Western Mass Theatre News August 28, 2025

Your source for theatre events in Western Massachusetts.

Western Mass Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser August 28 - September 17, 2025 This newsletter is bursting with auditions and opportunites for this fall. Take a look at the whole thing to find what you'd most be excited to work on this year!  The next issue will include events from September 4 - 24. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at westernmasstheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event Amherst Community Theatre - Auditions for The Wizard of Oz September 12-14 at Amherst Regional Middle School  More Information Here Clown Class! Tuesdays, September 9-October 28 at Northampton Karate More Information Here Teens on Camera Acting Workshop with Cherrix Casting October 2-30 at Northampton Center for the Arts More Information and Registration GCC presents auditions for Beauty September 15 and 16, 4-7pm at the Sloan Theater, GCC Story and Character Breakdown Here YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Western Mass Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES “Doorways: Mirth and Memory at Clarkdale Fruit Farms,”that recently opened, is an episodic and informative audio-visual experience that visitors may find on the free Echoes Interactive Sound Walk app on iPhone. Visitors with headphones may download the free app and the Doorways… audio walk before arriving at 303 Upper Road in Deerfield between 9am and 5pm. The app is available at the Apple Store.  Shakespeare & Company Plays In Process: Adults at Play August 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM 70 Kemble St, Lenox MA 01240 Experience a play in its early stages when possibilities are endless! Returning for its fourth year, Plays in Process offers a glimpse into the inner workings of play creation as new works are readied for the stage. Many Plays in Process titles have gone on to become fully realized productions; this season, The Victim by Lawrence Goodman - presented as a reading last year - makes its World Premiere.  Adults at Play by Ken Ludwig, whose play Dear Jack, Dear Louise also earned accolades when presented at Shakespeare & Company in 2023. Directed by Ken Ludwig. Tickets and More Information Shakespeare & Company Circus & The Bard through August 31 70 Kemble St, Lenox MA 01240 For the kids and the kids in all of us, Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of Circus present an intersection of brilliant, professional circus acts with Shakespeare’s characters. The alchemy of the stunning visual effects of circus and the Bard’s text is an apt and whimsical introduction to both, and when you see them together, something special takes place!  This show is presented in collaboration with Spirit of Circus. Tickets and more information. Shakespeare & Company MOTHER PLAY: a play in five evictions August 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM October 5 70 Kemble St, Lenox MA 01240 With a martini in one hand and biting commentary in the other, matriarch Phyllis - headstrong, but resourceful - runs her household with a mix of tough love and theatrical flair, determined to prepare her kids Carl and Martha for the harsh realities of the world whether they like it or not.  As Carl and Martha navigate their own paths, Phyllis remains an ever-present force, doling out brutal honesty, unsolicited wisdom, and the occasional guilt trip with impeccable timing.  Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, Mother Play is a sharp-witted, darkly comedic exploration of family, identity, and survival spanning four decades, five apartments, and many hardships from cockroach infestations to painful conflicts. It premiered on Broadway just last year, earning four Tony nominations, two Drama Desk Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Tickets and More Information The Understudies: An Improvised Musical... with Puppets! Saturday, August 30th at 7pm What is this nonsense? It turns out, The Understudies have understudies... and they're furry. Don't miss this special show that probably shouldn't happen at all: a completely improvised musical with puppets! Featuring Scott Braidman, Paul McNeil, Mosie Senn-McNally, and musical direction by the one and only Jeff Kimball. ...our sincerest apologies to Jim Henson. Tickets and More Information MAJESTIC OPENS 28TH SEASON OF PLAYS WITH ONCE SEPTEMBER 4 – OCTOBER 19  West Springfield’s Majestic Theater open its 28th Season of plays with the musical Once, which runs September 4 – October 19.  The Majestic Theater is located at 131 Elm Street in West Springfield, MA. Once, with a book by Enda Walsh, and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, is a modern, heartwarming musical about an Irish street musician and a Czech immigrant who form an unlikely bond over their shared love of music. Set against the backdrop of Dublin, the show captures the magic of creative connection, love, and the healing power of song. With a score that blends folk, pop, and soul, Once features intimate performances that bring out the raw emotions of its characters. James Warwick will direct the play, with the Majestic’s Producing Director Sue Dziura named stage manager.  Michael Garcia is assistant stage manager, and Maggie Hollinbeck is music director.  Scenic director is Juliana Von Haubrich, and Dan Rist is lighting designer.  Sound design/engineer is Ryan Hickey, and Dawn McKay is costume designer.  The cast includes Nick Anastasia (Guy), Hillary Ekwall (Bank Manager/Dance Captain), Maggie Hollinbeck (Baruska), Chris Cotten (Da), Katy Cotten (Reza), Kate Theis (Girl), Kevin Tracy (Billy), Omar Sandakly (Svec), Patryk Mathieu (Andrej), Michael Devito (Eamon), Violet Falkowski (Emcee), Eliza Wiener (Ex-girlfriend), and Josie Dziura/Jules Magoffin (Ivanka). Tickets to the show range from $35-$38 and can be purchased in person at the box office or by calling (413) 747-7797.  Box office hours are Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens.  For more information, visit www.majestictheater.com The Understudies: An Improvised Musical Saturday, September 6th @ 7pm It's the opening night of a brand new musical! Unfortunately, the show was never written or rehearsed. This is the moment we've been training for. Be part of the fun as the determined Understudies create an entire musical from scratch, with a little help from the audience. The Understudies are Scott Braidman, Kelsey Flynn, Paul McNeil, Mosie Senn-McNally, and Maile Shoul. With music by the amazing Jeff Kimball! Tickets and More Information Near Sex For Work Sep 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM CitySpace's Blue Room in Old Town Hall From virginal dildo salesman to non-nude porn actor, Daniel Shar gives a voyeuristic look at his wild life as a sex-adjacent worker. Come get sucked into this unbelievable true story of a timid man getting bursts of confidence through his jobs helping other people get off.  Tastefully raunchy with a throbbing heart, Near Sex For Work takes audiences on a roller coaster of climactic twists and blue-balling turns as Shar chronicles his ridiculous resumé with support from the most sensational videos, audio clips, and images he has amassed along the way (and censored for this production). Fans of comedy shows that go deeper will gush for this one’s potential to reduce the shame and stigma around sex and its industry while also highlighting the reality that, underneath humanity’s massive range of sexual preferences, everyone is ultimately just craving connection.  Allen Salkin's review of the show for The Hollywood Reporter said, “I laughed so much I almost had an asthma attack… go see it” and The Comedy Bureau chose Near Sex For Work as one of 2024’s Best Things, calling it “one hell of a comedy gold mine.”  In addition to being nominated for Best Comedy & Variety Act at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival, NSFW was up against Stormy Daniels and several other adult industry luminaries for Mainstream Venture of The Year at the 2025 AVN Awards, a.k.a. the Oscars of Porn, where Shar also received a nomination for Best Non-Sex Performance (for his portrayal of an incel OBGYN in the Adult Time feature film Birth). Tickets  PLEASE NOTE: Doors open at 6:45 and the show starts at 7. If you haven't checked in by the time the show is about to begin, we will assume you aren't coming and release your seats to anyone on the waitlist. Also, late arrivals are generally distracting and disruptive, and there is no opening act, so please just be on time.  CONTENT WARNING: this show is for adults only. It does not contain any visible nudity, but there will be censored adult content and sexually explicit language. Being weird or creepy about all this is strictly prohibited. Performances of the original play Ismene to take place at The LAVA Center in September Antigone bade her sister say no more. “Your choice was to live,” she said, “mine to die.” —Antigone, quoted by Edith Hamilton The LAVA Center and playwright/director Jan Maher are thrilled to announce a special collaboration to present Maher’s play Ismene in mid-September. The project, made possible in part by the Greenfield Local Cultural Council, features Freya Andromeda in the title role and Liza Manchester as Martha. Fans of the classic Greek tragedies may (or may not) remember Ismene as the sister of Antigone and daughter of Oedipus. Over the course of several plays penned by Greek tragedians, her parents and all three siblings die. But there is no record of Ismene’s death. In Maher’s play she has been wandering the earth looking for resolution. When she meets Martha, a shy, journal-keeping woman, she is finally able to tell her own story in her own terms. Ismene debuted in Seattle where A. J. Mell in the Seattle Weekly characterized it as “Probing, sensitive, and accessible… rife with lyricism and unexpected humor.” Ken Freehill of Actors Equity Association called it “a brilliant script,” saying he was “thrilled to have been part of the audience.” Kiersten Samalis, who has acted, directed, stage managed and run tech for LAVA in several projects over the past couple of years is stage manager/assistant director for Ismene. This production of Ismene is a benefit in conjunction with LAVA’s year-end fundraising campaign. Patrons are invited to make a donation above their sliding scale ticket price ($1–$30) to support LAVA’s mission to keep the vast majority of programming free or donation-based. Performances are Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12 and 13, 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 14, 2 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.tixtree.com/o/lava. Made possible with funding from the Greenfield Local Cultural Council. For more information or to schedule interviews, contact jan@localaccess.org. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Westfield Theatre Group Auditions for 10-Minute Plays - "Winter Lights - Ten Plays, Five Visions" Aug 28  at 6:30pm Westfield Woman's Club, 28 Court Street, Westfield, MA 01085 The Westfield Theatre Group will be holding auditions for its upcoming evening of 10-Minute Plays, "Winter Lights - Ten Plays, Five Visions". Auditions will be held on Tuesday, August 26th and Thursday, August 28th at 6:30 PM at the Westfield Woman's Club, 28 Court Street, Westfield, MA. The shows will be directed by Molly Clark, Anin Derouin, Meaghan Farrell, Kelly Galanis, and Krista Stoops and produced by the WTG Reading Committee. A synopsis of each show along with basic character descriptions follow this announcement. Roles are available for several actors of age 16 and up. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the scripts - no advance preparation is necessary. Performance dates will be December 5, 6, 12, and 13 (matinee and evening performances on 12/6 and 12/13). Rehearsals will begin in October--rehearsal schedules will be coordinated between the directors and the actors. Auditioners will have their picture taken as part of the audition process. https://www.westfieldtheatregroup.com/ Individual Show Synopses  THE GIFT OF DA MAGGIES by Franky D. Gonzalez 2M Synopsis: Christmas Eve, 2013. A penitentiary. Two unnamed inmates discuss the pronunciation of the word "magi," and unwittingly become a retelling of the famous O. Henry story. Characters: INMATE 1, 40s-50s. Male. Hopeful, but not naïve. Still believes in Christmas miracles and holds joy in his heart. Has trouble reading aloud. INMATE 2, 30s-40s. Male. World weary. Cynical. More book smart than his cellmate  ANNND SCENE (OF THE CRIME) by John Busser 2M, 1 any gender Synopsis: A suspect in a murder creates a scene during his interrogation. Many scenes, actually. And why does that one cop keep ringing a bell? Characters: DETECTIVE LIEUTENANT MILCH – Male or female, 30s -50s DETECTIVE SERGEANT RAYE – Male, 30s EDDIE SUMMER – Male, 20s-30s  THE BIG PICTURE by Mark Harvey Levine 3M, 3F Synopsis: A desk in kindergarten can be a battlefield when the crayons come to life. Characters: PEACH – Male, skittish OLIVE GREEN – Female, older, weary SKY BLUE – Female, kind BURNT SIENNA – Male, nearly used-up COPPER – Male, military type LEMON YELLOW – Female, sweet, but flighty  PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS by Lindsey Brown 1M, 2F Synopsis: Demanding parents, the Wilson's, attend their first parent/teacher interviews at their son's new (and exclusive) private school. Armed with an array of firm 'requests' for his dean, they soon discover that this school operates from a completely different handbook. Characters: DIANA WILSON – Mother of Edward. Wealthy and likes to keep up with the Jones’ BARRY WILSON – Father of Edward. Successful businessman. Used to money buying privilege MRS. CROWE – Edward’s new Dean. A well-established professional of many years  GOT A LIGHT? by Jean Koppen 1M, 1F Synopsis: Joan of Arc tied at the stake argues for her life as a modern-day feminist, while her executioner fails to get the fire lit. Characters: JOAN – female, late teens, strong, feisty, religious GUY – male, 30s-40s, world weary  CHOICES by James McLindon 2, any gender Synopsis: A debtor burdened by crushing student loans is offered a way out … but is the deal too good to be true? Characters: PROSPECTIVE CLIENT – mid 20s to 30s, any race or gender DEBT COUNSELOR – mid 20s to 40s, any race or gender  THE SANTA THING by Greg Lam 2F Synopsis: Taylor is excited to bring her girlfriend home to meet her folks for Christmas. There's just one thing that they need to talk about beforehand. The Santa thing. Characters: TAYLOR – a young girl in her twenties, dressed warmly ALYSSA – her girlfriend. Same.  WHEN I FALL IN LOVE, IT WILL BE... by Susan Middaugh 1M, 1F Synopsis: Two devoted spouses of dementia patients strike up an unlikely friendship when they discover what's going on at their partners' assisted living facility. Characters: ED FERRIS – 60s-70s, male FLORENCE CAMPBELL – 60s-70s, female  SANTA'S DOLPHINS by Patrick Gabridge 4, any gender Synopsis: In a world beset by global warming, Santa has shifted to using magic dolphins rather than magic reindeer to carry him from house to house on Christmas. A comedy of forbidden love within two opposing factions. Characters: BLIXEN – a reindeer PRANCER – a reindeer SPOUTY – a dolphin LEAPER – a dolphin  OFFBOARDING by Peter Dakutis 2, any gender Synopsis: It's the last day of work at Circle 9 Enterprises for corporate drudge Bobble. Withers, the head of Human Resources, is not going to make Bobble's offboarding interview easy. Characters: WITHERS – the head of Human Resources at Circle 9 Enterprises. The actor can be any age, gender, race, ethnicity. BOBBLE – a corporate drudge. The actor can be any age, gender, race, ethnicity. UPCOMING GRANT APPLICATIONS IN THE ARTS ETC, an events lighting technology company, is providing charitable support through a Performing Arts Funding Grant Program, awarding cash grants to US-based nonprofit performance groups, prioritizing organizations producing their own work. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofits, accredited schools/universities, and government entities. Deadline: Aug. 31, 2025. The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts is accepting applications for the Flexible Funding 2026 program, providing unrestricted financial support to sustain day-to-day operations of nonprofit organizations serving Franklin, Hampden, and/or Hampshire Counties. Deadline: Sept. 8, 2025 at 12pm. CAST & CREW CALL: 'the night we rode' 'the night we rode' is an intimate reimagining of the night Teddy Pendergrass and Tenika Watson got into a car accident that would potentially alter Teddy’s life as a performer forever. While on the way home from a nightclub in Philly, Teddy and Tenika talk about politics, fantasy and what life means for both of them.  I am seeking cast members and crew to help bring this story to life. If you or someone you know would like to participate in this artistic journey, visit havemerci.net/tnwr to learn more! havemerci.net/tnwr Crew-  1 Lighting tech  1 Sound tech  1 Stage Manager  1 set designer  Cast-  MIK Teddy's friend and bodyguard, Deep brown skin, 35  L.T. Teddy's friend, deep brown skin,33  TEDDY Teddy Pendergrass,  TENIKA The lady of the night. A stunning, statuesque woman with ladylike, dainty mannerisms, early 30s  YVETTE Teddy's girlfriend, lightskinned, petite, early 30s Submissions Open Submission Opportunities for PIC PIPS and Development Workshops for the 2026 season are open through September 1. What is PIC PIPS?  PIPS stands for Plays In Progress Series. Plays that have been selected as part of PIPS receive a single developmental worksession with actors and a dramaturg, followed by a public reading of their piece and developmental conversation with the audience. PIC assembles the cast and assigns a dramaturg from our roster of artists. The playwright and a dramaturg work together to develop questions to share with audience after the reading as part of the developmental conversation, and in this way the audience serves as a sounding board for further development of the piece. PIC also provides extensive notes from this conversation so that they playwright can focus on engaging with the audience and hearing the feedback. This program is reserved for scripts in a variety of developmental stages. ​What types of pieces are a good fit for PIC PIPS?   Plays that have a full and complete draft. The draft could be in its first or final draft, or anywhere in between but, regardless of stage, the playwright would benefit from seeing how it sits with an audience. A play written a while ago that would benefit from a new/modern audience. A full draft the playwright has had for awhile and would benefit from hearing it one last time before sending it off into the world for potential production. Submit here. Submissions Open Submission Opportunities for PIC PIPS and Development Workshops for the 2026 season are open through September 1.  What is the Development Workshop? The Development Workshop is reserved for pieces that have a first full draft and could use an intensive period of writing and hearing the work out loud with actors. This opportunity provides a minimum of 8 hours of developmental work sessions with actors and other support artists over multiple days, culminating in a reading and developmental discussion with an audience. As with PIPS, PIC provides extensive notes from the discussion. ​What types of pieces are a good fit for the Development Workshop?   A full draft that needs an overhaul which could be achieved by having actors and other artists in the room. The necessary work could be on the entire script or specific sections. A play that was written a long time ago and needs an update for a modern audience. A script by a playwright interested in what actors’ perspectives will provide for the characters A script that needs further development of character arcs   Submissions are open to anyone within a one hour radius of Hampshire County Mass. Submit here. ACTORS SOUGHT FOR “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” Valley Players will hold auditions for their December production of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play on September 2 and 4 at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. The play is adapted by Joe Landry from the classic 1946 holiday film and set in a late 1940s radio station, featuring live foley effects and actors playing multiple parts. Valley Players seeks five or six actors, any gender and across ages, who will perform up to ten roles each. During the show, actors read from the “radio” script, so there is no need to be off-book, but a prime requirement to be cast is the ability to convincingly perform multiple character voices. Auditions slots must be reserved at valleyplayers.org. No preparation is required: all auditioners will read from excerpts from the script. Call-backs will be held on September 5. Valley Players’ production of It’s a Wonderful Life is directed by Chris Rohmann and produced by Matteo Pangallo, with sound effects by Chip Roughton, stage management by Jason Fregeau, and costumes by Chloe Roy. The show goes up Fridays and Saturdays, December 12–20, as a dinner-theater event at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland and half of net ticket sales will be donated to the Springfield-based affordable housing nonprofit Way Finders. Rehearsals will be on weekday evenings in November at the Bangs Community Center. Valley Players is an all-volunteer nonprofit group with a mission to enrich the quality of life in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts by producing nimble, meaningful, and accessible community theater. Valley Players uses community theater to help build community, donating half of net ticket proceeds to other nonprofits and charities serving the Valley and beyond. All contributions to Valley Players are tax-deductible and go fully to support the organization’s mission and programming. Anyone who wants to donate or become a business sponsor, or find more information about the group, can visit valleyplayers.org. Smith College Department of Theatre AUDITIONS EURYDICE by Sarah Ruhl directed by Tara Franklin In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Auditions:  Sunday, September 7 and Monday, September 8, 7:00-9:00 PM Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall CPA Please let us know if you are interested but unable to make either date. Callbacks will be on Tuesday, September 9. Performances:  October 29, 30, 31, November 1 at 7:30 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre Casting Breakdown:    7 Actors. Eurydice Her Father Orpheus A Nasty Interesting Man / The Lord of the Underworld A Chorus of Stones: Big Stone, Little Stone, Loud Stone Audition Prep:  No appointment necessary. Sides from the script will be available at the audition for cold reads. No preparation necessary. Perusal scripts available at Josten Library. Contact/Questions:  Production Manager, Nikki Beck, ncbeck@smith.edu Director, Tara Franklin, tfranklin@smith.edu Be in a show with us! UMass Theater mainstage fall auditions are coming upActors. Actors who like yoga. Actors who would like to be in a play that thinks about the place of yoga in our culture. Singers. Performers who want to be in a musical. Performers who want to be in a work that examines grief and mental health. If you match one of these descriptions, we hope you can join us for our fall auditions for Yoga Play and Next to Normal on Sept. 8 & 9. Both plays are auditioning on the same night. Our auditions are open to Theater majors, minors, and non-majors, as well as Five College and community members. Sign up for Yoga Play here. Sign up for Next to Normal here. You must sign up separately for each show audition. You are welcome to audition for both, but due to rehearsal schedules, you can only be cast in one show. To help folks prepare for auditions, we are also holding an audition workshop by by Professor Gina Kaufmann. It is free and open to anyone thinking about auditioning and will be held on Sept. 5, 6-8 p.m. in the Curtain Theater. No sign-up is required for the workshop. Please read below for more details: YOGA PLAY By Dipika Guha, directed by Rose Schwietz Malla Auditions 6:30-10:30 on Sept. 8 & 9 in the Curtain Theater. Call backs will be Sept. 10 & 11. Rehearsals start Sept. 15, performs Oct. 17-25 Stressed-out yoga apparel CEO Joan is one bad decision away from a PR-nightmare of career-ending proportions. Her activewear giant Jojomon™ has recently been charged with fat shaming, exploitative labor practices, and cultural appropriation. To temper a furious customer base, Joan and her team hire yoga master extraordinaire Guruji to inject some much needed authenticity into the brand — which may be the worst (or best?) decision of their careers. Yoga Play plunges audiences into the corporate antics of the ultra-uninformed, sparking curiosity about what it really means to be authentic. Content Advisory: Racially and culturally sensitive themes and coarse language. Recommended for ages 13 and up “Yoga Play” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com Please prepare a memorized 1-2 minute contemporary comedic monologue. You may also be asked to read from the script. Please arrive to the BCA Greenroom ahead of your audtion time to check in. Audtions will take place in the Curtain Theater.  Cast breakdown, script, and sign-up links are at:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AA5A92AABFE3-58176820-yoga#/ NEXT TO NORMAL Music by Tom Kitt  Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey  Directed by Kyle Boatwright Auditions 6:30-10:30 on Sept. 8 & 9 in BCA 413. Call backs will be Sept. 10 & 11. Rehearsals starts Sept. 22, performs Nov. 14-22 How do you hold onto reality amidst a whirlwind? Diana’s ordinary home-maker life of managing family dynamics and school lunches quickly disintegrates amid the twin challenges of delusional bipolar disorder and grief. Meanwhile, her family members do their best to keep up under the strain of their own individual struggles. Next to Normal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, looks at the ripple effects of mental illness, stress, grief, secrets, and tremendous love — all set to a driving rock score. Content advisory: Depictions of bipolar disorder, anxiety, and grief. Depictions and discussion of drug use, self-harm, death, and medical trauma. Recommended for ages 13 and up Next to Normal is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com Please prepare a contemporary monologue of your choice, one to two minutes in length. Please also prepare 16 to 32 bars of a song from any contemporary musical; an accompanist and a speaker will both be available. Monologues and songs should be memorized, and you are expected to provide your own sheet music or tracks. Cast breakdown, ranges, and sign-up links are at:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AA5A92AABFE3-58177073-next#/ ACTORS SOUGHT FOR BENEFIT EVENING OF 10-MINUTE PLAYS Valley Players will hold auditions for their October event Take Ten on September 9, 6pm to 9pm, at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. Take Ten is a staged reading showcase of five new 10-minute plays by Valley playwrights, being held as a benefit for The Literacy Project. Valley Players seeks 11 actors, across ages and genders, for the plays. Because this is a staged reading, actors will not be required to be off-book.  Auditioners will read excerpts from one or more of the scripts alongside other auditioners. No experience or preparation is necessary, but an appointment is required and may be booked at koalendar.com/e/taketen. Take Ten will be held on October 25 at Black Birch Vineyard in Hatfield, with wine and food available, and tickets on a pay-what-you-can scale. Half of net ticket revenue will be donated to support the educational programming and mission of The Literacy Project.  Selected by a panel of local community theater leaders from over 30 submissions, the plays in the showcase are A Concern, by Anna Fox of Amherst and directed by Tracy Grammer; Letting the Cat Out, by Richard Ballon of Florence, directed by Alan Harris; Summer People, by Stephen Poulin of Amherst, directed by Anna Morrissey; Terms and Conditions, by Sarah Zureick-Brown of Amherst, directed by Joseph Van Allen; and The Waiting Room, by E. A. Blair of Holyoke, directed by Jill Franks. Valley Players is an all-volunteer nonprofit group with a mission to enrich the quality of life in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts by producing nimble, meaningful, and accessible theater. Valley Players uses community theater to help build community, donating half of net ticket proceeds to other Valley nonprofits. More information, including how to donate or become a business sponsor, is at valleyplayers.org. Holyoke Community College Theater Auditions: The Last Living Gun By Ryan Stevens  Directed by Cordelia Winter Dwyer  Leslie Phillips Theater  [Fine and Performing Arts Building] 303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke MA 01040 Wednesday September 10th 2-5pm  Thursday September 11th 2-5pm  Auditions will consist of cold readings. Auditioners do not need to prepare monologues. Anyone is welcome to audition.  Callbacks if necessary will be held Friday September 12th 2-5pm.  Performance dates November 20th-22nd 2025  mwhiton@hcc.edu  For more info Fill out an audition form at this link https://forms.gle/p18oKkezefZYUxNLA facebook.com/hcctheater/ Amherst Community Theater Auditions for the Wizard of Oz 9/12: 6 pm-9:15 pm, 9/13: 10 am-6:45 pm, 9/14: 10 am-6:45 pm. Callbacks 9/15 6-9 pm Amherst Regional Middle School, 170 Chestnut St, Amherst, MA 01002. Amherst Community Theater is pleased to announce auditions for The Wizard of Oz, directed by Stephanie Flinker with Musical Direction by Cindy Naughton and Choreography by Mary Ann Holmes. This multigenerational production features singing, dancing and acting for the whole cast. In addition to the traditional characters, there will be many featured roles for all ages in both Munchkinland and Oz: Harmonic Trees, Dancing Crows, Performing Poppies and more. You might even land a role as a flying monkey! Tappers are encouraged to come and share their skills.  Auditions will take place September 12-14 at the Amherst Regional Middle School, callbacks September 15. Nine performances in January 2025 at Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Children age 7 (and having entered grade 2) through adults are encouraged to audition! For an audition appointment and more information, including character descriptions and audition music, please visit amherstacts.org/auditions or contact producer@amherstacts.org. https://amherstacts.org/auditions/ Majestic Theater NEW VOICES--Call for Play Submissions Submission Deadline September 15, 2025 NEW VOICES at the MAJESTIC THEATER  New Voices is the Majestic Theater's new play development program designed to expand opportunities for playwrights and other theater-makers across the Pioneer Valley which includes North Central CT to Southern VT, and to introduce our community to new themes, ideas, and cultures we may not otherwise be familiar with. BIPOC, AAPI, and/or LGBTQIA+ playwrights are strongly encouraged to submit their work.  Two plays will be chosen by a diverse committee of theater professionals affiliated with the Majestic Theater and will go on to have a staged reading in November 2025. After being selected, New Voices playwrights are provided a team of professional artists, including a director and cast, to perform their play on the Majestic mainstage for an audience.  Readings will take place on Monday, November 17, 2025 and Monday, November 24, 2025 Submission Deadline for Playwrights: September 15, 2025 Email submissions to Producing Director, Sue Dziura at sue@majestictheater.com Greenfield Community College Theater Department Auditions for Fall Production of BEAUTY Sloan Theater at GCC Mon, Sep 15 at 4pm-7pm*  Tue, Sep 16 at 4pm-7pm*  Callbacks Wed, Sep 17 at 4pm*  *Plan on attending either Monday OR Tuesday for Auditions, as well as Wednesday for Callbacks. You can arrive anytime during the 3-hour audition time, but arriving closer to the start is better for pairing you with other actors. https://tinyurl.com/BEAUTY-Characters-Setting No audition preparation or production experience required. Flexible casting (12 actors total). Casting younger and older actors of all types. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. Exit 7 Theater Auditions for Pride and Prejudice! Sep 29, 2025, 6:00 PM October 1st, 2025 6-9 37 Chestnut Street Ludlow, MA 01056 Jane Austen’s beloved classic novel is brought to fresh, fun new life in Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. There is little hope for the four Bennet sisters beyond “ensnaring” a wealthy future husband, but Lizzy dreams of more than the schemes and games of courtship.  Come audition for this exciting new take on a classic. Auditions will be open to all, and no roles are precast. Casting ages 16+. While we will take walk ins, we encourage you to follow our provided links to sign up for a timed slot in advance. Callbacks will be on October 3rd, by invitation. https://www.exit7players.org/auditions/pride--prejudice-auditions/ Show Dates: February 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 2026  Rehearsal Dates: Our read through will be in late October, and we will begin our full rehearsal process in November. We will typically rehearse on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-9:00 and on Sunday afternoons/evenings. Tech Week will be February 1st-5th. There will be no rehearsal on Thanksgiving, or between the dates of December 23rd-January 4th.  Please note that the original version of Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice has actors playing multiple parts. While we intend to separate these roles, we reserve the right to offer actors more than one part. Stage Manager Opportunity Easthampton Theater Company's March 2026 Production of Enchanted April. Detailed Information is available on our web site HERE. T This position includes a stipend. Rehearsals begin in January, 2026, with a read-through and some workshops in December. More information about the company is available at our website at easthamptontheater.com. You can also visit our facebook page at the link below: facebook.com/easthamptontheatercompany   WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Clown Tuesdays, 6-9pm September 9th to October 28th Northampton Karate, 320 Riverside Dr, Florence, MA 01062 Over the course of this 8-week intro to clown class we will investigate a series of games and exercises built to help relinquish our need to get things right, bring our bodies and imaginations to life, and reignite our appetites for pleasure and play - all in service of making people laugh. Come make a ruckus! And, with great courage and audacity, we will endeavor to find out what’s uniquely funny about YOU! *To be clear - this is not a circus class, nor does it involved any special skills. This a class for actors, and anyone curious about what it might be like to live in an undiminished body and invite more play and pleasure into their work/life. https://www.gabriellevey.com/classes If you want to keep going with Clown, and maybe even make a show(!!) just keep your Tuesday evenings open!  Clown II (a double-wide, triple-decker advanced clown class) will start on November 4th. Same time and place (6-9pm @ Northampton Karate).  And then after that, MAKE (a “let’s build a good and funny show and share it with an audience” class) will start on February 3rd. Same time and place (6-9pm @ Northampton Karate).  If you decide to sign up ahead of time for more than one class, use the code “twoclasspass” at checkout for 10% off! And if you decide to sign up for all three, use the code “threeclasspass” at checkout for 15% off!!  All classes are 8 weeks long and take place at Northampton Karate on Tuesday evenings from 6-9pm. Head to www.gabriellevey.com/classes for more information.  COME PLAY! Calling all Performing Artists! Ohketeau staff member Jasmine Goodspeed has worked on and developed a method of acting training that is rooted in the ceremony that can be found in and has developed alongside performance throughout space and time. She is thrilled to be providing a series of acting training workshops accessible for all skill levels. Have you only ever dreamt of acting but found yourself intimidated by it? Come and try this out! Are you a seasoned pro looking to find new tools for your box? Join us! This class will take place at Northampton Center for the Arts every second Thursday of the month from 7:00-9:00PM The first class will take place on September 11th. This workshop is totally free and open to the public! TEENS ON  CAMERA ACTING WORKSHOP  Calling all Aspiring Young Actors! (Ages 13-18) With Film/TV Casting Director, Marty Cherrix, whose most recent project is the Amazon hit TV series,“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Dates: Thursdays, October 2-30 Time: 3:30 pm - 4:45pm Location: Northampton Center for the Arts - Eli’s Room, 33 Hawley St., Northampton, MA Tuition: $249 for five-weeks per individual To register for this 5 week class, email Marty at: cherrixclasses@gmail.com Whether you're just starting out or ready to sharpen your skills, this small-group class (max. 10 students) will give each actor the attention they deserve. No experience necessary — just passion and curiosity. In this fun, focused program young actors will learn:  Insider auditioning tips to begin building your Film/TV acting career  How to record auditions at home for submission to Casting Directors  How to breakdown a scene and a character for a powerful performance Techniques to build confidence, authenticity and ease on camera All of this and more in a professional, supportive setting Your instructors: Marty Cherrix, feature film and TV casting director with over 30 years experience. Member of CSA-Casting Society of America. Latest credits include the current Amazon hit TV series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”  Christine Stevens, actress, theater teacher and certified teacher of the Alexander Technique for actors. Classes are not a job interview or an audition. The presence of a Casting Director is not a guarantee or promise of employment. This class is for education experience only. www.cherrixcasting.com Double Edge Theatre Fall Training Intensive October 10-13   Our method is based on search, not on form. We offer an adventure with space for both wildness and vulnerability. The unique, holistic methodology employs the artist’s full potential – emotional, imaginative, physical, vocal – to drive ensemble collaboration, individual exploration, and performance creation. The training programs are led by the Ensemble, and take place on the Farm. We are still accepting applications, so apply today! Learn more and apply here Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Western Massachusetts Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Barrington Stage Company Berkshire Theatre Group Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Easthampton Theater Company Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Great Barrington Public Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Human Agenda Theater Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective Plays In Place Real Live Theatre Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare & Company  Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre South Hadley Players Spindrift Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Theater Between Addresses Theatre Guild of Hampden TheatreTruck UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Valley Players WAM Theatre Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players Williamstown Theatre Festival World and Eye Want to know even more about events in Western Massachusetts and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat TV/Radio and News Column Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne Copyright © 2025 Western Mass Theatre, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive the Western Mass Theatre Newsletter. This newsletter is published weekly on Thursdays and all information about upcoming performances and auditions is reader submitted. The newsletter is limited to information about theatre in Western Massachusetts. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences