Auditions and Casting - Directing Thesis

The maximum number of costumed performers is sixteen (16). 

The maximum onstage company size, including non-costumed performers, musicians, and additional crew members who do not require costume support, is twenty (20). This is also the maximum occupancy of the dressing rooms and green room (combined) allowable under fire code.

There shall be no discrimination against any Performers by reason of race, color, creed, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or union affiliations. 

The following process should happen before audition calls get sent to our students or are sent to the public via Backstage, social media, etc.

  1. The Producer will send the audition call and sides to the project’s Concentration Head, Acting Concentration Heads, Director of Production, and Thesis Production Manager for approval. Please give two weeks for the Concentration Heads to review your materials.
  2. From here, the Concentration Heads/staff can approve the audition call, or if they have any questions or reservations, they will send it to the relevant committee (either Intimacy Committee or EDIA Committee).
  3. Once approved, the Producer can email the audition call/sides to [email protected] for distribution to the MFA Theatre Community. In this email, the Producer should affirm that it has been approved by the Concentration Heads, staff and relevant committees and cc the Concentration Heads/staff on that email.
  4. If the show wishes to publish a casting call on a 3rd party website after the audition call has been approved, such as Backstage or Playbill, the show is responsible for creating an account to make the posting. Any cost for this posting would come from the show's budget.

Effective Winter of 2019, Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) has ceased approval of all Showcase Codes for educational institutions. Because of this, there are only two ways that AEA members may participate in productions at Columbia:

  1. The play is produced under the AEA 29-Hour Staged Reading Code. If you would like to consider this, please let Production Management know as soon as possible that you would like to apply. Please note that this option is only available for productions as part of the New Plays Festival.
     
  2. The AEA member in question is a current MFA Theatre student at Columbia. They can then appear as the play is considered a part of their curriculum at Columbia.

1st Year Columbia Actors are not eligible to be cast in Columbia Theatre Directing Theses, per the Acting Faculty.

The Acting Faculty must approve any casting of 2nd or 3rd year Columbia Actors in Columbia Theatre Directing Theses before casting is finalized. Please submit the request to cast a specific Columbia Actor to James Calleri and Peter J. Fernandez.

Studio space to hold in-person auditions can be requested ahead of time by emailing the Production Manager at [email protected].  Please note the following hours caps in regards to audition space: 

  • During non-peak auditions are capped at 8 hours per day
  • During peak time, audtiions are capped at 6 hours per day
  • Nash availability is not guaranteed for auditions during all times

In order to have children under the age of 18 appear in a show at Columbia the following requirements must be met:

  1. A parent or guardian must be present for all rehearsals and performances in which the minor(s) appears.
  2. The minor(s) cannot miss school or education to attend rehearsals or performances.
  3. A signed Minor Release Form must be submitted for each minor in the show prior to their joining rehearsals.
  4. All Columbia affiliates (students, staff, and faculty) who will be interacting with the minor(s) must complete a Protection of Minors Training through the university before the minor(s) joins any rehearsals or performances. Please coordinate with Production Management to arrange this training.
  5. A dressing room must be provided for any minors that is separate from any adult dressing room.  This can be one of the two single occupancy bathrooms on the 5th floor.
  6. Minors may not appear in any productions that include nudity, even if the minors are off stage when the nudity occurs.

Live animals may not appear in productions at Lenfest.