ELEVATOR THEATRE COMPANY AUDITIONS
Production: Spring Awakening
Performance Dates: October 8–28, 2026
Director: Josh Rigo
Performance Location: Bus Stop Theatre, Halifax, NS
Audition Deadline: 11:59PM on Tuesday, June 23, 2026
ABOUT THE SHOW
Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is a coming-of-age rock musical about young people trying to understand themselves in a world that refuses to tell them the truth.
Set in a strict 19th-century German society, the show follows a group of teenagers as they wrestle with desire, shame, fear, grief, friendship, rebellion, and the need to be seen. It is a beautiful, painful, explosive piece of theatre. The score is gorgeous. The story is devastating. And at its heart, it is about young people whose questions are bigger than the answers they are given.
ETC’s production will be intimate, actor-driven, and emotionally direct. We are looking for performers who want to sing this score with urgency, approach the material with care, and be part of a brave, generous ensemble.
ROLES TO BE CAST
All roles are available and looking to be filled for this production.
*All actors must be at least 18 years old as of July 1, 2026.
WENDLA BERGMANN
Female presenting, stage age 14-18
Curious, sensitive, sheltered, and open-hearted. Wendla is beginning to understand her body, her desires, and the world around her, but has been denied the information she needs to protect herself.
This role requires staged intimacy. Intimacy coordination and direction will be provided.
MELCHIOR GABOR
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
Intelligent, charismatic, rebellious, and restless. Melchior sees through the hypocrisy of the adult world, but his confidence and defiance have devastating consequences.
This role requires staged intimacy. Intimacy coordination and direction will be provided.
MORITZ STIEFEL
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
Anxious, overwhelmed, and deeply sensitive. Moritz is under enormous pressure to succeed and is struggling to survive in a world that offers him little understanding.
ILSE NEUMANN
Female presenting, stage age 15-19
Free-spirited, wounded, and resilient. Ilse has been pushed out of conventional society and carries both pain and a fierce need for connection.
MARTHA BESSELL
Female presenting, stage age 14-18
Tender, guarded, and quietly suffering. Martha is living with abuse at home and is trying to survive what she has been taught to hide.
GEORG ZIRSCHNITZ
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
A classmate of Melchior and Moritz. Earnest, hormonal, funny, and searching for confidence.
HÄNSCHEN RILOW
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
Self-assured, witty, sensual, and controlled. Hänschen understands more than he lets on and moves through the world with confidence.
This role requires staged intimacy. Intimacy coordination and direction will be provided.
ERNST RÖBEL
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
Gentle, sincere, and impressionable. Ernst is discovering his own desires and looking for tenderness in a world that rarely offers it.
This role requires staged intimacy. Intimacy coordination and direction will be provided.
ANNA
Female presenting, stage age 14-18
A friend of Wendla, Martha, Thea, and Ilse. Observant, loyal, and part of the tight-knit world of the girls.
THEA
Female presenting, stage age 14-18
A friend of Wendla, Martha, Anna, and Ilse. Bright, curious, and part of the social world shaped by the rules around them.
OTTO LÄMMERMERIER
Male presenting, stage age 14-18
A classmate of Melchior and Moritz. Energetic, impulsive, and part of the charged adolescent world of the boys.
ADULT MAN
Male presenting
Plays multiple adult authority figures throughout the production.
ADULT WOMAN
Female presenting
Plays multiple adult authority figures throughout the production.
SWINGS / UNDERSTUDIES
Swings and understudies will have a dedicated performance on October 19, 2026. During the run, swings and understudies will be seated with the band during performances and will perform vocally as part of the pit chorus.
*This is a non-Equity production. Equity actors must obtain exemption pre-approval from CAEA if interested in auditioning.
INTIMACY, CARE, AND SENSITIVE MATERIAL
Spring Awakening contains mature themes, including sexuality, abuse, pregnancy, suicide, grief, and institutional failure. Please keep this in mind for all roles as you consider auditioning for this show.
The roles of Wendla, Melchior, Hänschen, and Ernst require staged intimacy.
All intimacy will be handled with clear boundaries, professional care, and a consent-based process. Intimacy coordination and direction will be provided. No actor will be asked to create or perform intimate staging without structure, communication, and support.
AUDITION VIDEO
Please submit a single video that includes the following elements:
1. Brief Introduction
Please start by briefly introducing yourself. As this will be Elevator Theatre Company’s first production in Halifax, we would love to hear a little about you, your connection to the local theatre community, and why you would like to be part of Spring Awakening.
2. Song
Please perform a 1-minute cut of a song in the style of the show.
3. Monologue
Please perform a 1-minute contemporary monologue that showcases emotional honesty, vulnerability, and connection to character.
Video Length: The entire video should be no longer than 4 minutes.
CALLBACKS
Callbacks will take place on the evening of July 5, 2026. Callbacks will be arranged via email for those moving forward in the process.
All actors will receive an update soon after the audition window has closed.
All communication will come from info@elevatortheatrecompany.ca, so please be sure to monitor your inbox and spam folder for a message from this address.
ETC VALUES
At ETC, we prioritize empathy, depth, and artistry in every production. We are committed to casting with openness and inclusivity, and we strongly encourage submissions from artists of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
REHEARSALS
Rehearsals will take place at House of Eights Dance Studio in Halifax.
Rehearsals will generally be held on:
-
Tuesday evenings
-
Saturday afternoons
-
Sunday afternoons
Tech will take place October 5-7, 2026, with nightly availability required.
Performances run October 8-25, 2026 at The Bus Stop Theatre.
COMPENSATION
Each artist will receive a $415 honorarium following the final performance. Elevator Theatre Company currently uses an equal honorarium model, where every artist involved in the production receives the same amount after the show run. We believe every artist’s work matters to the life of a production, and this model helps us recognize that shared contribution as fairly as we can at this stage of the company’s growth.
As ETC begins this new chapter in Halifax, we are committed to creating high-quality, actor-focused theatre while also making meaningful performance opportunities accessible to local artists. Our goal is to keep building carefully and responsibly, increasing artist honorariums as the company grows. Thank you for considering being part of this production and this first Halifax chapter for ETC.
QUESTIONS
Please contact info@elevatortheatrecompany.ca with any questions. Thank you!
