SAVE THE DATE: Repertory Auditions for our Spring 2027 Salem State University Theatre Department productions, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window and The Tempest, will be held on Monday, December 7, 2026. (For a repertory audition, you audition for multiple shows at the same time, using the same audition material.)

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Esme Allen
February 26-28 & March 5-7, 2027
Callan Studio Theatre

“Lorraine Hansberry's second Broadway play is the probing, hilarious and provocative story of Sidney, a disenchanted Greenwich Village intellectual, his wife Iris, an aspiring actress, and their colorful circle of friends and relations. Set against the turmoil of a stormy 1964 political campaign, the play follows its characters in their unorthodox quests for meaningful lives in an age of corruption, alienation and cynicism. With compassion, humor and poignancy, the author examines questions of morality, ethics, interracial relationships, drugs, rebellion, conformity, global responsibility and the fragility of love.”

The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Peter Sampieri
April 16-18 & 23-26, 2027
Sophia Gordon Center- Mainstage Theatre

“Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest is a meditation on art, power, and freedom. On a remote island, Prospero, an exiled Duke, prepares to perform a great act of revenge. He summons his magical gifts into a devastating storm which hurls a ship’s crew onto the island– among them his usurping brother. With supernatural islanders as unwilling agents of his scheme and the castaways spellbound, Prospero’s plot advances. Old scores must be settled; his daughter Miranda must find love. But as his vision unfolds, a different ending emerges – one of forgiveness, love, compassion. And with it, the chance to renounce his magic forever.”

REPERTORY AUDITIONS FOR THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW AND THE TEMPEST:

• DATE: Monday, December 7, 2026

• TIME: 4:30pm-9:30pm

• LOCATION: SGRR (SG208, on the 2nd floor of the Sophia Gordon Center)

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Provide two copies of your theatre resume.

• Provide two copies of your headshot or a recent photograph.

• Prepare two memorized monologues. One monologue should be contemporary (from a play written between 1960-2026) and the other monologue should be classical (by Shakespeare, or another playwright from the same time period). Each monologue should be about one minute long, for a combined audition package time of two minutes total. Please do not exceed the two-minute time limit; timeslots are limited, and the directors will ask you to stop performing after you reach two minutes. 

CALLBACKS:

Callbacks for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window will be held on Tuesday, December 8. More information will be provided that morning.

Callbacks for The Tempest will be held Wednesday, December 9. More information will be provided that morning.

NOTES:

1. Salem State Theatre fundamentally supports inclusive casting and equal opportunity for all applicants. We hold open auditions and thus anyone from the community or university may audition. Because we produce plays for the direct educational benefit of our students, our chief emphasis is given to the Salem State University Theatre student. However, faculty directors always weigh the potential and cast according to production needs, guided by our general rule of thumb: no less than 75% of a Salem State theatre production cast must be filled by Salem State students.

2. All BFA Performance students are required to participate in repertory auditions for Theatre Department productions.

3. Please email aotoole@salemstate.edu for reading copies of the The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window and The Tempest. 

4. Learn more about Auditioning Basics and Theatre Resumes by scrolling down to the bottom of this page. 

Break a leg!

THE TEMPEST

1. Rehearsals: February - April

2. What to Expect in a Fitting Meeting: January 20

3. Designer Run: March 24

4. Program Information Deadline: 

5. Set In/All-Day Build Call: March 27

6. Lighting Hang: March 29- April 2

7. Focus: April 3

8. Board Op/Run Crew Training Meeting: April 5

9. Crew View: April 7

10. Q2Q/Tech Rehearsals: April 10 - 12

11. Dress Rehearsals: April 13-15

12. Front of House Training Meeting: April 15

13. Performances: April 16-18 & 23-26

14. Brush Up Rehearsal: April 22

15. Photocall: April 22

16. High School Matinee Performance: April 26

17. Strike: April 26-27

18. Post-Production Meeting: May 3

Monday, April 5, 2027
5:00pm
Mainstage Theatre

Required for all Board Ops, Props Run Crew, Scenic Run Crew, and Wardrobe Run Crew members. Learn about your position and the production needs before tech!

Front of House Training Meeting
Thursday, April 15, 2027
5:30pm-7:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
McGurren Conference Room

This meeting is required for all ushers and Box Office Managers.