AUDITIONS
Upcoming Auditions:
A Christmas Carol​ - Sept 12
Whodunit? An Improvised Murder Mystery - Sept 19 & 21
See details for all auditions below.
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Auditions for A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens, Adapted by Theodore Clement
Directed by Theodore Clement
Children’s Auditions (for ages 10+) will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Adult auditions will be held Saturday, September 12 from 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm.
Callbacks:
Monday, September 14, 2026 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
To sign up for an audition slot, email info@thecontemporarytheater.com. Please indicate your preferred time and date.
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Performances:
Thursdays-Saturdays, Dec 4-19 at 7 pm (No show Dec 18)
Sundays, Dec 6, 13, 20 at 2 pm
What to prepare:
Adults and children are asked to prepare a 1 - 2 minute monologue of any kind. You will be asked to deliver your monologue in both an American and British accent.
All adult actors in these productions will receive a stipend. Youth actors will receive a group of
complimentary tickets for performances.
At the CTC we proudly employ and embrace non-traditional as well as
color-conscious casting. Actors of Color are particularly encouraged to audition!
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Show Description:
A Christmas Carol
Bah humbug! On a single magical night, Ebenezer Scrooge is whisked
through the Christmases of past, present, and future by three spirits
determined to change his heart and fate. Along the way, he rediscovers
joy with the Fezziwigs, compassion with the Cratchits, and hope through
Tiny Tim.
Roles Available:
10 adult actors and 4 child actors will play multiple roles
Auditions for Whodunit?! An Improvised Murder Mystery
Directed by Stephen Fox
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Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Monday, September 21, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:30 pm
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No need to prepare anything for auditions! Please email info@thecontemporarytheater.com to let us know you are coming and which day you would like to attend.
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Auditions will begin with group warmups, followed by a series of improvised scenes and games, and a murder confession monologue from each actor. These are open auditions and actors/improvisers of all levels are encouraged to attend. We recommend attending both days of auditions if you are able. There are no audition slots - everyone should plan to stay for the full time if possible.
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This is a fully improvised Mainstage show. We’re looking for 8+ strong actors and improvisers who are excited to inspire their fellow players, engage the audience, and create a compelling story. Some cast members will need to be experienced in or willing to learn stage combat, but not every cast member will need to. If cast members are interested in stage intimacy, we will hold trainings on how to do that appropriately.
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This Year’s Theme
Welcome to the TV Studio of WCTC, a South County public access station struggling in the ratings. The date is October 23, 1987, and the Rhode Island Wrestling Federation, the WCTC’s most popular program, is filming in front of a live studio audience. Tensions build and the threat of violence becomes palpable until it explodes, and someone in the studio is murdered!
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The surviving wrestlers and crew are all suspects - could this have been a fight about the TV station’s struggling finances? A long-held grudge from a past match gone wrong? Everyone’s got a secret to hide, but whose is worth killing over?
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Important Information
Performances:
Saturdays, January 16 - March 20 at 7 pm
Not everyone will be in every show, so if you have conflicts during that time, still feel free to audition!
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Content
This show is fully improvised, so we do not know exactly what kind of sensitive content may be present in each show. Though we aim for the PG-13 range there may be mature content on any given night. Themes that may come up include drug use, sexual implications, lying, drinking, onstage fights, violence, and, of course, murder. We will work together to make sure everyone is excited and comfortable and that we respect each other and our audiences’ expectations.
Structure
The show is in two acts and will aim to be 90 minutes long. Act one opens with a murder that is revealed to be part of the wrestling show’s plot. After the cameras cut, we will introduce the characters and discover their relationships, secrets, and backgrounds. Tension will build until eventually everyone is on stage at once. At that point actors will leave and the final person on stage becomes the victim, acting out a one-sided version of their murder at the hands of the unknown killer.
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Act two begins with filming the next day, showing off our actors’ wrestling skills to the roars of the studio audience. Again, the cameras cut, but now the cast must figure out who had the means and motive to murder. The cast will tie up the plots brought up in act one, with explanations of why each character is innocent until one of the actors reveals that their character is the murderer! They will confess why they killed the victim and will reenact the murder scene from the end of act one, this time with both victim and killer. After the reenactment, the murderer will either be brought to justice or escape punishment for their crime.
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Rehearsals
Our rehearsals will build the structure and technical aspects of the show as each actor develops their unique character. We will learn the structure of murder mysteries and the tropes of 80’s wrestling and use those as guidewires to create compelling relationships, secrets, and narratives. The cast will build trust by practicing being open to each others’ inspiration and finding how to play safely with each others’ skills and boundaries.
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Rehearsals will be scheduled according to actor availability, becoming more frequent as we get closer to opening. Those interested in training in intimacy and/or combat will train those skills in additional rehearsals.