The 2025-26 Season has been announced! With a suspense/horror play, ballet, choreopoem, drama and big musical comedy, we are looking forward to having lots of roles to offer to performers like you! And we have two sets of auditions coming up!

AUDITIONS #1:

RiverStage invites you to open auditions for its February 2026 show, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf.” Auditions will be held on three dates in November 2025: Sunday, November 16 at 6:30pm, Monday, November 17 at 6:30pm, and Wednesday, November 19 at 6:30pm. All auditions are at Greenspace Center, 815 Market St, in Lewisburg, and the show will be performed at the same location from February 13-22, directed by Monica Prince. Auditioners only need to attend one session, and do not need to prepare material ahead of time, but will be asked to read selections from the script, and fill out a brief form with contact information, past experience, and availability. Please bring a calendar so that you can indicate any scheduling conflicts between now and February.

About the show:
“Ntozake Shange’s highly influential 1976 choreopoem for colored girls… might well be the most performed and important piece of theater created expressly by and for Black women in the history of the United States. The work has been adapted for both film and television and can boast a Tony-nominated Broadway revival as recently as 2022….” “Join the circle as seven women share their stories and find strength in each other’s truth, passion and humor.  This fusion of poetry, dance, music and song explodes off the stage and touches the hearts and minds of all those who experience it.  It’s time for joy.  It’s time for sisterhood.  It’s time for colored girls.”

And from the author:
“The poems introduce the girls to other kinds of people of color, other worlds.  To adventure, and kindness, and cruelty.  Cruelty that we usually think we face alone, but we don’t.  We discover that by sharing with each other we find strength to go on.  The poems are the play’s first hint of the global misogyny that we women face.” – Ntozake Shange

We are looking for 7 women of color to portray the seven Ladies in Brown, Yellow, Purple, Red, Green, Blue, and Orange. Strong text work, comfort with movement, and a spirit of collaboration are essential. All experience levels are encouraged. If you have any questions, please contact auditions@riverstagetheatre.org .

AUDITIONS #2:

RiverStage also invites you to open auditions for its April 2026 show, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Auditions will be held on two dates in February 2026: Sunday, Feb 15 and Monday, Feb 16, on both dates at 6:30pm. All auditions are at Greenspace Center, 815 Market St, in Lewisburg, and the show will be performed at the same location from April 10-19, directed by Josh Wilkinson. Auditioners only need to attend one session, and do not need to prepare material ahead of time, but will be asked to read selections from the script, and fill out a brief form with contact information, past experience, and availability. Please bring a calendar so that you can indicate any scheduling conflicts between February and April.

From the script:
“In this transcendently powerful new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence–their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne’s voice shines through: ‘When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyiment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!’ This is a new adaptation for a new generation.”

We are seeking up to 13 performers for the 5 female (including 2 teens) and 8 male (including 1 teen) characters in the play. Character descriptions are as follows (and age ranges in parentheses are suggested age of the character; you do not need to be that specific age to audition for the character):

• Anne Frank (13 – 15) The youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank. Anne is a lively, curious girl of thirteen at the beginning of the play. She remains optimistic throughout the months they are in hiding and always makes the best of the situation she is in. As her diary reveals, she is very introspective and creative and has a vivid imagination. 
• Margot Frank (15 – 17) Anne’s older sister. Margot is much more like her mother than Anne. She is quiet, modest, and reserved: the complete opposite of Anne. 
• Otto Frank (53 – 55) Anne’s polite and practical father. Mr. Frank is the head of the “attic family.” His calmness and patience are an asset in the cramped attic and a comfort to Anne, who is very close to him. 
• Edith Frank (42 – 44) Anne’s reserved and nervous mother. Mrs. Frank loves Anne, but she wishes she were more proper and polite, like her sister Margot. Because of her reserved nature, Mrs. Frank and Anne are not close. 
• Mrs. Van Daan (35 – 37) Mr. Van Daan’s vain and finicky wife. Mrs. Van Daan prizes the material things of life, including a fur coat she brought to the attic with her. These traits all make her the center of much of the conflict in the attic. 
• Mr. Van Daan (43-45) An irritable former business partner of Mr. Frank. Mr. Van Daan’s family is invited to stay in the attic with the Franks. He is selfish and openly critical of others, especially Anne. 
• Peter Van Daan (17 – 19) The son of Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan. Peter is a shy, quiet teenaged boy. He soon becomes a friend and confidant for Anne, and they share a first kiss together. 
• Mr. Dussel (53 – 55) A dentist. Difficult to get along with, Mr. Dussell joins the Franks and the Van Daans after they have been in hiding for about two months. 
• Miep Gies (33-35), A very well-liked, generous secretary in Mr. Frank’s office. Miep helps to protect the families in hiding. Along with Mr. Kraler, she brings to the refugees food, supplies, and news from the outside world. 
• Mr. Kraler (42 – 44), A businessman who works with Miep to help protect the people in hiding. Mr. Kraler risks his life to help his friends. 
• The First Man, The Second Man, and The Third Man – 3 men

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And although the dates have not yet been announced, check back soon for more info about auditions for:

• 1776 (Musical Comedy): 13 leading roles plus ensemble! Although the characters are 11 male, 2 female, it is our intention/vision to cast a mix of both women and men as male characters.

RiverStage is dedicated to principles of diversity, equity and inclusion when casting and giving a wide range of community members opportunities to develop their talents and skills on stage. Note the subtle distinction between characters and performers: although the licensing contracts for most plays and musicals prohibit us from changing the attributes of the characters as they are written (e.g., we can’t change “Alexander Hamilton” to “Alexandra Hamilton”), they allow and encourage us to cast performers who may differ from the character in sex, gender, race, age, or other characteristics, and we strive to do that when we can. For the shows in this 2025-26 season, we would say that, because of the subject matter, “for colored girls…” will be seeking only women of color in its auditions, but for all other shows, we encourage anyone regardless of background or experience level to audition for any role they are interested in.

If you have any questions about any particular show or role, please contact us at auditions@riverstagetheatre.org!

And in the meantime, you can always follow us on Faceboom & Instagram, and (most recommended) use our “Contact Us” page to sign up for email updates about upcoming auditions!

Thanks and we’ll hope to see you at auditions in the future!