AUDITIONS: LBP NEW WORKS FESTIVAL 2026

AUDITION NOTICE:

THE 2026 LBP NEW WORKS FESTIVAL

TITLES: Show 1: AS WE LIKE IT

               Show 2: WOLVES AT THE DOOR

AUTHORS: Oded Gross (As We Like It)

                   Ali MacLean (Wolves at the Door)

DIRECTORS: Noah Wagner (As We Like It)

                       Andy Justus (Wolves at the Door)

RUN: 

Stage Reading of AS WE LIKE IT on Friday, March 27, 2026 at 7pm.

Stage Reading of WOLVES AT THE DOOR on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 7pm. 

There will be a talk-back after each reading.

This is a volunteer community theater production.  Non-Equity.  There is no pay.

AUDITION DATES:

Open Call:

Dates: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 (One night only for both plays.)

Times: 7 pm – 9 pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse  

REHEARSALS:

There will be 3-4 rehearsals (usually one per week) before the stage reading, arranged between the directors and the actors cast.  Rehearsals will start immediately.

(Please see General Rehearsal Schedule BELOW for days when rehearsals could possibly be scheduled.)

Rehearsal Schedule For Each Specific Show:

AS WE LIKE IT – 

Rehearsals:  Mondays, March 2, 9, 16, and 23 (possible); 7pm -10pm

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

WOLVES AT THE DOOR

Rehearsals: Thursdays, March 5, 12, 19, and 26; 7pm – 10pm.

Location: Long Beach Playhouse

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

Bring headshot and resume. 

Sides for cold readings will be provided at the auditions. 

NEW WORKS FESTIVAL INFORMATION:  

This annual festival nurtures emerging and established playwrights to develop new scripts. Reading 100+ scripts a year, the New Works Literary Committee chooses two top plays (one local to southern California, one non-local) to receive a stage reading with critical feedback from professional theatre critics and an audience talk back.

As it is a stage reading, there will only be 3-4 rehearsals, and actors will not need to memorize their scripts.  The stage reading of their show will only happen one night, and there will be a talk back with the audience after the reading.

SHOW 1:  AS WE LIKE IT

By Oded Gross

Stage Reading on Friday, March 27, 2026

Directed by Noah Wagner

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

As We Like It follows the story of a woman named Rose, who tries to motivate her family to rehearse in the serenity and privacy of the woods a production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It to be performed at the wedding of the Duke, and his betrothed, the Fairy Queen. The only problem is there is no Fairy Queen. There is no Duke. They are not in a serene forest. This Midsummer Night’s / As You Like It delusion is Rose’s shield against a brutal reality she doesn’t wish to confront — she and her family are in hiding from the Nazis in the grim forests of Poland during World War 2. Her theatrical fantasy is a shield against unbearable reality, but her family fears her delusion may get them killed. The play explores the danger and necessity of self-made fictions and asks when stories protect us and when they put everything at risk.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

ROSE (F, 20s): A young Jewish woman.

AVRAM (M, 40s): Rose’s uncle.

MIRIAM (F, late teens): Avram’s daughter.

IDIS (F, 30s): A Jewish woman.

ROLAND (M, 20s): A wanderer; Kurt’s brother.

KURT (M, 20s): A wanderer; Roland’s brother.

SHOW 2:  WOLVES AT THE DOOR

By Ali MacLean

Stage Saturday, March 28, 2026

Directed by Andy Justus

SHORT SYNOPSIS:  

A poignant drama about Grace and Gavin, who have recently lost their daughter Lucy in a mass shooting event. While grieving, Grace is bombarded by a stream of visitors, all who seem to want to exploit her in some manner. Grace and Gavin grapple with their own relationship woes, as Gavin wants to heal and Grace isn’t ready to move on. The play flips back and forth in time from the past as we see what set the shooter on his path, and the present with Grace navigating though the aftermath of her devastating loss.

CASTING THE FOLLOWING ROLES:

Casting open to all races and ethnicities.

GRACE YEAGER (F, mid 30s – 40): A woman grieving the loss of her 9-year-old daughter and struggling to keep it together.  Sensible and compassionate but impatient and direct when confronted by insincerity. 

GAVIN YEAGER (M, mid 30s – 40s): Grace’s husband. Grieving stepfather. Protective and thoughtful. Affectionate and frustrated by his deteriorating relationship with Grace.

OFFICER MCCOY (M, 40s – 50): A Chicago cop. Confident, tries to be helpful. A bit patronizing. (Doubles with Maurice.)

MARC HOLMES (M, 20s): A young man arrested for a mass shooting. Shy and detached, but gains confidence when angry.

MITCH KOSTKA (M, mid 30s – 40) Grace’s ex-husband. A guy who still lives for the glory days of high school and thinks the world owes him. Confrontational. (Doubles with Rick.)

JENNINGS: (M, 40s – 60s): Marc’s court appointed lawyer. Efficient and charismatic (Doubles with Pastor Conway.)

LYDIA (F, late 40s – 60s): A medium. Maternal and Empathetic

RICK (M, 30s) Marc’s boss. Tries to be everybody’s friend but a bit inept as a boss. A gym bro. (Doubles with Mitch Kostka.)

PASTOR CONWAY (M, 40s – 60s): A local preacher. Patient and devout.(Doubles with Jennings.)

MAURICE (M, 40s – 50s). Down-to-earth, kindly. (Doubles with Officer McCoy)

RAYANNE (F, 7): Maurice’s daughter. Shy and lighthearted. 

GENERAL REHEARSAL SCHEDULE: