Auditions

Our Story

Houston Playback Theatre is dedicated to serving our community by respectfully portraying
personal stories in public and private venues. We believe in the power of stories and the arts to
heal and connect. Representation matters, and we value performing for a variety of audiences.

We are looking for new members who are inspired to engage or learn how to:

Honor and respect the Teller’s story through improvisation & personal creativity
Utilize empathy in listening & expressing
Share their unique boldness live on stage
Be open-minded and ready to connect with fellow actors, musicians, conductors, and audience members
Help, take offers, and receive constructive feedback from fellow Playbackers - we are always finding ways to support one another in this work!

“Playback performers have some combination of these skills and interests: acting, movement,
and music; active listening, emotional intelligence, social and self-awareness; the ability to work
as a constructive team player; an interest in using the arts for personal healing and social
justice” (Ellinger & Ellinger, 2015-2016, p. 153).

If you are interested in becoming a Playbacker, please complete the form below.

We encourage you to write brief and thoughtful answers to these questions. You will receive a confirmation email with the address, time, and procedures for the HPT audition once your application has been reviewed and accepted.

Audition Form

First Name

Last Name

Phone

1. Have you seen our, or any other Playback, company perform, or did you attend any of our rehearsals and workshops? If so, tell us a moment and a feeling you remember from any of these events.

2. What attracts you to Houston Playback Theatre?

3. What types of performing arts skills have you studied or acquired?

4. Essential qualities for Playback practitioners include keen empathetic listening, retention of information, and self-awareness. Tell us how you have developed any of these skills (e.g., through personal growth work, spiritual practice, communication training, etc.)

5. Ensemble skills are a key part of our troupe, both on and off the stage. Tell us a little about your experience with the give-and-take of contributing to a team, and your experiences (positive and negative) being part of groups.

6. We welcome diversity to enhance our ability to perform effectively for a wide range of audiences. Please tell us about your “identities” (including race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, social class, languages) and any other background information you would like to share.

7. Houston Playback Theatre’s mission states: We believe in the power of stories and the arts to heal and connect. We believe everyone's stories matter and we value performing for a variety of audiences. How do your personal values connect with this mission statement?

8. Are you able to commit to attending rehearsals in the Montrose area every other Friday from 5:30 to 8:00 PM?

9. Are you able to commit to attending 1 ½ hour pre-performance brief rehearsals, quite often on Thursdays?

10. Would you be willing to attend at least 12 rehearsals during a seven-month period and at least one performance?

11. Would you be willing to perform before you become a full company member, as part of your first year in training?

12. Are you willing to commit performing at least six times a year?

13. With your current schedule, be specific which days you could perform: - Between 9 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday? - Monday through Thursday evenings? - Friday, Saturday, and Sundays evenings? - Saturday and Sunday during the day?

14. You are expected to read and respond to emails within 48 hours (unless you let us know you are out of town or otherwise committed for that period). Can you agree to that?

15. Sometimes we need to communicate by phone text message. Can you agree to check and answer messages on the day of rehearsals/performances?

16. Once accepted in the company, besides rehearsal and acting, we also contribute additional time to the troupe for administrative tasks. Are you willing to participate in such meetings? Let us know if there are any specific skills, you’d be willing to share with us, such as: outreach, finances, web design, administrative, networking, etc.

17. Anything else that you would want us to know about you or want to ask us?

Thank you for your time & energy in this -

keep an eye on your email for the next step!