Description:

The Chicago Playback Theatre Ensemble (CPTE) is seeking new ensemble members for our 2024 season!

CPTE is the only professional theatre nonprofit in Chicago performing and teaching the art of Playback Theatre. Through community collaborations with Chicago small businesses and nonprofits, we bring our audience's personal experiences to life onstage through interactive improvisational theatre, movement, and music. With CPTE's method of storytelling and performance using everyday stories, we see ourselves in others, broaden our perspectives, and heal as individuals and as a community through validation, celebration, and honoring of our truths. For 5 years, CPTE has provided free and affordable curated performances and educational workshops in Chicago, with a particular focus on LGBTQIA+ communities, underserved youth, and mental health advocacy for disparate communities.

In our 2024 season, we are hiring more artists to meet our growing programming and partnerships! We are continuing our mental health focused youth Playback workshop residency with the Woodlawn Restorative Justice Hub, we have at least 6 shows planned, including some public performances at Andersonville’s Eli Tea Bar, and we’re introducing a new after-school youth Playback workshop residency with Jamieson Elementary School’s Gay Straight Alliance club!

We intentionally strive to continue building an ensemble that is a reflection of Chicago’s rich communities. We are seeking civic-minded Chicago-based performers above age 21 of all ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and silhouettes that have strong active listening skills, improvisational abilities, and are great collaborators. We especially welcome performers of color, men (trans or cis), gender non-conforming people, and people over the age of 35. Folks with experience working with youth, therapists/counselors/healers, people proficient in ASL, and people with non-theatre backgrounds are also highly encouraged to attend. Because our work is so tied to Chicago’s communities and Chicagoan stories, people who live or closely work within Chicago will be highly considered.

Professional Cast: (All ethnicities & genders) Rehearsals take place on Chicago’s north side and virtually. First rehearsal is January 12th evening on Zoom. Required Playback Theatre training intensive rehearsals are January 13th from 4:30pm - 8:30pm, January 14th from 1:00pm - 5:00pm, and January 15th from 7:30pm - 9:30pm (we are willing to work with unchangeable conflicts for these dates). Rehearsals continue meeting once weekly on Wednesdays from 7:30pm - 9:30pm starting January 17th through June 19th. Performances will primarily take place on Wednesday nights but may also be scheduled on other weekday evenings or weekends with advanced notice. This commitment runs until mid-June, after which new cast members may be invited to join CPTE’s ensemble for additional gigs throughout 2024. New cast members are required to attend all January and February rehearsals, any 2 Wednesday rehearsals prior to a performance they are cast in, and at least 2 Wednesday rehearsals per month March through May (rehearsals for shows you are cast in can count towards this requirement). Pay: $40 stipend, $25 per show base pay (guaranteed performance in at least 2 shows), and training in the art of Playback Theatre.

Professional Cast Musician Actors: (All ethnicities & genders) Commitment and pay includes the regular professional cast commitment and pay detailed above. Musician actors will be trained in standard Playback Theatre performance, with added focus on how to perform Playback Theatre using music. We’re seeking musician actors who specialize in any instruments! Please specify your specialties in the audition form.

We are also specifically casting for actors that, in addition to training and performing with the professional cast, will serve as teaching artists for our youth workshop residencies.

Woodlawn Restorative Justice Hub Teaching Artists: (African American) Assist in facilitating workshop curriculum. Commitment (additional to the regular professional cast commitment detailed above) includes 8 in-person workshops every other Monday from 5:15pm - 7:15pm in Hyde Park starting February 5th, and a community performance in Hyde Park featuring youth and professional Playback actors on May 20th. Pay: $50 per workshop and $50 for the show.

Jamieson Gay Straight Alliance Teaching Artist: (Queer-Identifying preferred, or extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ youth) Assist in facilitating workshop curriculum. Commitment (additional to the regular professional cast commitment detailed above) includes 8 in-person workshops every other Tuesday from 3:15pm - 5:00pm at Jamieson Elementary School starting January 30th, and a performance at the school featuring youth and professional Playback actors on a TBD date in late-May/early-June (we can work with schedules for this show date). Pay: $50 per workshop and $50 for the show.

Invited auditions will be held on December 5th & 7th from 8:00pm - 9:30pm in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The audition will be casual and focused on team building where we’ll work with some playback short forms. If you cannot make our audition time but this work sounds exciting to you, please contact us anyway and we may be able to accommodate you! To be considered for an audition invitation, fill out this audition form by November 30th: https://forms.gle/b9hTyUGJ6HcKYGjX8