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 scheduled on the horizon!

Cut off from the outside world by its remote location and shunned by all who know its foreboding and sinister reputation, Hill House has remained empty and silent. Its isolation is broken by the arrival of an investigator whose mission is to delve into the history of the house and to come to grips with the occult forces which have made it uninhabitable for many years…. Inspired by both the classic novel and the acclaimed Netflix series, “Haunting of Hill House” creates a night of supernatural thrills and unforgettable drama–join us for a spine-chilling night of supernatural suspense!

RiverStage invites you to open auditions for its first show of the 2025-26 mainstage season, The Haunting of Hill House! Auditions will be held on two dates: Friday, Aug 22 from 7-9pm, and Saturday, Aug 23 from 1-3pm, at Greenspace Center, 815 Market St, in Lewisburg. The show will be performed at the same location from October 17-26, directed by Emily Mae Rautzahn. Auditioners do not need to attend both sessions, 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 October 26th.

We are looking for 7 actors to portray 3 male and 4 female characters in this spine-tingling drama, and the characters are described in the script as follows:

• Eleanor Vance (late 20s–30s, female). A very troubled young woman. She hopes her visit to Hill House will help her break away from her controlling sister and enable her to start a new life. Once Eleanor arrives, though, the house seems to focus its attentions on her.
• Theodora (Late 20s–30s, female). Young bohemian who comes to Hill House at the invitation of Dr. Montague. Light-hearted and open-minded, she is believed to have a psychic sensitivity that the Dr. hopes will deepen his understanding of Hill House.
• Mrs. Dudley (50–60s, female). The housekeeper and cook at Hill House. She is not interested in the ongoing investigations at Hill House. Her only concern is sticking to the letter of her agreement as caretaker of Hill House.
• Mrs. Montague (50s–60s, female). She has her own ideas about the paranormal presence at Hill House and little regard for her husband’s methods or companions. She trusts only her companion Arthur Parker and is determined to get to the bottom of the goings on at Hill House using her own methods.
• Dr. Montague (50s–60s, male). An anthropologist with a belief in parapsychology. He has rented Hill House for the summer to further his studies away from the judgmental eyes of his colleagues. He is protective of the people he has invited to Hill House but is determined to learn its secrets.
• Luke Sanderson (early 30s, male). A rakish young man who is a member of the family that owns Hill House. He is quick to make a joke and maintains a positive attitude throughout the events he encounters during the investigation.
• Arthur Parker (40s–60s, male). Mrs. Montague’s traveling companion. He is a brash, imposing man who listens only to Mrs. Montague. He is the polar opposite of Dr. Montague.

---

It’s Christmas Eve and a mysterious gift sparks a wondrous adventure! RiverStage Community Theatre and Strictly Ballet are pleased to team up once again this year to present “A LEWISBURG VICTORIAN NUTCRACKER.” The Nutcracker has become one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous compositions, and the story has enjoyed enormous popularity for over 50 years as it is performed by ballet companies all across North America during the Christmas season. This production is inspired by the concept of ‘Community Nutcrackers,’ which have been performed in various towns and cities across the United States.

Dancers and non-dancers, kids (5+) and adults are all needed for this fantastic and fun holiday production! Auditions are open to all; auditioners are asked to come at the appropriate time for your age/level:

• Age 5-6: 12:00-12:30pm
• Age 7-8: 12:45 – 1:15pm
• Age 9-12: 1:30 – 2:15pm
• Age 13-18: 2:30-3:15 pm
• Teen/Adult Performers (no dance experience required): 3:30-3:45pm

All auditioners are asked to bring an audition form which can be downloaded from Strictly Ballet’s website here. Dancers should wear ballet tights, shoes and any solid color leotard. Non-dancers should wear comfortable clothes and socks to move around in. Questions should be directed to strictlyballetarts at gmail.com!

---

More info about the shows in the rest of our upcoming season!

• THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (Suspense/Drama): 4 female characters, 3 male characters
• A LEWISBURG VICTORIAN NUTCRACKER (Dance): 60+ roles for dancers and non-dancers of all ages!
• FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE / WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF (Choreopoem): all 7 characters are women of color
• THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (Drama): 5 female characters (including 2 teens), 5 male characters (including 1 teen)
• 1776 (Musical Comedy): 13 leading roles plus a large 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!