Production Auditions

There is no script or list of characters to review for this project because the play will be devised by Loyola students and director Kelly Howe during the rehearsal process itself. Kelly, an experienced practitioner of Theatre of the Oppressed, will facilitate the devising process and help edit what is created to ensure that the play makes a clear and accessible invitation to its audience. Nevertheless, student ideas and students’ social justice concerns will be the project’s guiding stars. Because we will create the play together, it is impossible to know right from the outset exactly which character(s) an actor will play when they are cast. What each actor will be guaranteed upon selection for the ensemble is that all ensemble members will perform live as part of the production AND that every effort will be made by the director to ensure the most meaningful experience possible for every performer. In all moments, however, obtaining actor consent will be pivotal. For example, as the play is developed, students will have the opportunity to decline to play a specific role if they are not comfortable embodying that role. In other words, accepting a casting offer for this production does not mean that you automatically must embody any role the director might wish to assign to you. The process will be far more collaborative (and, again, consent-based) than that. Some or all students might play multiple characters; some might not. We will know more as the process unfolds, since we cannot predetermine too much. One key element of a genuine Theatre of the Oppressed process is that many of the discoveries are made collectively. One of the particularly exciting things about this kind of theatre is that all students will have some agency in shaping the play.

Auditions for this play welcome performers of any race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, ability, body physicality, religious affiliation, form of neurodivergence, nationality, citizenship status, etc. We will actively aim to feature the most diverse cast possible. While the monologues that students prepare for auditions will of course be a factor in casting, the short essay answers provided by students at two key moments of the process (on the audition form and during the callback process) will receive at least equal consideration. Sincere student curiosity about (and passion for) the project is especially important for a production of this nature.

All who audition must be committed to helping maintain a mutually supportive environment, one that is characterized by open-mindedness, kindness, patience, curiosity, equity, and respect for the full personhood of all members of the team.

A live Forum Theatre experience is facilitated by someone Augusto Boal called the Joker. The Joker is the person who explains the guidelines of the Forum Theatre section of the performance to everyone in attendance and then facilitates all elements of participation by the audience, the potential “spect-actors.” The primary Joker for this project will be the director, Kelly Howe, meaning that she will joker at each performance. That said, for at least some performances, we expect that there will be a co-Joker collaborating with Kelly so that students can practice their skills as facilitators, too. The student dramaturg will be invited to co-Joker for at least one performance; other students with interest in theatrical facilitation techniques can also contact Kelly (khowe2@luc.edu) if they think that they might want to be considered as a possible co-Joker. You do not necessarily need to be a performer cast in the play itself to be selected to be trained as a co-Joker. 

A triumphant celebration of womanhood, Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf bursts onto the stage with color, rhythm, and raw emotion. This 1976 choreopoem seamlessly combines music, poetry, and dance to tell a story that is fiercely honest and lyrically brilliant. These seven women, each represented by a color, transform shared pain into a brave reckoning, collective strength, and triumphant survival. More than a performance, it’s a movement, a healing, and a revelation. 

• Rehearsals Begin: November 15, 2026
• Tech: February 5-11, 2027
• Performances:
• • Thursday, February 12 - Saturday, February 14 | 7:30p.m.
  • Sunday, February 15 | 2:00p.m.
  • Tuesday, February 19 - Saturday, February 21 | 7:30p.m.
  • Sunday, February 22 | 2:00p.m.

NOTE: Due to the needs of this play, we will be having rehearsals during Fall 2026 semester. This project conflicts with rehearsals for Mainstage show Alice by Heart. 

Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem unfolds not through a conventional linear plot, but through an interwoven tapestry of poems, monologues, songs, dance, and shared theatrical images. Its seven-woman ensemble moves through joy, humor, sensuality, sorrow, rage, friendship, vulnerability, self-definition, and collective healing, creating a theatrical language rooted in voice, rhythm, movement, and connection. 

At the heart of for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf are the lives, voices, cultural expressions, and lived experiences of Black women. In keeping with the work’s Black feminist perspective, this production seeks to honor the play’s cultural, artistic, and emotional specificity with integrity and care. Cisgender Black women are especially encouraged to audition, and the production will also thoughtfully consider cisgender women of color from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. All performers should be prepared to engage generously and responsibly with the play’s challenging material, its culturally grounded framework, and a collaborative process founded on humility, respect, accountability, and ensemble care. 

The play’s celebration of survival and community exists alongside an unflinching engagement with experiences of violence, loss, trauma, and emotional harm. Because these subjects are integral to the work’s poetic and dramatic journey, the Loyola University Chicago Theatre Program will approach the material through clear communication, consent-based rehearsal practices, appropriate choreography and staging protocols, and a commitment to performer well-being. All performers should be prepared to engage fully by bringing generosity, discipline, creativity, and a commitment to building a cohesive ensemble. 

Artists should also be prepared to: 

- Work responsibly with emotionally demanding material in a process grounded in consent, clear communication, accountability, and mutual care. 

- Use heightened poetic language dynamically through text, breath, rhythm, chant, and spoken-word performance. 

- Lend their singing voices to the ensemble. Formal vocal training is welcome but not required; musicality, vocal curiosity, eagerness, and an ability to blend with others are especially valued. 

- Use the body as a storytelling instrument through gesture, rhythm, spatial awareness, athleticism, stillness, and emotional physicality. 

Before auditioning, prospective performers are encouraged to reflect on their own boundaries, support needs, and readiness to work with this mature, difficult, and potentially triggering material, including poetic depictions of and/or discussion related to: 

Suicide and suicidal ideation 
Sexual violence, sexual assault, and coercion 
Domestic and intimate-partner violence 
Emotional abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and misogynoir 
Pregnancy, reproductive experiences, abortion, and reproductive loss 
Child death and violence against children 
Racism, sexism, trauma, grief, and mental-health crisis 
Sexuality, sensuality, and adult relationships 

- Lady in Red

- Lady in Orange 

- Lady in Yellow

- Lady in Green

- Lady in Blue

- Lady in Purple

- Lady in Brown  

AUDITIONS: Monday, November 2 | 6:00-10:00p.m. | MUND 125

AUDITION FORM: Available HERE.

CALLBACKS: Wednesday, November 4 | 6:00-10:00p.m. | MUND 125

Please prepare one 60-second contemporary monologue and 30–60 seconds (16–32 bars) of a musical theatre song or popular song in the style of the show. 

Cody Bradley will serve as our live piano accompanist! If you would like live piano accompaniment, please bring sheet music for him. If you prefer to use a recorded track, please bring your own speaker and have your track ready to play before entering the audition room. 

The stage manager Riley Bulson, rbulson@luc.edu, will notify you if you are called back.

Set during the London Blitz of 1941, young girl Alice Spencer seeks refuge from the horrors of war in her beloved storybook, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as she grapples with the impending loss of her best friend, Alfred, who is suffering from tuberculosis. As Alice and Alfred escape into a dark version of Wonderland, they encounter various characters that reflect their struggles with grief, love, and the harsh realities of adulthood. 

• Rehearsals Begin: February 22, 2027
• Rehearsal Dates: February 22 - April 7, 2027
• Tech: April 8 - 14, 2027
• Performances:
• • Thursday, April 15 - Saturday, April 17 | 7:30p.m.
  • Sunday, April 18 | 2:00p.m.
  • Thursday, April 22 - Saturday, April 24 | 7:30p.m.
  • Sunday, April 25 | 2:00p.m.

This project conflicts with rehearsals for Mainstage show for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf and Second Stage Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors.

Casting Considerations

The roles of Alice and Alfred will be played by female and male presenting actors respectively. Aside from gender, these roles will not be restricted to any identity. 

In the ensemble, any identity or expression may be considered for any role, however the identity of the character will not be changed to match that of the performer. 

- ALICE SPENCER: Alice 

- ALFRED HALLAM: White Rabbit; March Hare

- RED CROSS NURSE: Queen of Hearts

- HAROLD PUDDING: Mad Hatter; Knave of Spades; Mock Mock Turtle

- TABATHA: Chesire Cat 

- DODGY: Duchess; Mock Mock Mock Mock Turtle

- CLARISSA: Queen of Diamonds; Mock Mock Mock Turtle

- NIGEL: Dormouse; Knave of Clubs

- ANGUS: Caterpillar; Knave of Hearts

- DR. BUTRIDGE: King of Hearts, Jabberwock; Mock Turtle