GENERAL AUDITIONS

GENERAL AUDITIONS

NOTICE OF GENERAL AUDITIONS FOR
THE SHAW FESTIVAL 2027 SEASON AND BEYOND

Casting persons in attendance:
Dramatic auditions: Artistic Director Tim Carroll and Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad

Musical auditions: Music Director Paul Sportelli, Associate Music Director Ryan deSouza, Artistic Director Tim Carroll and Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad

Deadline to submit: December 6 2025 – 6:00pm Eastern Standard Time

Email applications to: thommarriott@shawfest.com
Contact name: Thom Marriott
Contact email: thommarriott@shawfest.com
Contact phone: 905-468-2153
Engager website: www.shawfest.com

Agreement: CTA

ETHNO CULTURAL STATEMENT: The Shaw Festival encourages submissions from artists of all backgrounds.

SHAW FESTIVAL THEATRE MISSION: To create unforgettable theatrical encounters in any way we want, inspired by the spirit of George Bernard Shaw: mischievous and witty; provocative and iconoclastic; engaged with the world. We want to be a two-way Theatre where the audience has a real voice, and is not excluded from any aspect of our work.

Additional information: NOTICE OF GENERAL AUDITIONS FOR THE SHAW FESTIVAL 2027 SEASON AND BEYOND

City: TORONTO
Location: TBD

MUSICAL AUDITIONS: January 22 & 23, 2026
DRAMA AUDITIONS: February 17 & 18, 2026

REQUIREMENTS:
All auditions are by appointment only. Equity members cast in the season will be engaged under an Equity contract. CAEA members: please bring your membership information to the audition.

Drama: Attended by Artistic Director Tim Carroll and Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad: One (1) monologue from any period before WW2 (originally written in English but please, no Shakespeare). We’ll be seeing actors in groups of eight to ten people for an hour long work session in which the monologue will be shared, and the entire group involved all the time. This will give us the chance to get to know the actor and how they work. We require that you ONLY submit your client(s) to one category: either MUSICAL or DRAMA but NOT BOTH.

Musical: The audition consists of two sessions: Individual Singing call attended by Artistic Director Tim Carroll, Music Director Paul Sportelli, and Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad: 2 contrasting songs, preferably an up tempo and a ballad. At least 1 of your selections should be from the period 1920-1960, and at least 1 of your selections should be a song from a musical. Please note: we may only hear one song. An Accompanist will be provided for musical auditions. Please bring your music in the key in which you will be singing. The accompanist will not be able to transpose it for you.

PLUS you may be asked to attend a group acting call attended by Artistic Director Tim Carroll, Music Director Paul Sportelli and Associate Artistic Director Kimberley Rampersad later the same day: one (1) monologue from any period before WW2 (originally written in English but please, no Shakespeare). We’ll be seeing actors in groups of eight to ten for an hour long work session in which the monologue will be shared, and the entire group involved all the time. This will give us the chance to get to know the actor and how they work. We require that you ONLY submit your client(s) to one category: either MUSICAL or DRAMA but not BOTH.

COMMENTS: Applicants selected for an audition will be contacted to confirm an appointment.

WE WILL NOT CONTACT ANYONE WHO HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED FOR AN APPOINTMENT.

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT IF YOU HAVE BEEN SEEN IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
As you can appreciate, we handle a large volume of submissions and would welcome your help in providing the best possible consideration for you/your clients.

We require that you only submit yourself/your client(s) TO THE ONE CATEGORY either MUSICAL or DRAMA but not BOTH.

Agents, please ensure your clients do not submit themselves if you are submitting them.

Please submit resumes and photos in a single PDF

Please make all electronic submissions via email: thommarriott@shawfest.com

Please note that we are not accepting recorded or virtual audition requests.

We are only accepting audition requests for the dates indicated. If you will not be available, please do not submit.
We are only accepting audition requests from artists who are legally able to work in Canada.

All submissions must indicate if the artist is Equity or Non-Equity.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Please send submissions NO LATER THAN SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2025 AT 6:00pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME. Submissions received after this date and time will not be considered.

If you are unable to submit electronically, you may submit HARD COPY ONLY RESUME AND PHOTO to the address below.

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST INDICATE THE ONE CATEGORY IN WHICH YOU WISH TO BE CONSIDERED.

Auditions:
Shaw Festival Theatre
10 Queen’s Parade, Box 774, Niagara on the Lake, ON L0S 1J0

Inquiries for further information can be made to thommarriott@shawfest.com

Thank you for your interest in the Shaw Festival

Discover more about working at the Shaw Festival by visiting our Welcome Website at welcome.shawfest.com

As one of the world’s leading theatre companies and Niagara’s 20 largest employers, The Shaw is dedicated to an ongoing process of increasing diversity and inclusion in our audiences, our programs, and in all of our hiring for staff, artists, and in the recruiting of board members. The Shaw is committed to a future when our theatres joyously draw on and include all peoples, fully reflective of the world around us. As such, the Shaw Festival is an equal opportunity employer committed to a barrier-free recruitment and selection process. We encourage and invite applications from applicants who identify as Indigenous, Black or as persons of colour (IBPOC), the LGBTQ2+ communities and those identifying as gender fluid. In accordance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and in keeping with our wish to ensure a fully inclusive environment, please advise Human Resources if you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process. We will be happy to assist.

We acknowledge and honour the land upon which we gather as the historic and traditional territory of First Nations peoples. In particular we recognize and thank the Neutral Nation, the Mississauga and the Haudenosaunee for their stewardship of these lands over millennia.