Work With Us
Ways and Means Theatre is a new company, which means every person who walks through our door right now is helping to build something from the ground up. We're looking for actors, directors, stage managers, designers, collaborators, and volunteers who share our commitment to courageous, language-rich theatre — and who want to be part of a founding story.
ACTORS
Ways and Means Theatre is seeking local Chicago performers for a one-night-only staged reading of Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
• Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
• Venue: Little Studio Theatre, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., downtown Chicago
• Format: Staged reading (scripts in hand)
• Compensation: $50 stipend per performer
• Rehearsal: One rehearsal will take place during the week of November 9–13, 2026
All roles are open. Performers of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to submit. Non-union performers only.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally woke teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
LOGAN — Female-presenting, 30s–40s. A high school drama teacher and the director of the pageant-within-the-play. An earnest, anxious vegan striving desperately to do the right thing while her job hangs in the balance. Fluent in the language of devised theatre and dramaturgical sensitivity.
JAXTON — Male-presenting, 30s–40s. Logan’s romantic partner. A yoga-practicing street performer and self-styled ally who has done “the work” and wants everyone to know it. Effortlessly performative; deeply committed to his own enlightenment.
CADEN — Male-presenting, 30s–40s. An elementary school history teacher and aspiring playwright thrilled to finally see his (heavily footnoted) writing come to life. A well-meaning pedant with encyclopedic knowledge of the first Thanksgiving and zero theatrical instincts.
ALICIA — Female-presenting, 20s–40s. A confident, strikingly attractive actress hired from Los Angeles as the production’s “Native American consultant.” Untroubled by intellect or self-doubt, she may be the sanest person in the room.
We would also like to hire someone to read stage directions for this: please note if you are willing to accept that as well.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Auditions are by video submission: please select and record one side of your choice from the sides provided. Choose the side for the role you’d most like to be considered for. You’re welcome to submit additional sides if you’d like to be seen for multiple roles. Please email your video, along with a headshot and resume, to both casting@wam-theatre.com and artistic@wam-theatre.com with the subject line “[NAME]: Thanksgiving Play Reading.”
Sides Available Here
Deadline for submissions: Sunday, October 11, 2026
Please indicate the role(s) you would like to be considered for. One rehearsal will take place during the week of November 9–13; please list ALL conflicts for that week in your submission.
Questions? Contact casting@wam-theatre.com
We cast on a show-by-show basis for both our Read Through Series (staged readings) and our mainstage productions. We are committed to inclusive casting that reflects the breadth of Chicago's communities.
To be considered for a mainstage production, please submit your headshot, resume, and a self-tape up to 60 seconds of a piece you feel passionately about to casting@wam-theatre.com. We'll keep your materials on file and reach out when opportunities arise. Specific casting notices for upcoming readings and productions will be posted here and on Chicago Artists Resource sites.
All artists are compensated. Compensation is communicated with each casting notice.
DIRECTORS · DESIGNERS · STAGE MANAGERS
Every reading and production requires collaborators behind the table and behind the scenes. We're interested in hearing from directors, stage managers, dramaturgs, and designers (scenic, lighting, costume, sound) who are drawn to text-driven, language-first work.
Please send your resume and a brief note about your interest to artistic@wam-theatre.com.
PLAY SUBMISSIONS
Ways and Means Theatre is dedicated to producing both established dramatic literature and new work that aligns with our mission. We are particularly drawn to plays that are language-rich, intellectually ambitious, and unafraid of complexity.
We accept play submissions year-round from playwrights around the country. Please send a brief bio, a short statement about how your play connects to our mission, a synopsis, and ten pages of sample dialogue to artistic@wam-theatre.com.
Please familiarize yourself with our programming before submitting. We will respond to all submissions that meet the criteria above, though response times may vary.