Theatre Audition Info
The next round of theatre auditions are on Monday, October 12.
Titus Andronicus and Death of a Salesman will audition together.
4-5 p.m. & 6-7 p.m. in Room PA 113
Brief callbacks for Titus are likely.
Everyone auditioning will need to complete this audition form please.
Community members (non-MSU students) can email Matthew Caron for an audition form.
If this is your first time auditioning for the department, please feel free to reach out to either of the directors with any questions!
Please prepare:
Two 30-second monologues: one from any Arthur Miller play, and one from a Shakespearean tragedy.
Titus Andronicus
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Heather Hamilton
Performance dates January 28-30 & February 4-7, 2027
Rehearsals begin November 9
From Heather:
All characters are enthusiastically open to all gender presentations and ethnicities with the following exceptions (and explanations):
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Lavina must be female presenting and Chiron and Demetrius must be male presenting:
An important and gut-wrenching plot point is the rape and mutilation of Lavinia at the hands of Tamora’s sons. I feel that this story of violence against women by men is best told by a female presenting Lavina and male presenting Chiron and Demetrius.
Aaron is male presenting and must be of African descent. Tamora is female presenting and cannot be of African descent. Saturninus is male presenting and cannot be of African descent.
Two critical parts of the play are Aaron’s experience and damnation of white hatred and violence against black people, and his powerful love for the rejected baby he has with Tamora (indeed, he’s the best parent in the play and will do anything to save his child). The son he has with Tamora is to be killed at birth because the baby’s dark skin reveals that he is the son of her lover, Aaron, instead of her husband’s (who is pale). The power of Aaron’s fight against racial hate and violence is lost if these characters are cast differently.
Other than these characters, any and all characters can be played by any gender identities and expressions, and any ethnicities. Characters will be the gender they are as written, but they can be played by any gender (for example, in Shakespeare’s play all characters were played by men and it was a non-issue. So, for example, a female presenting person can totally play a male character without worrying about trying to pass). And, in the same way, unless a character’s story requires a specific ethnicity, any ethnicity can play any role.
The following characters have scenes requiring elements that some actors may be uncomfortable with. Please read the play and consider carefully before accepting a role. TRUE LIFE, READ IT FIRST.:
Intimacy:
Saturninus
Tamora
Aaron
Chiron
Demetrius
Lavina
BassianusSexual Violence and Mutilation:
Chiron
Demetrius
LavinaGruesome and explicit violence including gory combat and mutilation:
Titus
Chiron
Demetrius
Lavina
Tamora
Saturninus
Lucius
Alarbus
Quintus
Martius
Mutius
Nurse
Aaron
The Fighting Chorus
Freaking everybodyRacial hate and violence
Aaron
Characters:
The Andronicus Family:
Titus Andronicus
(40s-60s. Any gender. any ethnicity)
A noble Roman. A renowned general against the Goths.
Titus is the main protagonist of the play but he is NOT a hero. He kills no fewer than 6 people onstage, and all of them are either his own children, Tamora’s children, or Tamora herself (a grieving mother). Titus has fallen prey to nationalism. He considers his duty to his country the single most important thing in his life, AND in the lives of his children. He would rather kill his own children then see them “dishonored” in the eyes of Rome. He is unable to see Saturninus’ corruption and follows him blindly, realizing too late that his loyalty to country has led him to engage in evil.
Lucius Andronicus
(20s-40s. any gender. any ethnicity)
A son of Titus Andronicus
Perhaps the oldest surviving son of Titus, Lucius is closely involved with the decisions Titus makes. He is the father of Young Lucius, whom Titus loves dearly. He is, in many ways, the son Titus trusts the most.
Young Lucius Andronicus
(6-10. any gender. any ethnicity)
The son of Lucius and grandson of Titus
Young Lucius is a small, innocent child swept up in the violence of his family. We are left wondering if he will continue the cycle.
Lavinia Andronicus
(Teens-20s. female presenting. any ethnicity)
The only daughter of Titus Andronicus. Engaged to Bassianus
Lavinia is the virtuous and beloved only daughter of Titus. Still no saint, however, and she’s vicious to Aaron.
Quintus Andronicus
(20s-40s. any gender. any ethnicity)
A son of Titus Andronicus
Martius Andronicus
(20s-40s. any gender. any ethnicity)
A son of Titus Andronicus
Mutius Andronicus
(20s-40s. any gender. any ethnicity)
A son of Titus Andronicus
Marcus Andronicus
(40s-60s. any gender. any ethnicity)
A noble Roman, brother to Titus. A tribune of the people.
Marcus is as measured and compassionate as Titus is impetuous and violent.
Publius Andronicus
(20s-40s. any gender. any Ethnicity)
A son of Marcus Andronicus
Sempronius
(any age, any gender, any ethnicity)
A relative of Titus Andronicus
Caius
(any age, any gender, any ethnicity)
A relative of Titus Andronicus
Valentine
(any age, any gender, any ethnicity)
A relative of Titus Andronicus
The Goths:
Tamora:
(30s-40s. female presenting. Open to almost all ethnicities but can’t be of African descent because then the plot with Aaron won’t make sense)
The warlike Queen of the Goths and mother to Alarbus, Demetrius, and Chiron. Later the Empress of Rome. The lover of Aaron, with whom she has a child.
Alarbus:
(teens-20s. any gender. Any ethnicity)
The Oldest son of Tamora
Demetrius:
(teens-20s. male presenting. any ethnicity)
Son of Tamora
Chiron:
(teens-20s. male presenting. any ethnicity)
Son of Tamora
In a Class of His Own
Aaron:
(20s-40s, male presenting, must be of African descent)
CHARMING. CHARMING. VERY CHARMING. Brilliant. Dangerous. A good father. A stranger in a hostile land. The smartest person in the show. Reacts to the violence in Rome by doing it better than the Romans. Turns the violence and hate of Roman society back against itself. He speaks directly to the audience and brings them into his confidence. He is one of Shakespeare’s “charismatic villains” who have been “othered” by society and are getting their just revenge (Edmund in Lear, or Richard III, for example). While we are horrified at Aaron’s actions, we also absolutely see his point and understand (and revel in) his fury (also, don’t believe everything he says he’s done in that one speech. He’s laying it on thick to save his son).
The Emperor’s family:
Saturninus:
(20s-30s. male presenting. Open to almost all ethnicities but can’t be of African descent because then the plot with Aaron won’t make sense)
Oldest son of the late Emperor of Rome, afterwards Emperor
He is horrible. Truly horrible. A spoiled, vicious tyrant of an Emperor.
Bassianus:
(20s-30s. any gender. any ethnicity)
Youngest Son of the late Emperor of Rome. Engaged to Lavinia
The nobler son of the Emperor who we WISH held the throne. Still no saint however, and is hateful to Aaron.
People of Rome
Nurse
Captain
Messinger
Tribune
Clown
Fighting Ensemble
Goths
Roman Soldier
Death of a Salesman
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Vladimir Rovinsky
Performs February 19-21 & 25-28, 2026
Rehearsals begin November 23
About the play:
Death of a Salesman follows Willy Loman, an aging traveling salesman unraveling under the weight of financial ruin and mental decline. Willy drifts unstably between his harsh reality and vivid, idealized hallucinations of the past. His adult sons, Biff and Happy, are temporarily living at home, but the household is fractured by Willy's unrealistic expectations and the brothers' inability to fulfill them. As Willy’s deteriorating mental health begins to sabotage his sales performance, he approaches his boss to ask for a desk job in New York—only to be fired instead. This crisis brings long-buried family tensions to a boiling point. Biff, disillusioned by his father's infidelities and false promises, tries to force Willy to confront the lifelong lies they have all lived by. Unable to reconcile his failures with his illusions, Willy ultimately commits suicide in a tragic, final bid to secure a $20,000 life insurance payout, believing his death will finally buy the success he could never achieve alive.
Characters:
Willy Loman: After thirty-four years on the road, a sixty-three-year-old traveling salesman finds his life unraveling. He firmly believes that personal charm and being "well-liked" are the sole keys to professional success and wealth. He escapes harsh realities by living in daydreams, exaggerating his sales numbers, and falsely believing he is widely liked and respected. His mood shifts rapidly from unwarranted optimism to deep frustration, anger, and despair.
Biff: Willy's 34-year-old son who was once a star high school athlete. He gave up a promising future to spite his father after catching him cheating. He has been a continual failure, stealing at every job and even spending time in jail. He often acts on quick emotions rather than thinking things through. He feels happiest working with his hands on farms in the American West and hates the corporate office work. He still struggles for his father's approval.
Linda: The dutiful, obedient and loving wife to Willy. Despite his often reprehensible treatment of her, she remains fiercely loyal to Willy. She is the moral center of the play, occasionally stern and not afraid to confront her sons about their poor treatment of their father.
Happy: Two years younger than Biff. Working hard to project an image of contentment and career success. Happy, however, is not content with his life. He is a compulsive womanizer who treats women purely as sex objects and has little respect for the many women whom he seduces. He constantly craves approval from his father, who historically favored his older brother.
Charley: The Loman's next door neighbor and father of Bernard. Although Willy claims that Charley is a man who is "liked, but not well-liked," he owns his own business and is respected and admired. He and Willy have a contentious relationship, but Charley is nevertheless Willy's only friend. He quietly supports Willy by lending him money each week and offering him a job, despite Willy's hostility.
Bernard: Biff’s former classmate. Despite being mocked by Willy Loman as an "anemic" nerd, Bernard holds no resentment and genuinely cares about Biff's well-being. Bernard is intelligent and industrious and proves himself to be far more successful than Willy imagined. As a grown-up, he is a lawyer preparing to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.
Uncle Ben: Willy's older brother, Ben left home at seventeen and ended up in Africa, where he found diamond mines and came out of the jungle at twenty-one an incredibly rich man. He is an adventurous, ruthless, and larger-than-life figure who appears primarily through Willy's idealized memories and hallucinations.
The Woman: The secretary with whom Willy has an affair during his travels to Boston. She is presented in Willy’s flashbacks as stylish, attractive, flirtatious and notably put together. An unmistakable, echoing laughter defines her.
Jenny: Charley’s secretary. She tries to maintains a calm, composed demeanor, but got overwhelmed by Willy Loman’s eccentric and confusing behavior.
Howard Wagner: The thirty-six year old son of Willy Loman's former boss. Howard now occupies the same position as his late father. He views employees as numbers and economic units rather than human beings, caring only about their bottom-line output.
Stanley: The waiter at the restaurant where Willy meets his sons. He has a casual, friendly relationship with Happy Loman, bantering and joking with him. He shows genuine sympathy and concern for Willy's confused, disoriented, and declining mental state at the restaurant and helps Willy home after Biff and Happy leave their father there.
Miss Forsythe: An attractive young woman who readily accepts male company at the restaurant. She claims to be a cover model. She implied to be a call girl.
Letta: A young call girl and a friend of Miss Forsythe.
Intimacy Advsiory:
Willy and the female characters will be in one brief scene with partial nudity. Actors can expect to be dressed in undergarments for this scene.
