for its 2025-26 Season:
| SHOW | Rhinoceros | Shakespeare in the Parks: As You Like It | Pirates! A Boy At Sea | Radio Golf |
| DIRECTED BY | Adam Traylor | Gwendolyn Schwinke | Matthew Bobzien | John Frazier |
| REHEARSALS | 11/1/2025 – 1/21/2026 Durham Arts Council | 2/7 – 4/23 (virtual only in February) Durham Arts Council | 5/30 – 7/15 Durham Arts Council | 8/8 – 10/14 (tentative) Durham Arts Council |
| PERFORMANCES | 1/22 – 2/1/2026 | 4/24 – 5/31/2026 | 7/16 – 7/26/2026 | 10/15 – 10/25/2026 |
| LOCATION | PSI Theatre, Durham Arts Council | Fred Fletcher Park, Raleigh Durham Central Park, Durham Knightdale Station Park, Knighdale 2-3 additional TBD | PSI Theatre, Durham Arts Council | PSI Theatre, Durham Arts Council |
Auditions will be held on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, from 11-5pm at:
Studio 101
Joan H Gillings Center for Dramatic Art
120 Country Club Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Alternatively, actors may submit a video audition, uploaded to YouTube or other video hosting service.
To be considered for SITP:AS YOU LIKE IT, please prepare a 30-60 second Shakespeare monologue of your choice, preferably memorized. For other shows, please prepare an appropriate comedic or dramatic monologue in the style of your choosing. In person auditionees may be asked to do cold readings as well.
Stipends are available for all roles. For SITP, actors will be mic’ed for all outdoor performances, and receive an additional stipend for travel.
Please sign up for ONE half-hour audition slot, and bring a headshot and resume.
Callbacks:
Callbacks will be held in person on Saturday, 10/18, at the Durham Arts Council. Other callbacks may be held virtually and/or in person according to actor availability. Actors will be provided sides at callbacks.
Casting breakdowns
Switch Theatre Company encourages actors of any ethnicity, identity, and ability to audition for any role. If the production requires strict adherence to any characteristic(s), those will be listed in the character description.
Rhinoceros
Seeking a diverse ensemble cast with strong movement ability. Most roles will be doubled — meaning most actors will play more than one character. Actors must be willing to physically embody rhinoceroses, which will involve expressive movement, sound, and potentially close interaction with other performers. This may include choreographed contact, coordinated group movement, and shared physical space to create the sense of a herd.
Bérenger – Male-presenting, 30s–50s. The unlikely hero of the play. A rumpled, often hungover everyman who initially seems apathetic but gradually becomes the last human resisting the wave of transformation. Requires strong emotional range from comedic bewilderment to passionate resolve.
Jean – Male-presenting, 30s–50s. Bérenger’s well-groomed, disciplined friend. Confident, opinionated, and quick to lecture others. Undergoes a dramatic physical and vocal transformation on stage.
Daisy – Female-presenting, 20s–40s. Bérenger’s gentle, practical co-worker and love interest. Level-headed at first, but torn between loyalty to Bérenger and the pull of the crowd.
Mrs. Boeuf – Female-presenting, 30s–60s. Bursts into the office in Act II with news that her husband has transformed into a rhinoceros. A short but memorable scene requiring urgency, humor, and a big emotional shift.
Dudard – Male-presenting, 20s–40s. Calm, logical co-worker who tries to reason through the events. Ultimately joins the transformation, offering a measured counterpoint to Bérenger’s growing passion.
Botard – Male-presenting, 40s–60s. Stubborn, skeptical office worker who dismisses the rhinoceros sightings as nonsense until reality catches up. A blustery personality with comedic potential.
Mr. Papillon – Male-presenting, 40s–60s. The officious head of the office. Focused on procedure and productivity even as chaos looms. Offers comic authority and an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
Various Townspeople & Office Workers – Ensemble roles portraying the community’s reactions to the spreading transformations.
Shakespeare in the Parks: As You Like It
Seeking performers with strong classical acting skills. All roles are open except where noted – we are seeking swings/understudies and will double-cast based on actor availability. “As cast” roles may include courtiers, exiled courtiers, singers and/or attendants.
Rosalind (F) – The witty and resourceful heroine, she is banished by her uncle, the usurping Duke Frederick. Disguised as a young man named Ganymede, she flees to the Forest of Arden with her cousin and finds her true love, Orlando.
Orlando (M) – The youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys, he is denied an education and fair treatment by his tyrannical older brother. After winning a wrestling match and falling for Rosalind, he is forced to flee to the Forest of Arden.
Celia (F) – Rosalind’s devoted and inseparable cousin, and Duke Frederick’s daughter. Fiercely loyal, selfless and loving.
Oliver/as cast (M) – The resentful eldest brother of Orlando and the heir to the family estate. His intense animosity toward his brother drives him to violence and lies, but he later experiences a dramatic change of heart.
Phebe/as cast (F) – A disdainful shepherdess who rejects the sincere affection of Silvius. She falls instantly in love with Rosalind’s male disguise, Ganymede, creating further romantic confusion.
Silvius/Charles/as cast (M) – A young shepherd who is hopelessly, and perhaps excessively, in love with Phoebe. He patiently pursues her despite her constant rejections. As Charles, a formidable wrestler.
Touchstone (M) – The shrewd court jester who is fiercely loyal to Celia and Rosalind. He provides comedic commentary throughout their journey, offering a humorous and vulgar perspective on life, love, and the country folk.
Audrey/as cast (F) – A simple goatherd who becomes the object of Touchstone’s cynical affections. Her down-to-earth and uncomplicated nature contrasts sharply with the jester’s worldly wit.
Duke Frederick /Corin (also speaks lines assigned to Jaques deBoys)/ (M) The tyrannical younger brother of Duke Senior, he usurps the dukedom and banishes his brother. Paranoid, insecure. As Corin: An old, honest shepherd who helps Rosalind and Celia find shelter in the forest.
Amiens (any gender) – A loyal lord who follows Duke Senior into exile. Amiens is a gifted musician who provides song and cheer for the group in the forest.– possible singing role.
Jaques (any gender) – A melancholy lord who attends the exiled Duke Senior in the Forest of Arden. He is a sharp, theatrical observer of human nature, best known for his “All the world’s a stage” speech.
Duke Senior (any gender) – The rightful Duke, he is banished to the Forest of Arden by his younger brother, Duke Frederick. He maintains a positive and philosophical outlook on his simple life in exile, and is accompanied by a loyal group of followers.
Adam/LeBeau (any gender) – The elderly and faithful servant to Orlando, who once served his father. He offers his entire life savings to aid Orlando’s escape and follows him into exile. As Lebeau: A courtier to Duke Frederick, known for his formal and somewhat affected manner.
Pirates! A Boy At Sea
Seeking both child actors and adults who can play younger. All comfortable with physical comedy. Grownup actors need to be able to shift quickly between broad comedy and emotional seriousness.
Jim: Male, 8-12 years old. Playful and imaginative, struggling with complex feelings of his familial situation, grows in his confidence throughout the play, actor should be able to show clear points of view on other characters.
Captain McGovern/Dad: Male, 30’s – 40’s. As CM he is strict, believes in law and order, and authoritative and precise leader, emphasizes loyalty. As Dad, he still has a belief in the rules and honoring your loyalties and word, but he is also caring and guides with a gentler hand.
Captain Freely/Mum: Female, 30’s – 40’s. As CF, she is impulsive, selfish, values freedom, unapologetically herself, very confident. A very cartoonish pirate, actor should be able to make big physical choices.
Sneep: Any gender, approximately Jim’s age, OR any to play younger. Second in command of both ships, follows the rules. Pirate Sneep is a cocky smart-alec, believes in camaraderie, puts on a brave face but is actually a scaredy cat. Actor should be able to make distinct vocal and physical choices to distinguish between the 2 Sneeps, needs to be able to do a silly song and dance.
Harry: Any gender, approximately the same age as Sneep. Lowest pirate command, confused and just along for the ride, very easily excited and curious, eager follower/doer, people pleaser, needs to be able to do a silly song and dance.
Shark 1: Hungry, impulsive, care-free.
Shark 2: Steady, the brains of the operation, keeps things on track, actor needs to be able to clearly articulate.
Radio Golf
Harmond Wilks: Male, Black 40s – 50s. An ambitious and Ivy League-educated real estate developer, Harmond is on the verge of becoming Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor. His mission to redevelop his childhood neighborhood, the Hill District, puts him in a moral conflict as he discovers the true cost of progress.
Mame Wilks: Female, Black, 40s – 50s. Harmond’s professional public relations representative and ambitious wife, Mame meticulously strategizes his political career and her own ambitions. Her pragmatic approach to success clashes with Harmond’s moral dilemma, ultimately forcing her to reevaluate her own identity.
Roosevelt Hicks: Male, Black, 40s -50s. A bank vice president and Harmond’s business partner, Roosevelt is a materialist focused on personal wealth and status. He prioritizes financial gain over communal solidarity and acts as a foil to Harmond’s growing sense of integrity.
Elder Joseph “Old Joe” Barlow: Male, Black, to play 70s-80s. A seemingly harmless, eccentric elder who lays claim to a house scheduled for demolition, he represents the importance of preserving historical memory and becomes a powerful, unshakeable moral force challenging the developers’ plans.
Sterling Johnson: Male, Black, 40s – 50s. A self-employed contractor and old acquaintance of Harmond, Sterling is a fiercely independent and resilient former convict. He sides with Old Joe and serves as a moral compass, forcing Harmond to confront the history he is willing to erase.
Rehearsal information:
Rehearsals will take place on three weeknights and Saturday afternoons weekly, depending on actor availability. Most rehearsals will take place at the Durham Arts Council.
Additional information:
Email info@switchyardtc.org , or call 919-926-9906 with any questions!