AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT: PLAY ON THE GROUNDS, Summer 2026 Montalvo Arts Center
Lee Ann Payne
Montalvo Arts Center is holding auditions for the fifth season of our staged reading series: PLAY ON THE GROUNDS. Montalvo presents three plays each year as staged readings – script in hand, with limited sets/props - in various places on the grounds of the historic arts center in Saratoga, CA. Montalvo has a limited number of AEA contracts available. We are actively seeking a diverse cast for each show title. Seeking all gender identities unless otherwise stated.
TEA FOR THREE: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty: Eric H. Weinberger & Elaine Bromka
Director: Julie James, former Artistic Director, Jewel Theatre
Rehearsals as scheduled from: May 4 – 19, 2026. Can be both virtual and in person.
Performance dates: May 20-22, 2026
What is it like for a woman when her husband becomes the president of the United States—and she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight? This witty, sly and deeply moving script explores the hopes, fears and loves of Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. In three scenes taking place in the family quarters of the White House just prior to the end of living there as the wife of a president, each of the women confides alone to the audience. Secrets are spilled about their early years, their husbands' rise to power, their romances with the men, their unique paths as wives in the White House, and their feelings about imminent retirement.
Montalvo is seeking female-identifying actors for the following roles.
Seeking:
Lady Bird Johnson: First Lady – married to Lyndon Baines Johnson, any ethnicity
Pat Nixon: First Lady – married to Richard Nixon, any ethnicity
Betty Ford: First Lady – married to Gerald Ford, any ethnicity
RIPCORD: David Lindsay-Abaire (awaiting finalized rights)
Director: Lee Ann Payne
Rehearsals as scheduled from: June 1-16, 2026.
Performance dates: June 17-19, 2026
A sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, so when the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new-arrival Marilyn, she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the women quickly escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship that reveals not just the tenacity of these worthy opponents, but also deeper truths that each would rather remain hidden.
Seeking:
Abby Binder, a resident 70s-80s
Marilyn Dunne, a resident 70s-80s
Scotty, a resident aide, 20s-30s
Benjamin, Lewis, and Clown, played by the same actor, 40s
Colleen and Woman in White, played by the same actor, 30s-40s
Derek, Zombie Butler, and Masked Man, played by the same actor, 30s-40s
AN OLD-FASHIONED FAMILY MURDER: Joe DiPietro (awaiting finalized rights)
Director: TBD
Rehearsals as scheduled from: August 10-25, 2026.
Performance dates: August 26-28, 2026
At the mansion of elderly Colonel Claythorne, the pompous murder-mystery author Arthur Whittington is holding court with the Colonel’s family about his will when a murder occurs. With backstabbing, love and mother-knows-best advice complicating the investigation, it soon becomes clear that nothing is what it seems.
Seeking:
Mrs. Shirley Peck, over 50. Sweet and unassuming and relentlessly underestimated.
Detective Paul Peck, 30s or 40s. Shirley’s devoted son. An earnest yet rather unsuccessful detective.
Arthur Wittington, middle-aged. A world-renowned writer of murder mysteries. Also, a proud snob. Speaks with a very affected English accent, though probably from Missouri.
Clarice Claythorne, 20’s or early 30’s. Dazzling and glamorous, sharp-witted and sly. Wouldn’t be out of place in a film noir.
Dotty Claythorne, 20’s or early 30’s. Modest and soft-spoken, excited only by murder mysteries. Though young, dresses like a Victorian widow.
Jasper Jamison, 20’s or early 30’s. Clarice’s fiancé. Handsome and dim, looks fantastic in a swimsuit.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare an audition video of a 1-2 minute contemporary comic monologue – either ¾ or full framed. Email the video or link along with your resume to audi...@montalvoarts.org Please test your video to make sure it works on standard platforms, and that your submission is complete. Please indicate if you are interested in a particular role. Please send any questions or concerns to this email as well.
Deadline for video submissions: February 22, 2026. Non-AEA actors receive $750 for rehearsal and performance.
CALLBACK INFORMATION
Callbacks will be scheduled in early March and may be a combination of virtual or in person as needed.
Montalvo Arts Center is committed to diversity and promotes a positive model of inclusion. We welcome performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to audition.