Round House Theatre | Bethesda, MD
Bethesda, MD

DESCRIPTION

Notice: Audition Call Type: EPA

AUDITION DATE
Thursday, March 12, 2026
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM (E)
Lunch 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

APPOINTMENTS
To schedule an audition appointment please go to: https://tinyurl.com/RoundHouse... . Walk-ins will be
seen time permitting.

CONTRACT
LORT Non-Rep
$889 weekly minimum (LORT D)

SEEKING
Equity actors for roles in Round House Theatre's 2026 -27 Season (See breakdown).

DMV Local performers are encouraged to audition.

All roles will be understudied

PREPARATION
Please prepare one of the following options: A 2- minute contemporary monologue, OR A 1-minute
monologue and 32-bars of a song playing one of the musical instruments listed in the breakdowns in a BLUES or FOLK Style.” Please bring a HARD COPY of your headshot & resume. Be prepared to show your
Equity membership card upon arrival.

LOCATION
Round House Theatre Administrative Office
1 Veteran’s Pl
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Rehearsal Room - Please Note: This audition is not at the Theatre.

PERSONNEL
Artistic Director: Ryan Rilette
Executive Director Director: Ed Zakreski

Expected to attend:
Associate Artistic Director - Casting & Artist
Management: Sarah Cooney

See breakdown for production specific personnel.

OTHER DATES
See breakdown for production specific dates.

OTHER
www.roundhousetheatre.org

An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition.

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

Round House Theatre 2026-27 Season

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
(A co-production with OLNEY THEATRE CENTER)
Director: Lili-Anne Brown
Playwright: August Wilson
1st Rehearsal – Aug. 4, 2026
1st Preview – Sept. 9, 2026

Opening – Sept. 14, 2026
Closing – Oct. 11, 2026
Possible Extension – Oct. 18, 2026

Please note – performers who play instruments (the blues) are encouraged to audition. Performers who do not play instruments will also be considered.

SEEKING:

[MA RAINEY] THIS ROLE IS CAST.

[LEVEE] TTHIS ROLE IS CAST.

[STURDYVANT] he/him, white, 40s-60s. Recording studio owner, he has no patience for artist attitudes. Insensitive to black performers and prefers to deal with them at arm's length. Quick to jump to the worst conclusions, anxious, and self-serving. He and Ma are like oil and water – they do NOT get along.

[IRVIN] he/him, white, 40s-60s. Ma’s long-time manager. A tall, fleshy man who prides himself on his knowledge of black people and his ability to work with them. Always putting out fires and used to managing stress, he knows that the best way to calm someone down is to make them feel heard, but don’t confuse his outward compassion with being a pushover. Self-serving and calculated.

[CUTLER] he/him, black, 50s-60s. Plays guitar and trombone. The leader of the group, and the most sensible of the band members. This is not his first rodeo; he really just wants to clock his time and go home. He’s been in the game a long time and he’s seen it all, he has very little patience for cocky young musicians. Well aware of the dangers and societal limitations that come with being a black man, His playing is solid and almost totally without embellishments, he has all the qualities of a loner except the introspection.

[TOLEDO] he/him, black, 40s-60s. Plays piano. The only member of the band that can read, he is selftaught and proud of his learned qualities but has a tendency to misunderstand and misapply his knowledge. Quick to penetrate to the core of a situation with thought provoking insights. Outspoken and frustrated with his band member’s lack of education, he’s quick to take the bait when provoked.

[SLOW DRAG] he/him, black, 40s-60s. Plays bass. Deceptively intelligent but appears slow. The band member most bored by life, he physically resembles Cutler but lacks Cutler’s energy and leadership skills. Don’t underestimate him. A large man with a wicked smile, innate African rhythms underlie everything he plays, and he plays with an ease that is at times startling.

[DUSSY MAE] she/her, black, early-mid 20s. A young dark-skinned woman with a natural sexual energy. Ma’s lover, though always careful to keep their relationship quiet. She’s off limits to these men and if they’re smart, they’ll know that. Beautiful, funny, alluring, always dressed in the best, Ma will make sure that she never wants for anything as long as she remains loyal.

[SYLVESTER] he/him, black, late teens – early 20s. Ma’s nephew. An Arkansas country boy the size of a fullback, he is a very anxious young man. Stutters, easily steamrolled, Ma is intent on him making something of himself, but he really hates being the center of attention.

[POLICEMAN] he/him, white, 20s-40s. A true product of his time, he doesn’t have a lot of patience for black folx but is willing to look the other way to line his pocket.

CULT OF LOVE

(Regional Premiere)

Artistic Director / Director: Ryan Rilette

Playwright: Leslye Headland

1st Rehearsal – Oct. 13, 2026

1st Preview – Nov. 18, 2026

Opening – Nov. 23, 2026

Closing – Dec. 27, 2026

Note: Performers who sing and play instruments (folk) are highly encouraged to audition

SEEKING:

[William “Bill” Dahl] he/him, 60s, white. Patriarch of the Dahl family. Unaware that he is clearly declining mentally, he has been known to get lost in his music. He loves having all his children together. A strong singer & piano / guitar player.

[Virginia “Ginny” Dahl] she/her, 60s, white. Matriarch of the Dahl family. A strong singer. Deeply in denial, she refuses to acknowledge her family’s disfunction. Wants nothing more than to hold onto the past.

[Mark Dahl] he/him, 40s, white. The eldest son, a former Lutheran minister, now a lawyer, he hasn’t yet “found himself”. In a shaky marriage, though he’d prefer that nobody find out. A strong singer and musician – guitar and banjo.

[Rachel Dahl] she/her, mid-late 30s, any ethnicity. Mark’s wife. She has been a member of this family for a long time and is intimately familiar with their disfunctions. Secretly separated from Mark, she just wants to get through this holiday.

[Evie Dahl] she/her, mid 30s, the second Dahl child, white. Newly married, still striving for parental approval, she’s unsure how to navigate incorporating her new family with her old, Protective of Pippa, she can’t help but take the bait. A strong singer.

[Pippa Ferguson] she/her, 30s, Evie’s wife, any ethnicity. A proud queer woman. Recently married and newly pregnant. Smart, worldly, an outsider in this family, she would like to be accepted but won’t censor herself to fit in.

[Johnny Dahl] he/him, early 30s, white, the 3rd Dahl child. An addict in recovery. The black sheep of the family, perpetually late and in and out of rehabs. He’s unafraid to say the uncomfortable thing. A strong singer who plays guitar.

[Loren Montgomery] she/her, 20s, any ethnicity. Johnny’s friend. Sober. The newcomer to the group, she was not invited to this party and is a fish out of water. Both uncomfortable and entertained by the family dynamics, she brings a youthful outsider perspective.

[Diana Dahl Bennett] she/her, late 20s, white, the youngest Dahl, pregnant with her 2nd child. Battling mental health issues and extremely religious, she firmly believes that she is a prophet. She’s doing worse than others realize. A singer with “a voice of an angel”.

[James Bennett] he/him, early 30s, Diana’s husband, white. Episcopal priest with unconventional ideas. Diana and James have been secretly staying with Bill & Ginny for longer than anyone cares to admit. Homophobic, devoutly religious, devoted to Diana, he firmly believes that God has a plan for them.

TBA production

1st Rehearsal – Dec. 21, 2026

1st Preview – Jan. 27, 2027

Opening – Feb. 1, 2027

Closing – Feb. 21, 2027

Will hold auditions at a later date.

BABY SHOWER KATIE

(World Premiere – 2027 Bonnie Hammerschlag National Capital New Play Festival)

Director: Jessica Fisch

Playwright: Beth Hyland

1st Rehearsal – Mar. 9, 2027

1st Preview – Apr. 14, 2027

Opening – Apr. 19, 2027

Closing – May 9, 2027

SEEKING:

[REBECCA] THIS ROLE IS CAST.

[DR ALMOND] THIS ROLE IS CAST.

[HANNAH] she/her, 33, chaos forward with an iron will beneath. She has been able to get through wrongdoings with shear charm and a big dose of main character syndrome. Spikey, she throws out mean zingers when you least expect them. All of the chaos and fun is covering real feelings of lack of selfworth, sadness, and fear about where she is in her life. The screen of her phone is always broken.

[KATIE(S)]– she/her. KATIE B. (33, Rebecca and Hannah’s childhood best friend. High-strung and extremely pure), KATIE M. (38, Hannah’s boss. High-status, woo woo, and VERY rich), and KATIE S. (37, Rebecca and Hannah’s acquaintance from high school. An influencer girlie with a heart of gold). Three different KATIES whose baby showers we attend over the course of a year. Each extremely distinct. Has real comedic chops.

THE WHITE CHIP

(Regional Premiere)

Playwright / Director: Sean Daniels

1st Rehearsal – Apr. 27, 2027

1st Preview – June 2, 2027

Opening – June 7, 2027

Closing – July 3, 2027

SEEKING:

[STEVEN] he/him, 30s, any ethnicity. We follow Steven’s story from alcoholism to recovery. An artist and

artistic director. Funny, very smart, an addict.

[#1] she/her, 20s-40s, any ethnicity. All of the women in Steven’s story.

[#2] he/him, 20s-40s, any ethnicity. All of the men in Steven’s story.

SALARY

LORT Non-Rep $889 weekly minimum (LORT D)

UNION

AEA