Dates for Auditions:
Sunday, November 2, 7 PM – 10 PM on Mainstage
Monday, November 3, 6 PM – 10 PM on Mainstage
Tuesday, November 4, 6 PM – 10 PM on Mainstage
Monday, November 10, 6 PM – 10 PM on Mainstage
Tuesday, November 11, 6 PM – 10PM on Mainstage
Thank you for your interest in auditioning for the 2026 Santa Fe Playhouse season. See below our character breakdowns, casting material requirements, and the audition sign up form.
If you would like to be considered for POTUS and/or Bad Medicine, please prepare two contrasting 60 second contemporary monologues.
If you would like to be considered for Cabaret, The 2026 Annual Melodrama, and/or Company, please prepare a 32 bar cut of a contemporary musical theater song and a 60 second contemporary monologue. It is advised that you pick a contrasting song / monologue combination to showcase your range. An accompanist will not be provided. Please have a karaoke track prepared with the time stamp marked. A Bluetooth speaker will be available with hook ups for most devices.
If you would like to be considered for our whole season or a combination of plays and musicals, please prepare a 32 bar cut of a contemporary musical theater song and a 60 second contemporary monologue. It is advised that you pick a contrasting song / monologue combination to showcase your range. An accompanist will not be provided. Please have a karaoke track prepared with the time stamp marked. A Bluetooth speaker will be available with hook ups for most devices.
Please note that there will be an audition panel for the 2026 season auditions that may include industry professionals and directing candidates for the 2026 season.
Post general auditions, actors who receive callbacks will be contacted to be seen again for specific shows between November 2025 and February 2026.
POTUS callbacks for will be held on Saturday, November 15th for those asked.
Out of town auditionees are welcome to submit a video audition to casting@santafeplayhouse.org. In person auditions are recommended if possible. Video Auditions are due November 12th, 2025.
For inquires about the 2026 season auditions, please email casting@santafeplayhouse.org. Please allow up to 5 business days for responses.
Auditionees who are called back will be notified of final casting decisions. Please note that if you are note called back, we will keep your information on file for ongoing consideration. Please that due to the scope and duration, general auditionees will not be notified of their casting status.
Please note: We are an Independent Theatre Company Level 4 with Actor’s Equity Association. In the 2026 Season we will be able to engage 1 AEA contract per production. All roles, regardless of union status, are paid.
Please see our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Policy. The Santa Fe Playhouse is an equal opportunity employer.
Performances March 19 – April 12 (16 Performances)
Rehearsal begin the week of February 10
POTUS is a farce about seven powerful women in the White House who must frantically work to contain a global crisis caused by the President’s disastrous PR stunt, which escalates from a scandal into a potentially worldwide catastrophe. As they try to clean up the Commander-in-Chief’s mess, they find themselves risking their careers, reputations, and even their lives in a desperate, often absurd attempt to keep the President from sinking the nation.
POTUS Character Breakdown:
HARRIET
Any ethnicity. Chief of Staff. A political bulldog who has chosen every aspect of her life, appearance, and personality in service of her career. A sexless, humorless woman who lives and dies by the polls. Everything is a means to the end. This role requires combat.
Late 40s-60s.
JEAN
Any ethnicity. Press Secretary. She is high-strung, cynical, sharp, can handle any pressroom and manage any scandal. A single working mom, she is Harriet’s more polished and tactful counterpart. This role requires combat.
Late 40s-60s.
STEPHANIE
Any ethnicity. Presidential secretary. An obedient and diminutive millennial, terrified of failure and perpetually on the edge of breakdown. Deeply brilliant, just suffers imposter syndrome. So much potential just waiting to be set free. This role requires combat.
20s-30s.
DUSTY
Any ethnicity. President’s young lover. A luminous, curious, sex-positive girl with a multitude of skills and a bright future. Loves civic duty! Loves democracy! Determined to make the world better! This role requires singing, dance, and combat.
20s-30s.
BERNADETTE
White. President’s sister. A dumpster fire. Strife and mayhem. A coked-up tornado with raw sexual charisma, fiery temper, and fantastic sense of humor. Jean’s kryptonite. This role requires combat and intimacy.
Late 30s-50s.
CHRIS
Black. A journalist. Overburdened, under-slept, postpartum, newly-divorced, on the brink of irrelevancy. A dogged reporter with much to gain and everything to lose. This character uses a breast pump during the show; this role requires intimacy.
30s-40s.
MARGARET
Black. The First Lady. An impeccable combination of high fashion, corporate experience, and legal savvy. Regal, sophisticated, brimming with bitterness and pent-up rage. Goes for the jugular.
Late 40s-60s.
Performances May 7 – May 31 (16 performances)
Rehearsals begin the week of April 7
Set in 2004, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen alternates between the wake of deceased Drag Queen Courtney Berringers and scenes of her life and romantic journey with aspiring drag performer Vickie Versailles. This play utilizes traditional storytelling, drama, and drag performances to explore themes of Black identity, southern queerness, HIV/AIDS, poverty, illness, and the construction of self. It’s a vibrant, often hilarious, but ultimately moving celebration of life, community, and the power of drag as an art form and a means of survival.
At The Wake Of A Dead Drag Queen Character Breakdown:
ANTHONY KNIGHTON/COURTNEY BERRINGERS (this role has been cast)
An impoverished young Black man from rural Georgia, Anthony becomes the drag queen Courtney Berringers. The play follows Courtney as she welcomes guests to her own wake after dying from AIDS-related complications. This role requires the performance of intimacy; this actor should have experience performing in drag.
20’s – 30’s
HUNTER GRIMES/VICKIE VERSAILLES (this role has been cast)
A working class, Southern, white aspiring drag performer who is Courtney’s best friend, rival, and love interest. The play explores their complex relationship, which is filled with both love and heartbreak.
20’s – 30’s
Performances July 9 – July 26 (15 performances)
Rehearsals begin the week of May 19
Cabaret is a musical set in the final days of the Weimar Republic in 1930s Berlin, focusing on the decadent nightlife of the Kit Kat Klub as the Nazi Party rises to power. An American writer, Cliff Bradshaw, and British singer Sally Bowles fall in love amid this growing political turmoil, while Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz navigate their own romance and increasing threats to their Jewish heritage. The story serves as a cautionary tale about rising fascism, the dangers of political apathy, and how people choose to ignore the looming threat of a war.
Cabaret Character Breakdown:
EMCEE
The host at the Kit Kat Club – a dynamic, queer, dark, and exuberant figure; they should be comfortable with being close to the audience; dark, comedic, sinister, vulgar…yet lovable; requires a strong presence that is playful and mysterious. Must act, sing (some in German), move well, and be comfortable with suggestive staging and choreography; this character is performed with a German accent.
Tenor, 25 – 50
SALLY BOWLES
A British cabaret singer at the Kit Kat Club. Quirky and flighty. Struggles with knowing the darkness of the reality of her life and has woeful luck in her relationships with men. Must act, sing, and dance well; this role requires intimacy and suggestive staging and choreography; this character is performed with a British accent.
Mezzo, 20 – 40
CLIFFORD (CLIFF) BRADSHAW
An American novelist and English teacher traveling to Berlin. Through his journey he explores the many facets and complexities of his sexuality, politics, and artistic goals.) Must act and sing well, comfortable with stage movement and some dancing; this role requires intimacy and combat. This character has an American accent.
Baritenor, 25 – 40
FRAULEIN SCHNEIDER
A landlady who rents rooms to Cliff, Sally, and several other characters in her large flat. She is alone and is resigned to her place in life, but secretly longs for companionship. She is very critical of some people while looking the other way with others; comfortable with dance (waltz). Must act and sing well; this role requires intimacy and is performed with a German accent.
Alto, late 40s – 50s
HERR SCHULTZ
A Jewish fruit shop owner who falls in love with Fraulein Schneider; sweet, lovable, and adoring; heartbreakingly naïve about the political turmoil in Germany. Must act and sing well; comfortable with dance (waltz); this role requires intimacy and is performed with a German accent.
Tenor, late 40s – 50s
FRAULEIN KOST (MAY DOUBLE AS KIT KAT GIRL)
A prostitute who rents in Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house; larger than life personality, quick witted and sharp tongued; should be comfortable exhibiting a strong sexual and commanding nature; must act and move well and sing in German; this role requires intimacy and is performed with a German accent.
Mezzo, 30 – 40
ERNST LUDWIG
A friendly and likable German, takes English lessons from Cliff, and smuggles funds for the Nazi party; comfortable with stage movement and light dance (waltz); and sing in German. Costume design for this character may require wearing a Nazi armband; this role also requires some combat and should be performed in a German accent.
Baritone, 20 – 40
THE KIT KAT PERFORMERS
These performers are an eclectic mix of all gender identities and physical types who must act, sing, and dance well. They will be part of various scenes in and out of the Club; these performers should be comfortable interacting with the audience and with potential sequences of intimacy, as well as general bawdy and suggestive staging/choreography; they will sing in English and German. These characters may double as roles such as Rudy the Sailor, Max, and the Customs Official. Some characters in this group may be asked to perform a sequence of combat.
Roles within this group include:
Rosie, Lulu, Frenchie, Texas, Fritzie, Helga, Bobby, Victor, Hans, and Herman
All voice parts, 18 – 40
Performances August 6 – 30 (18 performances)
Rehearsals begin the week of July 7
In Bad Medicine, Native American academics Aislin and Cesar are excited to settle into their new home in Proctor, Massachusetts. Even their nosy white neighbors seem nice enough. But as Aislin becomes aware of strange occurrences surrounding her job at the Natural History Museum, she starts to wonder if there might be something insidious beneath the sleepy town. Aislin must overcome deep insecurities around her identity to uncover the town’s terrifying secrets.
Bad Medicine Character Breakdown:
AISLIN ALVAREZ (this role has been cast)
Indigenous/Native American/First Nations; this character is an Osage woman, adopted and raised by an Irish-American family from birth. She is a recent PhD graduate. Intelligent, curious, and non-confrontational (mostly). This role requires intimacy and combat.
Late 20s – early 30’s.
CESAR ALVAREZ
Indigenous/Native American/First Nations; the character is from Laguna Pueblo and Aislin’s husband. Professor of American History with beautiful, long hair. Pragmatic to a fault. This role requires intimacy.
Mid 30’s
DAWN/DRAGONFLY/NURSE
White. Primarily, Aislin and Cesar’s neighbor. Chatty, kooky, nosy, and very into “traditional” medicine. This actor will also portray Dragonfly*, as well as a nurse. This role requires combat.
Late 20’s – Early 30’s
ERIK/BUTTERFLY
White. Primarily, Dawn’s husband. A graphic designer. Also kooky, also nosy. This actor will also portray Butterfly*. This role requires combat.
Late 20’s – Early 30’s
SHANNON/SWALLOW/MRS. RAYNES
Indigenous/Native American/First Nations; this role is an Osage woman. Primarily, a tour guide at the Proctor Museum of Natural History and Aislin’s friend. This actor will also portray Swallow* and Mrs. Raynes, Shannon’s mother, in a voice over. This role requires combat.
40’s – 50’s
THERESA (DOCTOR)
White. Recently-appointed interim director of the Proctor Museum. This role requires combat.
30’s – 50’s
*Per the playwright, Swallow, Butterfly, and Dragonfly are collectively known as Avengers in Osage tradition and are spirits of winds, great rains, and thunderstorms who can detect deception. They are part of the backdrop of Aislin’s world.
Performances October 8 – 25 (14 performances)
Rehearsals begin the week of September 1
The 104th Annual Melodrama will continue Santa Fe Playhouse’s tradition of presenting an original script featuring highly comedic scenes and songs, written by an anonymous committee of Santa Feans.
We are seeking a diverse cast of 10 dynamic, comedic performers of all genders, races, and ages to perform Santa Fe spins on traditional melodrama archetypes, including the Hero, the Heroine, the Vamp, and the Villain; actor special skills such as singing, playing instruments, dance, combat, comedy and the like may be integrated into the script. There is a possibility for light/comedic intimacy and combat within this production.
Performances November 19 – December 20 (20 performances)
Rehearsals begin the week of October 6
Through a series of vignettes, Company showcases the joys and struggles of relationships, marriage, and singledom, forcing the 35 year old and single Robert (or Bobbie, if a femme identifying actor is cast in this role) to confront their own reluctance to commit and the meaning of being alive. The show, a trailblazer of the modern-comedy musical, uses a non-linear concept structure rather than a traditional plot.
We are seeing actors of multiple genders for Robert/Bobbie, Jamie/Amy, Marta/PJ, Kathy/Theo, and Andy/April.
Company Character Breakdown:
ROBERT (masc) / BOBBIE (femme)
The story’s protagonist, a keen observer who appears to be happy. They are the only one in their circle still single. Terrified of marriage, but fears a lifetime of loneliness.
Baritone or Mezzo, 30 – 40
SARAH
Harry’s hypercritical wife. She is an avid learner of karate and tends to overeat. Open, accepting, and loving. This role requires intimacy and combat.
Alto, 30 – 40
HARRY
Sarah’s husband. He is a recovering alcoholic. Believes the advantages of marriage outweigh the disadvantages. This role requires intimacy and combat.
Baritone, 30 – 45
SUSAN
A delicate southern belle. Peter’s wife and ex-wife. Motherly in her affections towards Robert. Lines may be swapped with those of Peter.
Mezzo, 25 – 35
PETER
Susan’s husband. The perfect husband and exhusband. He is very liberal in his view of relationships. Lines may be swapped with those of Susan.
Baritone, 25-35
JENNY
Quietly manipulative, simultaneously square and wise. Loves her husband, David, and will indulge him from time to time.
Soprano, 30 – 45
DAVID
Jenny’s husband; relaxed and always in control. Believes a man should be married and that the sacrifice of freedom is worth what you get in return.
Tenor, 30 – 45
AMY (femme)/JAMIE (masc)
A frantic neurotic engaged to Paul but terrified of marriage. After a mental breakdown, they finally realizes that Paul is, in fact, their soulmate.
Alto or Baritenor 25 – 40
PAUL
Amy/Jamie’’s fiancé. Patient with their neurotic nature. Fully commits to the idea of marriage and encourages Robert/Bobbie to do the same.
Tenor, 25 – 40
JOANNE
Acerbic and demanding. Too old to be part of the young crowd but would not fit well with the older crowd. Puts on a brassy front that melts when she is alone with her husband, Larry.
Alto, 45 – 65
LARRY
Joanne’s husband. Stoic and centered, but has moments of goofiness. Indulges his wife’s behavior but knows when to put his foot down.
Tenor, 45 – 65
MARTA (femme)/ PJ (masc)
A partner of Robert’s/Bobbie’s. Intensely modern, seeking adventure and excitement in the City. This role has potential for intimacy.
Mezzo/Tenor, 25 – 35
KATHY (femme)/THEO (masc)
A former partner of Robert’s/Bobbie’s, now considered a good friend. They plan to leave the City for a life of domesticity. Sweet and loving.
Mezzo/Tenor, 30 – 40
APRIL (femme)/ANDY (masc)
A partner of Robert’s/Bobbie’s. They are a flight attendant who came to New York to live in Radio City. Ditzy and adorable. This role requires intimacy.
Mezzo/Tenor, 21 – 30