Audition for WIT’s election satire “POTUS Among Us”

WIT’s quadriennial show POTUS Among Us is casting the next leaders of the free world! The show, which will be co-directed by John Carroll and Meghan Faulkner, will be holding auditions on Sunday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 2 at Studio Theatre (1501 14th St. NW). Exact locations will be shared when schedule is complete.

Sign up to audition by Wednesday, June 26 at 11:59 PM!

Before signing up, please review the following eligibility requirements for auditioning. We are seeking improvisers with at least one year of experience on stage and/or in classes. We are also seeking improvisers interested in collaborating on this show which is still in development. Performers will not be walking into a set format, and should expect the format to grow and change between now and the show’s debut. Finally, we are seeking performers who can attend at least 75% of rehearsals and performances (see schedules below), given the importance of developing the show and rehearsing the format we create. People who are not eligible will be removed from the auditions.  We will endeavor to include as many people as possible in auditions, but if response exceeds capacity, preference may be given to those who signed up ahead of time. Preference may also be given to performers who help satisfy the goals of the WIT’s Director Series, which endeavors to cross-pollinate players who are both familiar with and new to WIT’s stage.

In the auditions, we’re looking for players to demonstrate these skills:
  • making clear choices
  • making agreeable, playful choices (i.e. yes and)
  • immediately developing a point-of-view or “deal”
  • delivering monologues from this point-of-view
  • quickly pivoting from this point-of-view to support another “deal”
  • making support moves as background characters
ABOUT THE PROJECT
POTUS Among Us is a show that satirizes the presidential election and election process, and sometimes the electorate, through larger than life FICTIONAL characters created by our performers in response to suggestions from the audience. WIT has presented a different version of POTUS Among Us every presidential election year since 2008, each with a unique theme and focus. For 2024’s POTUS we are playing with the theme of misinformation and rumors. In that spirit, we are NOT looking for the following:
  • impressions of real-life political figures
  • characters inspired by, or mimicking, specific living real-life political figures
  • speeches in favor of figures currently running for election
  • characters who hew closely to current party platforms
Show Schedule
POTUS Among Us will debut the weekend of September 27th, with 12 performances planned over six weekends (Fri/Sat shows): Sept. 27/28, Oct. 4/5, 11/12, 18/19, 25/26, and Nov. 1/2. We are seeking performers who can attend at least 75% of rehearsals and performances.
Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsals will be held on Thursday evenings from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and begin on July 18. No more than 4 additional weekend rehearsals will be scheduled in July and August. We are seeking performers who can attend at least 75% of rehearsals and performances.
COVID POLICY for Auditions
Auditioners may remain masked or unmasked, per their preference. If you do not feel well on the day of your audition, we encourage you to please stay home, and we will see if we can reschedule you.
Sign up to audition here. If you have any questions please contact POTUS Among Us co-directors Meghan Faulkner (meghan@witdc.org) and John Carroll (johncarroll@witdc.org).
Published:
June 17, 2024
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