03/07/2026
Speculative Drama is currently holding auditions for our spring production, a collaborative live music and movement play, Hungry Ghosts!
Actors from all backgrounds and theatre disciplines are encouraged to audition, with special consideration given to those with a musical instrument discipline, actors with Black, Japanese American, or Irish American cultural heritage, those who play an instrument, and those with a background or interest in movement and mask work.
Auditions will be held at our rehearsal and development space on SW Pine Street downtown on Thursday 3/12 6-9:30pm and Saturday 3/14 1:30-4pm. (If you are interested but unable to attend these dates please let us know! We may be able to schedule a pickup audition). Check the details below and sign up at https://signup.com/go/yCfKShA
This production is an entirely original new work featuring movement vignettes and live music. Hungry Ghosts forefronts artistic leads from Japanese American, Irish American, and Black American communities in a multidisciplinary devised theatre and music piece exploring the history of murder ballads in the United States. This project features a series of interwoven vignettes performed by an ensemble of actors and musicians creating all new songs and devised movement exploring the shared folkloric history of Japanese, Black, and Irish Americans.
Drawing on the cultural heritage of our lead ensemble members, we will dive deep into the cultural similarities, differences, and exchanges between these three groups, focusing on the artistic form of murder ballads as both an expression of evolving folklore and a whisper network created to keep marginalized communities safe.
Designed to blur the lines between rock show and theatre performance, historical figure and tall-tale, and audience and performer, Hungry Ghosts unfolds all around the audience – immersing them in a world which challenges them to examine their own place in America’s complex history.
Hungry Ghosts is a fully immersive but not interactive site-specific production. Actors should be prepared to perform amongst and around not only the audience but also the general public and passerby. Training on how to deal with this and adequate volunteers for intervention and safety will be provided.
BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, age diverse, neurodivergent, and disabled actors are encouraged to apply, as well as actors with backgrounds in movement and/or non-traditional staging, but experience in these areas is not required. If you are excited to do this kind of work, we are excited to see you!
Accessibility note: Speculative Drama is committed to COVID safer rehearsals and performances. All ensemble members should be prepared to rehearse in N95 or equivalent masks, and test twice weekly during performance weeks.
Audition Details:
Please sign up at https://signup.com/go/yCfKShA, or email [email protected] with a photo or headshot of yourself, a resume or short paragraph about you, and your preference order for your top three of the following time slots:
Thursday 6pm-7pm
Thursday 7:15pm-8:15pm
Thursday 8:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday 1:30pm-2:30pm
Saturday 2:45pm-3:45pm
Auditions consist of a 45 minute workshop, with an additional fifteen minute introduction and question section. Please be prepared to attend the entire hour for which you are scheduled.
Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle, we will be moving around!
Auditions are N95 masks required. We have some N95 masks on hand if you do not have access to masks.
ALL ROLES AVAILABLE:
Casting 5 ensemble members to join our 3 lead devisers.
Show Details:
What - Hungry Ghosts, a devised immersive exploration of Murder Ballads through the lens of Irish American, Japanese American, and Black history and culture
Where - Rehearsals held at 116 SW Pine Street downtown, performance venue TBD
Pay - Guaranteed stipend of $200. Plus, 100% of ticket proceeds go directly to cast and crew. Ensemble members receive an equal share of ticket proceeds, historically totaling $250-600 per share.
Dates
Rehearsal period: April 6 - May 15 Tuesday/Thursday/Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Not all actors called for all rehearsals.
Tech Week: May 16 - May 20 exact days/times TBD.
Performances: 9 performances between May 21 - May 31 exact days/times TBD.
We'd love to see you if the intersection of classic stories and immersive theatre excites you as much as it does us...or if you aren't sure what that means but it gets you curious!
About Speculative Drama:
Speculative Drama aims to reclaim the relevance of myths, fairy tales, and classical texts through immersive, live theatrical performances. Our goal is to better reflect the diversity of the communities which we serve, and to show fellow people of marginalized identities that we, too, have a place in the classics. Through site-specific theatre, rich and immersive soundscapes, and an extremely intimate setting we explore the intersection of classic stories and unconventional storytelling - creating an atmosphere of inclusion and innovation while honoring and maintaining the original texts or source materials.
Praise for Speculative Drama's previous movement plays:
“It’s a fascinating, beautiful evening. It will make you think again about what it means to do theater.”
- Peter Armetta, audience member
“Magical. Silent-movie-style storytelling with expressive musical score, highlighted by a touching and vulnerable performance by a force of nature in the Portland art scene.” - Artpunk Club
“This story has a fluidity, an organic feel, that floats in and out of your consciousness, like the final wisps of a dream, just before you awaken.” - Dennis Sparks
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