Auditions
Audition Opportunities
2025/26 Season Auditions
Mainstage
Auditions for the 2025/26 Mainstage Season are complete! Our 2026/27 Season will be announced at the end of May – stay tuned!
Cannonball 2025:
Auditions for the 2026 Cannonball! Festival are NOW OPEN!!!
Read on to find out this year’s lineup and how to sign up to audition!
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at cannonball@cypt.ca!
The Hum
By Caden Arsenault
What if listening was dangerous?
When a rare auditory phenomenon becomes the focus of a high-stakes experiment, scientist Sebastian Ortiz is sent to a remote laboratory to uncover the truth. As his colleague—now turned test subject—Leon Ivankov is pushed further into the experiment, the boundaries between science and morality begin to erode. Alongside their sharp and witty assistant Cass Becker, the team uncovers unsettling truths about the authority overseeing their work, truths that should have surfaced years ago. And as the phenomenon grows louder, so do the consequences, forcing them to confront the ethics of their research and the human cost of discovery. The Hum examines the tension between progress and compassion, asking how far those in power can push before they destroy the very thing they seek to understand.
Sucked In
By Sutter Tangedal
Have you ever thought about what’s in your phone? Well, hold on, because you’re about to be sucked in! A magical lightning strike has left John and Stacey, two screen-addicted teenagers, trapped within Stacey’s phone. With the help of their new friend Gigi, also known as Google Assistant, they must now adventure through the phone’s apps in order to find a way out. Along the quest there will be comedy, music and heartwarming moments. Do you think they’ll escape? Who knows!
Meet Up At Newt Landing
By Pidge Melgarejo Hiebert and Arlan LaValleé-Nairn
When a group of friends gets together for Christmas Eve, they know that it’ll be their last Christmas together. What they don’t know is that they’ll be trapped together for hours on end. The small town high school band Newt Landing may seem like a tight knit group of friends, but grievances lay hidden just below the surface. Tensions rise as time goes on – and secrets are revealed that will forever change the dynamic of the group.
The Timeless Lesson
By Brooklyn Steer and Ryley Budd
During a great battle between France and Great Britain in 1773, the famous General Aaron is knocked out and taken to a whole new world. Swept from a sword fight to a day in school, our General learns humanity’s potential and starts to see the world in a new way. Join him on his comedic journey into the future – and see what is meant to be.
Waiting In The Sky
By Miles Chan and Teo Lee-Tibbals
Skyler is turning 30 and is working hard as he tries to climb the corporate ladder, though he hasn’t gotten any higher in years. One day, he receives word from an alien – an alien that wants his help, who promises to change the course of his life. With his family and colleagues breathing down his neck, will Skyler be able to help this intergalactic stranger, or is he doomed to sit in a cubicle for the rest of his life?
FINGERNAILS
By Dan Whyte
The tides have ebbed, the world stands still, but the clock remains ticking.
Trapped recounting bittersweet memories of his first love, Gale, a grief-stricken painter, finds himself wading through buried tenderness, loss, and truth. He desperately searches for an escape, finding his prior comforts have turned sour. As familiarity burns, Gale must decide to let go or relent to the fire.
Time is running out.
Penumbrae
By Nina Addleman
Icarus is trapped. Cut down for his hubris and burned by the sun, he lives in purgatory, isolated and alone. A subject of poetic fascination, he will never fade into obscurity – but he is caught between death and life, unable to pass to Hades’ realm. So, when his shadow begins to speak to him, to promise him a way out, Icarus can’t help but listen. Penumbrae is about the light within shadows, how hope and healing are non-linear, and how sometimes, all you need is a friend.
Step 1: Get Informed
Rehearsal Schedules
The first step is to make sure you can actually BE in a play. CYPT requires performers to be available for all performances; by auditioning, you are confirming availability for both rehearsals and performances. Please note that performance times are an estimate – exact call times will be provided closer to May!
Casting Considerations
Here at CYPT, we are making an effort to give full disclosure about what you might expect if you were cast in one of our shows so that you can make an informed choice before auditioning, but of course it is difficult to anticipate every question or consideration that might arise, so if you have any concerns, questions, limitations, or comfort levels you’d like us to consider when casting (especially as it pertains to gender, content, ability needs, etc.) please let us know in the audition form or contact us directly.
Prepare for Your Audition
Please find, prepare (rehearse and memorize), and be prepared to perform for us a short monologue approximately 1-2 minutes in length. This could be a monologue you find online or it could be from a play.
At the auditions, we will ALSO have you read scenes from the play.
Step 2: Choose an Audition Slot
(youth actors only)
Step 3: Fill Out Audition Form
Step 4: Prepare Your Audition
Preparing an audition is fun! Never auditioned before? Have no fear! We at CYPT know that many kids have their first auditions with us, so we work hard to make the experience fun, relaxed, and creative as possible.
For this audition:
Please find, prepare (rehearse and memorize), and be prepared to perform for us a short monologue approximately 1-2 minutes in length. This could be a monologue you find online or it could be from a play.
Here’s what will happen at this audition:
- You’ll arrive at the audition location and wait outside the audition room until we come to get you
- You’ll join our directors in the audition room, where you will perform your monologue for us
- We might get you to do your monologue again, but with some new directions for us. The directions could be anything from “try it again, but this time like a super villain!” to “this time, I want you to do the monologue as if you want the character you are talking to to leave the room.
- We will have you do some cold reads of some scenes from the plays
- Then we’ll ask if you have any questions, and if not, that’s it! Your audition is done!
Audition Tips and Tricks
Never auditioned before?
Have no fear, it’s not as scary as you might think!
Below you’ll find a few tips for a successful audition.
What to Prepare
Every audition is a bit different. Find out from the company you are auditioning for what they would like you to prepare. Some things you may be asked to submit, bring, or prepare:
- A headshot – this is a photograph (usually 8”x10”) of your upper body. This will help them remember you when they’re finished auditions. (you don’t need to bring us a physical copy – just submit the form!)
- A resume – this is a list of your previous performance experience, performance training, and special skills (including accents you can do or odd talents like basketball juggling or kitten whispering). It doesn’t need to be fancy, and believe it or not, your weird special skills might come in handy! (you don’t need to bring us a physical copy – just submit the form!)
- A monologue – a short scene performed by one person. If they ask you to prepare a monologue, they usually want you to find a monologue from a play, memorize it, make some bold character choices, and perform it. Don’t bring your paper up on stage with you, but keep it in your pocket so you can look at before you go into the audition room.
- A side – this is a scene from the play you are auditioning for. If they ask you to prepare a side, they will send it to you by email or ask you to pick it up so that you can rehearse it in advance. Most actors like to memorize their side or at least get to know it very well, but unlike a monologue, you can bring the side with you on stage.
- A song – if you are auditioning for a musical or play with a live band, they might ask you to sing or play a song. Find a song that shows off your vocal range or instrument of choice.
- A dance or movement piece – a very physical theatre piece or musical may require you to show off your physical skills. Be bold, but do your best to show off YOUR skills.
What to Wear
Wear comfortable clothing that you can move in, but that is clean and professional. This is like a job interview (but more fun). No need to wear costumes or bring props, but if you really want to bring a prop for your monologue (something simple like a cell phone that you need to make the scene make sense), feel free.
What to Expect in the Room
Once you are ushered into the audition room, you will be introduced to the director, assistant director, and perhaps the stage manager or producer. At this time, they may ask you to sit down and have a quick chat about you. Have no fear, they just want to get to know you a bit.
TIP: Be yourself. Don’t try to impress or pretend, but stay positive and polite.
After that, you will be asked to perform your audition. It might be a monologue or a piece they’ve asked you to prepare in advance.
TIP: take a second and breathe before starting your audition. Get comfortable. Don’t rush yourself!
TIP: Does your character in the monologue talk to another character? If so, imagine that character is sitting right next to the director. That way, they can see your eyes but you also aren’t staring the director in the eye which can feel a bit uncomfortable!
TIP: After you complete your audition, the director may give you some direction and ask you to do it again. Do your best to incorporate this suggestion into your second performance, no matter how wacky or wrong it may seem. The director wants to know if you can take direction!
Next, you may be thanked and welcomed to leave. If so, great! They’ve seen everything they needed to see from your audition!
It’s also possible they may ask you to do a “cold read,” at which time they might give you a page from the play you are auditioning for and ask you to do a read of it on the spot. It means they are wondering if you are right for that character or for a character similar to it, so take a quick moment to read over it, make a bold character choice, and go for it! It’s your first time reading it, and they know that, so don’t apologize if you make a mistake. Have fun!
In some auditions, you may be asked to get up on your feet and move around with other actors, or show off your singing and dancing skills. Usually, you will know in advance if this is what they are asking.
Remember
The director WANTS you to succeed! They are hoping you will be the perfect person for a role!
If something doesn’t make sense, ask a question! This isn’t a test, it’s a chance for a few people to get to know how each other work.
Above all, remember to have fun! Even the best actors don’t get cast in every play, so knowing that, you can relax and just enjoying performing!
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