Student Call Board

A LAUNCH PAD Preview Production 
Standing Still
By Melinda Lopez
Directed by Risa Brainin

PERFORMANCES:            Wednesday, May 13 – Saturday, May 23
                                              Performing Arts Theater

GENERAL AUDITIONS:   Saturday, February 14
                                             10am-1:30pm
                                             Performing Arts Theater

CALLBACKS:                     Sunday, February 15
                                             6pm-10pm
                                             Studio Theater

1ST REHEARSAL:            Monday, March 30, 2026
    
INCLUSIVITY STATEMENT:
We invite actors to audition who identify as/with any gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability, and/or religious or political belief and affiliation. ALL enrolled UCSB students are encouraged to participate! 
            
REHEARSALS:
Typically 20-25 hours per week until tech rehearsals begin.  This play will rehearse Monday – Friday between the hours of 6-11 until tech week. There will be some Friday afternoon rehearsals and possibility of rehearsals on Saturdays. There are additional hours for techs and dress rehearsals leading to performances including Saturdays and Sundays. 

CREDIT:
3 units of THTR 49 and/or 149 will be given to cast members.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Any full time UCSB student is welcome and encouraged to audition. 

SIGN UP TO AUDITION HERE
FILL OUR AUDITION FORM HERE

CHARACTERS and CASTING:
LAUNCH PAD is dedicated to providing opportunities for students and professionals to work side by side in the process. We are very excited to announce that Annie Torsiglieri will be playing the role of Brandy. 

All other roles are open to students:

MARIA         Her studio. She is a good teacher. Woman, ageless 
YVONNE      Alpha. Woman or  NB, 30’s
TEENA         3 kids at home under 4.  Woman, 30’s
BREE            Their first class. Issues. Woman or NB, 15
MAX             The studio ambassador/intern. Any gender identity, 20’s

AUDITION PREPARATION:
The current draft of the script is currently available to read on the online student callboard. READ SCRIPT HERE. 

Please read the script carefully and choose a short scene or monologue from the play to perform for your audition. You do not need to memorize the material, but it should be prepared well.

If you choose a scene, you may also choose a partner and prepare together. It is possible to have a partner who is not auditioning for the role that they read in the scene. If you want to do a scene and don’t have a partner a reader will be provided. 

Selections should be no more than 2-3 minutes. Time your scene, please. Please specify which role you are reading for on the sign-up sheet. If you are reading with a partner, please sign up for two 3 minute slots back to back.

If you have questions or need more information contact Artistic Director Risa Brainin at rbrainin@ucsb.edu.

LAUNCH PAD:
LAUNCH PAD is our new play development program housed in the Department of Theater and Dance. Standing Still is a Preview Production of a brand new play never performed before now. Our concept of the “Preview Production” is unique in the American theatre. As a fully-realized production, the play stays in previews through the run of the show, allowing the writer to continue revising as the piece evolves through performances. For actors, it is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work on a new play. As the play evolves, you’ll be asked to learn new pages, make on the spot cuts and maybe even play a new character! We started this program in 2005 and are proud to have supported so many great playwrights and plays on their journey from incubation to professional world premieres. Click here for our full Gallery of Preview Productions. 

THE PLAY:
A co-commission with Merrimack Repertory Theatre

Set in a yoga studio, ordinary people are just trying to get centered during crazy times. But, in a time of social unrest, they each have to decide what ‘living your truth' actually means. A play about the cost of showing up.

THE PLAYWRIGHT:

Melinda Lopez (she/her) is thrilled to return to LAUNCH PAD with Standing Still which was featured in the 2025 LP Summer Reading Series. Melinda is a multiple award-winning playwright and performer. She is the recipient of the 2019 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Achievement, recognizing her 20-year career as a playwright, performer and educator. She was a member of the Mellon Foundation’s National Playwrights Residency Program and the Playwright-in-Residence at the Huntington Theatre Co. from 2013-2023. Some plays include: Stir (Writer/Performer, Old Globe Theatre), Mala (Arts Emerson, The Guthrie Theatre, the Huntington Theatre Company, Old Globe, and others), Mr. Parent (Geva Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse and others), Becoming Cuba (Huntington Theatre Co) and Sonia Flew (Huntington, Steppenwolf, Coconut Grove Playhouse, the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and many many others.) Currently she is working on an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night blending Spanish and English, for Play On!

THE CREATIVE TEAM:
Playwright | Melinda Lopez
Director | Risa Brainin
Scenic Designer | Ann Sheffield
Associate Scenic Designer | Olivia Shu
Costume Designer | Alexa Behm
Lighting Designer | Michael Klaers
Dramaturgs | Angel Miguel Lopez, Sara Sotelo
Stage Manager | Arpie Hakobyan
Assistant Directors | Wuxiaoxiao (Kayla) Dong, Yufei Liu
Assistant Scenic Designers | Anran "Annie" Cheng, Minqi "Miki" GU
Assistant Costume Designer | Annelise Miedema
Assistant Lighting Designer | Nidixin "Desmond" Zhang
 

Actor focused - Studio Production of
DANCING AT LUGHNASA
by Brian Friel
Directed by Julie Fishell 

PERFORMANCE DATES:      Friday, May 1 - 7:30pm
                                                   Saturday, May 2 - 7:30pm
                                                   Sunday, May 3 - 7:30pm

GENERAL AUDITIONS:        Tuesday, February 24  6pm until 10pm
CALLBACKS:                         Wednesday, February 25  6pm until 11pm
LOCATION:                            UCSB - TDW – Room 1507

Please note auditions take place WINTER QUARTER for this SPRING QUARTER 2026 production.

Auditions are OPEN TO ALL ENROLLED UCSB STUDENTS MAJORS AND NON-MAJORS 

INCLUSIVITY STATEMENT: We encourage any UCSB enrolled student actor who identify as/with any gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious or political belief and affiliation to audition. ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
COURSE CREDIT: All enrolled UCSB students are eligible to participate and receive course credit! Actors cast in this production have the option or earning 3 units of THTR 49 and/or 149 course credit. 

VERY IMPORTANT REHEARSAL INFORMATION: Rehearsals will be conducted Monday – Friday during Weeks 1 – 5 between the hours of 6PM-10PM.  There is also the possibility/likelihood of rehearsals on Saturdays or an occasional extension of evenings to 11PM.  
Please note: THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE A STUDIO PRODUCTION WITH THE EMPHASIS ON ACTING AND FEATURE MINIMAL PRODUCTION ELEMENTS. 

SCRIPT: The script is now available HERE

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION  
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS ALL 3 STEPS ARE CRUCIAL TO A SMOOTH AUDITION!

STEP 1. IT IS MANDATORY THAT YOU RESERVE A TIME-SLOT TO AUDITION ON TUESDAY, FEB. 24. Audition Timeslot Sign-up HERE

STEP 2. PLEASE thoroughly complete the electronic audition form that you receive after you sign up for a timeslot.  Please complete this step BEFORE your audition. Audition Form HERE

STEP 3. PLEASE PREPARE TO SHARE A CONTEMPORARY MONOLOGUE OF YOUR CHOICE.

◼ PLEASE NOTE: Your text need not be memorized, but please be very familiar with it and thoroughly invest yourself in the language, situation, and needs of the character. 

ABOUT THE PLAY: Dancing at Lughnasa is set in the beautiful, stark seclusion of 1936 rural Ireland where the five Mundy sisters, their nephew and uncle maneuver profound times of turbulence.  Out of the deepest confusion, longing and loss, this family finds a fierce hope through the booming energy of music and the unbridled power of dance.  It is a memory play that celebrates finding beauty in the darkest places and champions the courage to look life straight in the eye. 

SETTING:  The home of the Mundy family outside Ballybeg, County Donegal, Ireland.
ACT ONE -- A warm, sunny day in early August 1936
ACT TWO -- Three weeks later

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
MICHAEL  narrator/also speaks as Michael, as a boy of seven  
KATE   forty, schoolteacher
MAGGIE  thirty-eight, housekeeper
AGNES  thirty-five, knitter
ROSE   thirty-two, knitter
CHRIS  twenty-six, Michael’s mother
GERRY  thirty-three, Michael’s father
JACK  fifty-three, missionary priest

Please note that actors will be speaking in a dialect for this production. 
Actors will have dialect coaching sessions to support this aspect of their work.

Questions:  Please contact Julie Fishell – fishell@ucsb.edu

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT AUDITIONS! 

 BFA Auditions will be held Saturday, May 30, 2026 in TDW 1507.

Please check back for audition sign-ups!

DANCE AND THEATER MAJORS WORKING ON CLASS CURRICULUM ONLY.

Steps for booking a room:

1. Most theater/dance majors already have an account that was created for them.  Just click this link to start booking: theaterdance.skedda.com
2. If that does not work, click here to register an account
3. Please only reserve one hour per day per project.
4. If you no longer need a reservation, please delete it so it can be used by your colleagues.
5. Leave your contact information in the event of an emergency.
6. Don't see the room you're looking for? Scroll to the right! 

Looking to book a room further out than a week or on a re-occuring basis? Email theaterdance-prodoff@ucsb.edu

Do you know your 29D, 49 or 149 requirement? Find it HERE

POSITIONS AVAILABLE (DEPENDS ON THE PRODUCTION)

• Light Board Operator
• Sound Board Operator
• Fly Crew
• Deck/Props Crew
• Followspot Operator
• Wardrobe/Makeup Crew

HOW TO APPLY FOR RUN OR WARDROBE CREW:

1. If you have any general pre-emptive questions about crew assignments, positions feel free to email either our Production Manager Rafael Gonzalez rafaelgonzalez@ucsb.edu. The dates for each of the productions can be found in the Calendars section below.
2. Fill out the following google form to express your interest in specific shows/ assignments throughout the year. NOTE: Filling this out does not guarantee that position or show. 25-26' Run Crew Sign Up 
3. We will schedule an appointment via email to discuss/finalize position assignments and to potentially assign your add code through the Academic Advisor Sean O’Shea.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• All crew positions are first-come, first-served your spot is not secure until you have signed the crew contract after meeting with Dawnette or Andrew.
• All events listed on the calendars are required. It is not possible to partially participate in a production.
• There are no opportunities to make up for an unexcused absence or lateness.

CALENDARS:

In order to see the specific dates and times of the shows, go to the following link to view the crew calendars. Each show has its own calendar to view. 

CALENDARS LINK 

CONTACTS:

• Rafael Gonzalez, PRODUCTION MANAGER, (Run/Board Crews and Costume) rafaelgonzalez@ucsb.edu

Email Sean at sposh@ucsb.edu with your @ucsb.edu address and the subject "Please add me to the Mailing List." The Mailing List will have the latest information regarding department events such as auditions, run/wardrobe crew, and special events.