Theater Arts & Dance Auditions

Any current UCSC student is welcome to audition for our productions!

WINTER 2025 PRODUCTION & AUDITION INFORMATION

Auditions for Fall Productions have been completed. Auditions for select Winter productions will be held in the Fall. See above.

• Theater Arts majors: Please review info about the Production Requirement for the Major.
• Theater Arts and Dance minors: There is no production requirement for our minors, but upper division productions may be used to satisfy minor requirements – please check with the Theater Arts Advisor about this: theater-ugradadv@ucsc.edu.

Upper Division Productions 

THEA 151 (Auditions in January during General Auditions)

• Comedy of Errors
  by William Shakespeare
  Directed by Patty Gallagher
  In the eXspace

THEA 151A (Auditions in fall for winter 2025 show. Director will also attend General Auditions.)

• Paradise Blue
• by Dominique Morrisseau
• Directed by Don Williams
• In the Theater Arts Mainstage (Room A-100)

THEA 139 RANDOM: WITH A PURPOSE (Auditions in fall for winter 2025 show)

• THEA 139 Random with a Purpose (RWAP)
• RWAP XXXIII: The Calling
• Auditions for the annual RWAP student dance showcase are held in fall for the winter show
• Audition details in the Random with a Purpose section below. 

Lower Division Productions 

THEA 55A/B BARNSTORM

• THEA 55A (5-unit enrollment) / THEA 55B (2-unit enrollment) Barnstorm Theater Company Presents: Winter Quarter Season TBA

RANDOM WITH A PURPOSE
ADDITIONAL DATES & INFO.

Auditions are held in Fall for the Winter THEA 139 production class (and THEA 128 2-unit choreographer class).

• RWAP Dancer Auditions:
  • Monday, November 11
    8:00 to 11:00 PM
    Theater Arts Center dance studio A104
  • In-person only.
  • Audition signup form

• PAST: RWAP Choreographer Auditions

• Random with a Purpose general information.
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RWAPdance
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwap_dance
• For more information, email this year’s showcase director, Emily Pflieger: randomdirectors@gmail.com
  

THEA 151A – AATAT AUDITIONS
ADDITIONAL DATES & INFO.

• Auditions are held in Fall for the Winter THEA 151A production.
• Tuesday & Wednesday, December 3rd & 4th
  7:00 to 9:00 PM
  Theater Arts Classroom E-100
• Sign-ups TBA.
• General Audition requirements apply (see below).
• Callback information – TBA

GENERAL AUDITION DATES, TIMES & LOCATION: 

Auditions for Fall Productions have been completed. Auditions for select Winter productions will be held in the Fall. See above.

Winter Production Video submissions:

• Will be accepted through the Friday January 3rd, until 10:00pm.
• All in-person audition requirements apply.
• Link to submit TBA

Winter Production In-Person Auditions:

• Friday, January 3rd & Saturday, January 4th
• Times TBA
• Location: Theater Arts Mainstage (Check in outside the Mainstage Green Room)
• Callback Information TBA

GENERAL AUDITION SIGN UPS:

• Signup sheets will be posted outside the Mainstage Green Room (the room with the vending machines – inside the double doors off of the loading dock on the ocean side the Mainstage) on Jan. 2nd at 9:00 am.

GENERAL AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

General Auditions for the department’s faculty and/or student-directed productions are held the first week of each quarter unless otherwise announced. Occasionally, productions have separate auditions, or special requirements for auditions – that information would be listed on this page.

Standard General Audition Requirements *

• 90 second monologue
• 60 second movement piece 
• 30 second music piece (voice and/or instrument) 

* Note: 

• PLEASE CHECK BACK HERE FOR UPDATES BETWEEN NOW AND AUDITIONS.
  
• ACCOMPANISTS are NOT provided.
  If you feel it necessary, you may play music with a portable music device, e.g., a smart phone with speakers or old-time boom-box, though this is not required (singing may be a cappella and movement pieces may be silent). 
  
• MOVEMENT PIECE
  Unless any of the auditioning shows are musicals, the movement piece is primarily meant to demonstrate that you are comfortable in your body on stage (or at least can act as though you are!), and that you are willing to move on stage vs. staying in a narrow comfort zone of standing or sitting in one place. The movement section also offers you an opportunity to demonstrate any particular movement or performance skill if you happen to have any—e.g., pantomime, clowning, acrobatics, juggling, dance. Otherwise, even jumping jacks, the Macarena, running back and forth, etc., can show a basic willingness to move in front of people. If one of the auditioning shows is a musical, and/or if any of the directors want to see specific pieces or skills, there will be details above the sign up sheet or instructions will be given for those invited to callbacks. 

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT
AUDITION & RELATED INFORMATION:

DESIGN WORK & STAGE MANAGEMENT FOR PRODUCTIONS

• Please see the “Tech Interest Form”/ Production Experience & Interest Form section in the Theater Arts Undergraduate Handbook.

ENROLLMENT IN PRODUCTIONS

• Students who are cast in productions, or who have been selected to participate as designers, stage managers or dramaturgs, will be given an enrollment permission number to enroll through MyUCSC. Enrollment permission numbers are typically distributed by the stage manager or director of the production.
• IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO ENROLL BY THE QUARTER’S ADD/DROP/SWAP DEADLINE (date posted in the current Academic and Administrative Calendar).
• ATTN Barnstorm students: be sure you are enrolling in the correct class – THEA 55A for 5 units (and to take care of the Production Requirement and/or the Lower Division Elective for the for the major), or THEA 55B for 2 units (doesn’t satisfy a course requirement).

BY-AUDITION OR INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION STUDIO COURSES

• Production auditions are different from those required for admittance into our studio courses (courses which mention “audition” or “interview” in the course description).
  • Please see the By-Audition or Instructor Permission Studio Courses of the Undergraduate Handbook for more information.

SATISFYING DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
WITH PRODUCTION CLASSES

SATISFYING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE THEATER ARTS MAJOR

• Theater Arts Majors may use the 5-unit lower division THEA 55A Barnstorm or THEA 56R Rainbow Theater to satisfy the lower division elective requirement and/or the Production Requirement (see below) for the THEA B.A.
• Theater Arts Majors may use 5-unit upper division production classes to fulfill one or both upper division elective requirements.

Production Requirement for the Major

One of the requirements for the Theater Arts major is participation in a 5-unit THEA production class. 

• The Production Requirement may be fulfilled with either the lower division classes THEA 55A Barnstorm or THEA 56R Rainbow Theater, classes that may also be used to fulfill the Lower Division Elective requirement for the major, or with any 5-unit upper division production class: THEA 137, 137A, 139, 151, 151A, 151I, or 155 – classes which may also be used to fulfill one or both of the major’s two Upper Division Elective requirements.
• Please see the Production Requirement for the Major section of the Theater Arts Undergraduate Handbook for more information on fulfilling this requirement as a performer, designer, stage manager or dramaturg.

SATISFYING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINORS

• There is no Production Requirement for either the Theater Arts or Dance minor.
• Theater Arts Minors may use any 5-unit upper division production class to fulfill one of the two upper division studio requirements.
• Dance Minors may use takes of the upper division production class THEA 139 to fulfill up to two upper division elective requirements.
• The lower division THEA 55A Barnstorm or THEA 56R Rainbow Theater do NOT satisfy a minor requirement (and the 2-unit THEA 55B does not fulfill any degree requirement). 

Questions about THEA or Dance degree requirements? Contact the Theater Arts Academic Advisor via email, theater-ugradadv@ucsc.edu, or schedule an appointment through Navigate Slug Success.

QUESTIONS?

• General Auditions questions: contact the Theater Arts Student Production Liaison, theaspl@ucsc.edu.
• Barnstorm-related questions: contact the Barnstorm Directors, ad.barn@ucsc.edu and md.bard@ucsc.edu.
• The Theater Arts advisor can also answer basic questions about auditions: theater-ugradadv@ucsc.edu.
• Please also check the UCSC Theater Arts Events and Information Facebook page.