Auditions and Crew Calls
EMU Theatre auditions and crew calls are open to any currently enrolled EMU student, in good academic standing, regardless of major/minor. We encourage students of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, and abilities to participate in the EMU Theatre production program.
If you have any questions please contact Pam Cardell at [email protected] or 734.487.1220.
Upcoming Auditions for:
The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus will be held Friday, November 22, from 2-5 p.m. in the Lab Theatre, room 107 in the Judy Sturgis Hill building.
Audition information:
- Auditions will consist of cold reads from the show, movement and games.
- Come dressed to move and plan to stay the entire time.
- ALL possible rehearsal conflicts must be submitted on your audition form in order to be considered.
- Complete the prior to arriving for auditions.
If you are interested but unavailable to audition in person on November 4, please email Olivia Allen at [email protected] prior to the audition date, regarding options.
Audition Process:
Arrive at the Judy Sturgis Hill building and enter the main lobby off of the circle drive. Stage management will greet you in the lobby and confirm your audition form is complete. You will then be directed to the Lab Theatre, room 107 Judy Sturgis Hill for your audition.
Callbacks: TBD
REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES:
- Rehearsals will be Fridays during winter semester, beginning January 10, 2025, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- There will be one additional weekly rehearsal based on cast schedules.
- Touring Performances: March 7, 14, 21, 28 and April 4, 2025
- Public Performances are April 11 & 12 at 7 p.m. and April 12 at 2 p.m., Sponberg Theatre.
The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus
By Eric Coble,
Directed by Olivia Allen
Winner of the 2022 American Alliance for Theatre & Education’s Distinguished Play Award, The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus is a magical storytelling adventure and our winter ADTY touring production which concludes with 3 days of on-campus performances.
8-year-old Sheila & her friends feel like they’re melting under New Mexico’s summer sun and are so bored! To beat the heat and have something to do, the pals decide to create a fabulous fort made of the junk around them. The end result gets the attention of a very special coyote - one who walks, talks, and transports Sheila and her friends deep within the desert. The five friends embark on the adventure of a lifetime, learning about the impact humans have on the environment and becoming inspired to help all those who live within the beautiful desert landscape.
We are looking to cast actors from diverse racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds. As we are touring to rural elementary school audiences, this representation is a top priority of our production. This production is fulfilling the requirements of Olivia’s MFA in ADTY; part of the research of this project is on gender non-conformity in rural schools. Aside from Sheila, roles need not be played by people of specific genders.
Physical contact between actors is required for this production, but there is no intimacy. There are mentions of violence and war.
ROLES AVAILABLE:
DUST CLOUD: A desert-dweller experienced in building. Narrator, puppeteer, and holder of story, 20-40 years old.
COYOTE: Sunglasses & Jean jacket wearing coyote, leader of the animals, scary but fair. Ageless.
SHEILA: A girl with constantly tangled hair, some missing teeth, a laugh that shakes windows to almost breaking, and eyes that let inside sunshine BLAST out, 8 years old.
DENNIS: The oldest, bigger and heavier than any of them, and strong. Always needs a haircut and wants to be the leader, 9 years old.
LEON: Wise, helpful, with the cleverest hands and fingers you ever met. A builder and problem solver, 8 years old.
THE TWINS, EAGER and SHY: Just want to be part of anything, no matter how crazy. Always fun, usually bringing candy, they giggle. A lot. 6 years old.
ANIMALS: Ensemble. Creatures of the desert.
Fall 2024 & Winter 2025 Crew Calls
If you are interested in volunteering on a crew for one of our productions, complete our
or for more information on upcoming auditions and production opportunities, please email [email protected] or call the EMU Theatre Administration Office at 734.487.1220.
Production Handbook
For more information on the EMU Theatre production program download our EMU Theatre Program Handbook of Policies and Procedures [pdf].