Thank you for your interest in auditioning for Shakespeare Theatre Company!

Shakespeare Theatre Company has a mission of creating, preserving, and promoting classic theatre for all audiences. To uphold our mission, our casts must reflect the community we serve so that all audiences feel seen, heard, and represented. Shakespeare Theatre Company is committed to equity, diversity, and intersectional inclusion. As such, STC welcomes performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, races, ages, as well as performers with disabilities to our stages.

To ensure we stay true to our mission and values, Casting hopes to demystify the casting process and invite the acting community to connect with us through one of our various access points.

STC ALL IN

Welcome to the STC ALL IN program! Casting is excited to introduce a new access point for actors looking to collaborate with STC. The STC ALL IN portal is a new way to submit yourself for consideration for future programming at STC. While we will continue our established forms of outreach, we wanted to offer another avenue for the acting community to express interest in working with us. By filling out the form below, actors enter themselves into a growing performer database. Through self-submission, actors help us to cast a wider net during the audition process for our upcoming productions, allowing us to include more voices in our sessions...

STC NON-UNION OPEN CALL 2025-2026

STC Casting is excited to invite our local non-equity performers to connect with us via a virtual open call! As we embark on a new season, STC is eager to meet new artists and further cultivate our connection to the DMV acting community. We want to ensure our theatre continues to build channels of access for our performers. D.C. local non-union artists are invited to submit a three minute self-tape video audition to our department. A self-tape video audition guide and submission details can be found below.

Shakespeare Theatre Company is committed to equity, diversity, and intersectional inclusion in all areas of our organization. As such, STC Casting welcomes performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, races, ages, as well as performers with disabilities to participate in our non-union open call.

SELF-TAPE VIDEO AUDITION SUBMISSION DETAILS:

SELF TAPE AUDITION FAQs

What do I do about lighting for the tape? How should I light myself?

We want to be able to see you clearly, so a light source is essential! You can either use a natural source like the sunlight from a window or you can place a lamp in front of you while you tape. Make sure the lamp doesn’t block your camera or phone while you’re recording.

Where should I shoot my video? What should my background be?

You should be the focus of your audition, so choose a location where there aren’t many distractions. You’re the one we want to watch and listen to!
Solid colored walls or setting up a solid colored backdrop is excellent. If those aren’t options, any background will do as long as we can see you clearly. If you’re at home, move anything that might draw attention out of the frame (paintings, clocks, your cool knick knacks)!

Quieter spaces are always best for shooting your self-tape, so that we can easily focus on your performance. Try shooting outside of rush hour (likely less traffic sounds) or check if there are any spaces at your local library you can use to record.

How do I shoot my self-tape? Can I use my phone?

You can record your audition using a camera, your phone or even your laptop! Whether you’re filming yourself or having a friend/loved one film for you, make sure we can clearly see you. Self-tape monologues are strongest when you frame the camera so the middle of your torso and your face is visible.

If you’re solo and don’t have access to a tripod, you can place your phone between two textbooks to make an at-home stand.

How do I submit my tape?

Please submit your self-tape video via this submission form. Self-tape audition videos will be accepted via this form beginning on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 12am ET through Monday, March 3, 2025 at 11:59pm ET. The deadline for all videos to be received is March 3, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.

When filling out the form you’ll be asked to share the URL of your self-tape video audition. Your video should be shared via shareable streaming link(s) using one of the following private video sharing services: Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox. You can keep these links private and/or unlisted, but if there are any passwords, please be sure to include that information in the form.

Please do not send links that require downloading content to view your tape (namely WeTransfer).

And please do not email your submission in; it will likely get lost in our overwhelmed inbox! Please use the form linked above as it allows us to maintain an organized database of performers. All videos submitted using our form will be reviewed by casting.

If I don’t have a resume or headshot, what do I do?

If you don’t have a professional headshot, don’t worry! A recent photo of you is great. Just make sure we can clearly see your face and that it looks like you.

If you don't have a formatted resume readily available, include a document with your name, contact information (email and phone) and some of your favorite projects or shows that you've worked on. You can also use this document to share anything about you that you would like to share with us. Please submit attachments as PDFs when possible.

What happens after I submit my tape? Will I hear from you? Do I need to follow up?

We’re so happy you submitted your audition! After March 3, 2025 at 11:59pm ET, the form will close. All self-tape video auditions will be reviewed by STC Casting. As we anticipate many non-union actors will be submitting their work, casting will have many videos to watch. Please be patient with us as we review everyone’s performances virtually.

Should your self-tape video audition peak interest and your work as an artist align with one of our upcoming projects, we will reach out to you regarding a callback or show-specific audition. Because of this, please ensure your contact information is correct when you submit your form!

You don’t need to follow up with us directly via mail or email. Your submission will add you to our actors database. We reference our database every time we cast a production.

Danica Rodriguez (she/her) is a Washington D.C/New York based casting director & theatermaker dedicated to celebrating the voices of the historically underrepresented. She began her casting career working for Marc Hirschfeld Casting, Warner Brothers Television Casting NY, and The Public Theater in New York before moving to Washington, D.C., to join Shakespeare Theatre Company in her current position as Resident Casting Director. In her tenure as a casting professional, Danica has worked on dozens of mainstage productions and workshops/developments in New York and D.C. Danica’s core values of generosity, advocacy, and equity led her to her role as founding trainer and educator for Broadway for Racial Justice’s Casting Directive, as well as projects connected to Netflix, LALIFF, The Civilians, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co, The Folger Shakespeare Library and The Kennedy Center. She was named a 2021 TCG Rising Leader of Color and has sat on selection committees for INTAR Theatre and the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. As a passionate believer in arts education and accessibility, Danica has also had the privilege of speaking at Roundabout Theatre Company, Shenandoah University, the Academy of Classical Acting at George Washington University, American University and more. Danica holds a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Film & Media Studies from Dartmouth College.