2026 Colorado Shakespeare Festival Audition Announcement

The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, CSF 2022

Colorado Shakespeare Festival Audition Announcement 2026

CSF will be accepting headshots and resumes for actors to be considered for live and video general auditions. We hold live general auditions each season in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, in addition to considering video auditions from qualified candidates.

Plays being produced in our 2026 season will be announced in late October 2025. Please visit our website at that time for a complete list of productions.

CSF hires approximately twelve (12) AEA and twenty (20) non-AEA actors on two-show contracts.

VENUES AND AGREEMENTS

  • The Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre is a stone, amphitheater-style space that seats ≈1,000. It is framed by trees against a backdrop of the Flatiron Mountains and operates on an LOA – LORT C agreement.
  • The Roe Green Theatre is an indoor proscenium-style space that seats ≈400. It is an intimate venue full of theatre magic and operates on an LOA – LORT D agreement.

PAY RANGES, DATES, AND WEEKS

  • All actor contracts run from Tuesday, May 19th through Sunday, August 2nd, 2026.
  • AEA actor contract wages:
    • Outdoor: $836.00 per week for eleven (11) weeks.
    • Indoor: $812.00 per week for eleven (11) weeks.
  • Non-AEA contract wages:
    • Outdoor: between $402.00 and $460.00 per week.
    • Indoor: between $367.00 and $425.00 per week.
  • Internship and Apprenticeship ranges between $250.00 and $275.00 per week.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSIDERATION

  • Applicant must have received Shakespeare training or equivalent experience.
  • Applicant must have at least one (1) professional Shakespeare production credential or equivalent experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Stage actor training at an MFA level or higher (or equivalent experience).
  • Training and applied experience in stage combat.
  • Dialect ability and fluency in languages other than English.
  • Training and applied experience in singing of any style (jazz, folk, opera, choral, non-western, etc.).
  • Training and applied experience in acrobatics and/or dance of any style (jazz, hip hop, aerial, tap, ballroom, etc.).
  • Mid- to advanced-level training and applied experience in musical instrument performance of any type.

TO REQUEST A GENERAL AUDITION

Headshots and resumes will be accepted starting September 25th, 2025, at 9am MDT through October 20th, 2025, at 5pm MDT for review. Please submit your materials via our online form for consideration. Audition requests should include the following:

  • Your full name, preferred email address, and direct phone number.
  • A PDF of your current headshot and acting resume (in one file).
  • Your AEA status (AEA or non-AEA). Please include if you intend to join AEA prior to May 2026.
  • Your preferred medium for auditioning, pending review of your materials.
    • If you are requesting a live general audition, please identify all immovable time restrictions (we will do our best to accommodate but cannot guarantee anything at this time).
    • If you would need to travel from out of state to audition, please request a video audition.

No phone calls, please.

The deadline to submit your pre-screening materials is Monday, October 20th, 2025 by 5pm MDT.

Invitations to attend the live general auditions or submit a video audition will be sent out starting on Monday, October 27th, 2025 and continue through that week. An assigned audition slot and / or further instructions will also be sent out at this time.

Monday, November 10th — If invited to submit a general audition video, the deadline to submit is 5pm MDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Friday, November 14th — BOULDER CU Student general auditions (3pm to 5pm, by assigned appointment): Department of Theatre & Dance W325, University of Colorado Boulder Theatre & Dance Building, Boulder, CO, 80309.

Saturday, November 15th —
DENVER AEA general auditions (9am to 5pm, by assigned appointment): Denver University Department of Theatre, Johnson McFarlane Hall (JMAC), 1903 East Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO 80210. Room TBD.

Sunday, November 16th —
DENVER Non-AEA general auditions (9am to 5pm, by assigned appointment): Denver University Department of Theatre, Johnson McFarlane Hall (JMAC), 1903 East Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO 80210. Room TBD.

AUDITION MATERIALS

For live general auditions, please bring with you one (1) hardcopy of your headshot and resume stapled together or printed back-to-back.

For all general auditions, please prepare two (2) contrasting classical monologues, no more than two (2) minutes in length total (each piece should not exceed 1 minute in duration). One (1) monologue must be comedic, one (1) should be dramatic, and at least one of the two should be Shakespeare.

CU ACTING INTERNSHIPS

CSF will consider all THDN undergraduate students who audition for the 2026 season as an applicant for a CU Acting Internship. Students must be currently enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder for Academic Year 2025/2026 (AY25/26). Please follow the above instructions to receive an audition appointment for Friday, November 10th to be considered for an internship. Please be sure to identify yourself as a CU student to ensure appropriate placement.

CALLBACKS

Live callbacks will be held in Boulder, CO on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on December 6th and 7th, from 9am to 5pm. Notifications of a callback—both live and video—will be sent via email (with sides) starting November 17th. The deadline for video callbacks is Monday, December 1st, 2025 by 5pm MST.

As a unit within the University of Colorado Boulder, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival is committed to building a culturally diverse community dedicated to contributing to an inclusive environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer.

Submit Materials for Pre-Screening