In the coming weeks, Plays in Place is hosting auditions across the region for upcoming Summer 2026 productions.

At a glance:

• February 7, Newport, RI: auditions for Newport Divided: Tales of Hunter House at The Hunter House Mansion
• Feb 12, Deerfield MA: auditions for new plays set in 1774 in Deerfield, Massachusetts (to be titled) at Historic Deerfield
• Feb 13, Hartford CT: auditions for The Slippery Truth at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine in East Granby, CT

Actors are invited to read the details below and get in touch with producers to secure an audition spot ASAP.

Newport Divided: Tales of Hunter House at Newport, RI

Auditions Saturday, February 7, from 9:00a-5:00p at the University of Rhode Island Kingston Fine Arts Center (105 Upper College Rd, Kingston, RI 02881).

Plays in Place is holding auditions for its upcoming production of Newport Divided: Tales of Hunter House, three original site-specific plays about Hunter House, a property of The Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island. Written by Patrick Gabridge, Ken Green, and Lily Mathews, and directed by Rachel Walshe, the plays will be performed from June 30 – August 29, 2026, on the beautiful grounds of Hunter House overlooking the Bay.

Plays in Place is casting actors available under both AEA and non-AEA contracts.

Pay: The AEA actor base pay is $30/hour for rehearsals and $105/performance, and the non-AEA actor base pay is $23.50/hour for rehearsals and $70/performance. Four (4) non-AEA understudy roles are also available. We are seeking actors who are local to or near Rhode Island, as travel and housing stipends or accommodations are not provided.

About the Plays:

Developed through archival research, three original plays unearth the layered histories of Hunter House during the Revolutionary War (1778-1781). Seven characters whose lives interacted with the home navigate slavery and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, love and honor. Personal secrets complicate political upheaval. Their overlapping footsteps reveal how history never really leaves a place.

Important Production Dates:

Rehearsals will begin the week of June 8 and will run for three (3) weeks, with an anticipated rehearsal schedule of 10 hours per week.

Performances will run for nine (9) weeks from June 30 – August 29, with two (2) shows/week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Show times are TBD but will be late afternoon and before sundown.

Scheduling an Audition:

Audition slots are 5 minutes in length from 9:00a-5:00p, with the exception of during the lunch break (1:00-2:00p). Actors will read sides from the play; no monologues required. A reader will be provided.Please email Plays in Place Co-Producer Jessica Chace at jessicabchace@gmail.com with a headshot and resume to schedule a slot, express interest in being considered for specific roles, and/or ask any questions. We will provide sides to prepare when confirming your audition time. If you are interested in auditioning but unavailable on February 7, please let us know so we can arrange other accommodations. Thank you!

Available Roles, Newport Divided:

DINAH WANTON
Age mid-20s, Black. Enslaved woman living in the Wanton household with her young son, Newport, throughout the family’s political upheaval. Wife of James (Newport’s father). Her position as a Loyalist comes mostly from her proximity to the Wantons and their circle of acquaintances, but also from her pragmatism and will to protect her family.

JAMES
Age 25, Black. Shipyard worker and an enslaved man living on the Champlin property. Husband of Dinah and father of their young son, Newport. Hardworking and optimistic, he is determined to fight for the Patriots for the chance of his freedom and a better life for his family.

SARAH BRENTON WANTON
Late 20s, White. Wife of Joseph Wanton, Jr. Over the course of the plays transforms from society hostess to exiled widow. War has taken nearly everything, but a stubborn fire lives beneath an unsteady surface.

PEGGY CHAMPLIN
Age 17, White. Young Newport debutante from a Patriot family. Longs deeply for one of the young French army officers who has left Newport with General Rochambeau.

COUNT AXEL VON FERSEN
Age 26, Swedish aide-de-camp. Son of a prominent nobleman. On a mission of extreme importance. Also happens to be the secret lover of Marie Antoinette.

ADMIRAL DE BARRAS
Age 61, very French. Officer from an aristocratic family. Places an extreme value upon honor and duty. Not quite sure what to make of this American war.

Non-AEA Understudies:

(1) Black female – for the role of Dinah
(1) White female – for the roles of Sarah Brenton Wanton and Peggy Champlin
(1) Black male – for the role of James
(1) White male – for the roles of Count Axel von Fersen, Admiral de Barras, and Thomas Wickham

The role of Thomas Wickham has been cast at this time.

 1774: A Stake In The Ground  at Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts

Auditions will be held on Thursday February 12th, 3:00-8:00pm at Historic Deerfield’s Hall
Tavern Visitor’s Center (across the street from the Deerfield Inn). 

Plays in Place is holding auditions for its upcoming summer production of three original site-specific plays in Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts. Written by Talya Kingston, Valyn Lyric Turner, and Patrick Gabridge, and directed by Brianna Sloane, the plays will be performed from July 10 – August 16, 2026 (Fri/Sat eve, Sun mat).

Plays in Place is casting non-union actors for paid roles.

Pay: compensation will be $600 for three weeks of rehearsal and $1,260 for 6 weeks of performances ($70 per performance). Four (4) paid non-union understudy/swing roles are also available.

About the Plays:

Based on historical facts surrounding the divided community of Deerfield, Massachusetts in the lead up to the Revolutionary War. The three plays take place on a specific day in July 1774 when a Liberty Pole is brought into town by the Patriots and is cut in half in the dead of night before they have a chance to raise it. Seven characters take us into the political and personal lives of the residents (both free and enslaved) at a time of rising tensions.

Important Production Dates:

Rehearsals are anticipated to begin the week of June 15 for three (3) weeks, with an anticipated rehearsal schedule of 10 hours per week.

Performances will run for six (6) weeks from July 10 – August 16, with three (3) outdoor shows/week on Fridays and Saturdays at 6:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm

Scheduling an Audition:
Audition slots are 10 minutes in length from 3:00pm-8:00pm. Actors will read sides from the play; no monologues required.

Please email Plays in Place Co-Producer Talya Kingston at talya.anne.kingston@gmail.com with a headshot/high-quality photograph and resume to schedule a slot, express interest in being considered for specific roles, and/or ask any questions. We will provide sides to
prepare when confirming your audition time. If you are interested in auditioning but unavailable on February 12, please let us know so we can arrange other accommodations. Thank you!

Available Roles, Historic Deerfield:

ELIHU ASHLEY
Age mid-20s, white, apprentice doctor and charismatic diary writer. He is the son of the
town’s Minister. Although his father and older brother are outspoken in their Loyalties to the
King, Elihu is less concerned about politics than having fun.

DAVID DICKINSON
Age mid-20s, white, Elihu’s best friend who operates a store in town where the young
people gather in the evenings to drink. He has had an affair with Sally Stebbins three years
previously that resulted in a child out of wedlock that he continues to deny is his.

JINNY COLE
Age 50, Black (African), enslaved woman in the Ashley house, Cato’s mother, a deeply
spiritual storyteller with memories of being captured from Guinea, determined to return
someday in either this life or the next.

CATO COLE
Aged mid-30s, Black (African), enslaved man in the Ashley house, Jinny’s son. Served in
the French & Indian war. Collector of buttons.

MARY STRATTON STEBBINS
Age 50, white, mother of seven children and married to a prominent Deerfield businessman
and Whig (Patriot). Mary keeps an eye out for her own children as well as the neighborhood
girls (esp.after her own daughter Sally gave birth to a daughter out of wedlock).

JOSEPH STEBBINS JR.
Age mid-20s, white, Mary’s son, recently married and owns a large house across the street
from his parents. An ardent Patriot – he will fight in the Continental Army at Bunker Hill.

Understudies/Swings:
● (1) Black female – for the role of Jinny
● (1) White female – for the role of Mary and Cynthia Williams
● (1) Black male – for the role of Cato
● (1) White male – for the roles of Elihu, David and Joseph

The role of Cynthia Willams has been cast at this time.

The Slippery Truth at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine, East Granby CT

Auditions Friday, February 13 from 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in Hartford, CT 

Seeking Non-AEA white, male actors ages 20s-30s and 40s-60s.

Plays in Place, in partnership with Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine, are producing The Slippery Truth, a commissioned play about a 1781 prison break at Old New-Gate by loyalist prisoners, written by Plays in Place’s Producing Artistic Director, Patrick Gabridge, and directed by Zoë Golub-Sass.

Pay: Actors will receive a total maximum honorarium of $2,280 ($600 for rehearsal period + a maximum of $1,680 for performances – up to 24 performances x $70 per performance.

A full character breakdown is available on the Audition Form. Those auditioning will be asked to read sides from the play, which are available via this link. Copies of sides will be made available at auditions. And, a copy of the script is available upon request.

Important Production dates:

Rehearsals will begin on June 15, 2026 with 10 hours a week slated for rehearsal time. All rehearsals will take place at Old New-Gate. For actors involved in Act II, there will be a recording session of this act at an earlier date in a studio in Amherst, MA.

Performances will take place from July 10, 2026 through August 31, 2026 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning at 5:30 p.m. onsite at Old-New Gate (East Granby, CT).

No housing or transportation are provided during any part of the rehearsal, performance, and production process.

About Plays in Place:
Plays in Place is an award-winning site-specific theatre company that specializes in creating
new work in partnership with museums, historic sites, and other cultural institutions. Past
partners and sites include Boston’s Old North Church, the Massachusetts State House, the
National Park of Boston, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Historic Northampton, and others.
www.playsinplace.com