Combined Audition Special Section Introduction
By Chad Fasca
Looking for work?
Each year—during the months of February and March—thousands of actors, singers and dancers travel across the country to audition for hundreds of opportunities for year-round or summer(-stock) work. Collecting at a handful of combined auditions scattered throughout this country and into Canada, they audition for dozens of producers and directors in a single shot (Annie Oakley eat your heart out). In front of them, dangles a pretty juicy bunch of carrots; Equity and Non-equity theatres, Shakespeare festivals, dinner theatres, outdoor historical dramas, cruise ships and still more venues may cast entire seasons from their ranks. In the end, what it all boils down to is work, internships that trade on potential for future work and the development of contacts that could lead to future work. And when the dust settles, thousands of roles (on stage and back stage) are filled, hundreds of careers are launched and the wheels of the nation's entertainment machine are greased.
So what goes on at these auditions?
This year's combined auditions have hit the home stretch with the SETC auditions this weekend and only a few more remaining. While the merits of attending these bulk auditions is often noted, we wanted to hear the inside story. So we asked our members to share their thoughts on these combined auditions. What follows is a series of articles on combined auditions written by members for members. These articles delve into the experiences and opinions of our community. We hope this will start an ongoing conversation that will make all of us better informed, so if you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed here, or if you have something to add, please feel free to share your own view with our community. By sharing your stories, we hope to detail everything from the auditions themselves to those auditioning for companies to those who succeed in landing parts or placement. So, if you have attended one or more of these combined auditions, join in the conversation; write to us.
Combined Auditions: A Short List
For those new to combined auditions, here's a short list on some of the best attended ones.
East Central Theatre Conference (ECTC) Auditions
Combined auditions for equity and non-equity actors desiring to work in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia areas.
The Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Auditions
Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C. SETC conducts one of the country's largest Equity, non-Equity combined auditions. Approximately 95 companies, both summer and year-round, gather to audition 850 actors.
New England Theatre Conference, Inc.
The New England Theatre Conference, Inc. (NETC) hosts an annual conference in Boston in February or March, which provides an opportunity for performers to audition and/or interview for several dozen New England summer theaters.
New Jersey Theatre Group (NJTG) Auditions
An alliance of professional, Equity theatres in New Jersey, NJTG holds Equity and non-Equity auditions for its members in late February (and August).
StrawHat Auditions
The StrawHat auditions, which have taken place for more than twenty years, gather more than forty theatres from all over the country who are looking for performers to fill roles in plays and musicals. Screening submissions required. Accepted submissions receive audition slot.
Theatre Bay Area (TBA)'s General Auditions
Each year, Theatre Bay Area's General Auditions give roughly 300 actors the chance to audition for 80 casting directors from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
National Dinner Theatre Association (NDTA)
Organized in 1978, the National Dinner Theatre Association (NDTA) caters to professionals who operate and manage the dinner theatre industry. The NDTA offers combined auditions every Spring to Equity and non-Equity performers.
University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) National Unified Auditions
These auditions are designed for graduating, degree candidates who are seeking advanced study through Graduate school. Several hundred positions are offered annually primarily through acceptance in MFA graduate programs.
Unified Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTA)
Annual set of auditions and interviews of actors, production personnel, and producers available for year-round work. Founded by Michael Detriot, the seven-year-old audition event was designed to provide professionals looking for year-round employment with a venue to audition for theatres interested in year-round personnel.
Institute for Outdoor Drama
Institute for Outdoor Drama, which serves as the major coordinating agency for most outdoor dramas in the country, especially the Eastern states, sponsors a major audition usually in later March each year in Chapel Hill, NC.
