Director: Francine Michelle
Stage Manager: Courtney Satterfield
The Georgetown Palace Theatre Education Department announces auditions for our Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) production of Mesmerized. The production is scheduled to open on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, and close on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Being a TYA production, rehearsals and performances will happen during daytime hours. Performances will be scheduled for Tuesday – Friday at 10:00 am and at NOON. Cast members MUST be available for all performance dates and times. However, actual performances are confirmed based on reservations from schools for group field trips. Actual performance dates/times will be confirmed for the cast and crew 2 weeks prior.
There will also be two performances with ticket sales open to the public on Saturday, April 11, and Saturday, April 18 at 3:00p.
About the Show!
Through fabulous storytelling and fast-paced comedy, Ben Franklin and his want-to-be-inventor niece, Sarah, travel to France where they use the Scientific Method to test a mystical man’s magical cure-all in MESMERIZED: A BEN FRANKLIN SCIENCE & HISTORY MYSTERY. Kids will laugh as they engage their minds to solve this mystery, fueled with stories about Ben Franklin’s many scientific discoveries and electrifying inventions.
RUN TIME: approximately 60 minutes
What we’re looking for:
We’re looking for talented and diverse performers who will have a lot of fun bringing this educational play to life for young audiences. We are seeking performers, ages 18 & up, of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities for all roles in this production.
The Georgetown Palace desires to be as inclusive as possible and we enthusiastically encourage gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender and nonbinary actors to submit to audition for any roles listed. We also seek all races,ethnicities and abilities. Our character descriptions on the following pages are gender binary and are written with he/him or she/her. While they are limited in their writing, we hope that anyone who identifies with any of the roles, will come out and audition.
Auditions:
Video-recorded auditions will be accepted until 8:00PM on Friday, February 20th, 2026. Please record yourself performing a 1-2 minute monologue, as well as a Shel Silverstein poem. The origin of the monologue is not important – they do not necessarily need to be from a play. We want to be able to assess your acting, of course, but most importantly, we want to see and hear you being playful and fun, maybe even silly – whatever that means to you.
Callbacks:
Callbacks will take place at the Doug Smith Performance Center (206 W. 2nd St.) on Tuesday, February 24th from 11am to 1 pm.
If you would like to audition, but you are not available for callbacks on February 24th, please submit an audition video anyway and let us know that you cannot be there for callbacks. We would still like to consider you and may try to work something out.
If you are called back, you will be notified via email.
Callbacks will consist of cold readings of sides from the script. When you are invited to callbacks, you will also be given access to the available callback materials.
We will ask everyone to arrive at 11 am, and we will likely dismiss everyone at the same time.
Rehearsals:
Mesmerized: A Ben Franklin Science & History Mystery will begin rehearsals on Monday, March 9th. Scripts will be available digitally and for pick-up before the first rehearsal to those who are offered roles in our production.
Rehearsals are typically held Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm and possibly Saturday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 pm. (There is some flexibility in the exact times based on the role and the needs of the director and cast, but rehearsals do take place during daytime hours).
Performances:
Performances are tentatively scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:00am and at NOON, starting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Cast members MUST be available for all performance dates and times. However, actual performances are confirmed based on reservations from schools for group field trips. Actual performance dates and times will be confirmed for the cast and crew two weeks prior.
There are also two Saturday performances with ticket sales open to the public on April 11 and April 18 at 3:00p.
Conflicts:
Due to the truncated rehearsal period, we will be looking for actors who can provide very few conflicts. That being said, we do at times cast understudies with guaranteed performances, so please do not let a performance conflict keep you from auditioning. Just please make sure to notate any and all conflicts that you are aware of on your conflict sheet when filling out your audition form. Adding all of your conflicts after casting could result in removal of the production.
Casting:
Once casting is completed, emails will be sent to the actors that will be offered a role in the production. Once the full cast has accepted, everyone else who auditioned will be notified via email.
**For this TYA show, performers in the cast will be paid a stipend of $200.00/week for each full week of the rehearsal and performance period (March 9 – April 19, excluding the week of March 16 when there will be no rehearsals due to Spring Break). This stipend will be paid at the same amount for all performers regardless of the actual number of rehearsals and/or performances completed per week. The total stipend per actor is $1000 (5 weeks @ $200.00 per week).
Performers cast solely as understudies will be paid a stipend of $100.00/week for each full week of the rehearsal and performance period (March 9 – April 19, excluding the week of March 16 when there will be no rehearsals due to Spring Break). The total stipend per actor is $500 (5 weeks @ $100.00 per week). If an understudy is required to perform 6 or more shows, the stipend will be adjusted accordingly.
In either case, payments are made bi-weekly on the schedule of the organization’s payroll. The intent is to help offset the cost of reduced availability for other work hours/job opportunities due to the scheduling commitments of daytime rehearsals and performances.**
GPT:
The Georgetown Palace Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and safe environment in which all community members feel a sense of belonging and does not discriminate in casting practices on the basis of an individual’s ethnicity, age, gender, physical and cognitive ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, country of origin, or other factors. We strongly encourage candidates of all ages, abilities, gender, and ethnicities to audition.
Please see our operating Standards at the following link:
Georgetown Palace Operating Standards
Everyone involved with the production must submit to a background check at the Palace’s expense. If you are cast, you will receive a secure link where you can fill it out. There is no cost to you.
The Georgetown Palace Theatre is a 501c3 non-profit organization.
If you have any questions, please email productions@georgetownpalace.com.