Work With Us

Share your skills and passion for theatre with us while helping to bring new works to the stage!

Volunteers

  • ANPF is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors
  • The Reading Committee reads and selects the finalist plays for our flagship Fall Festival
  • Event Volunteers support our performances and other events
  • We also coordinate with SOU’s Theater Department to work with student interns in the fall. For SOU students interested in internship experience, visit your theatre adviser for more information or email us at: info@ashlandnewplays.org

Actors

We also hold general auditions in Ashland and in major cities on the West Coast. Click here to read our audition information.

The Abuelas cast ANPF 2018

Readers

ANPF 2020 Readers

The journey that leads to the Fall Festival begins in December, when the Reading Committee convenes. The Committee’s more than 50 volunteer readers begin with organizational and training meetings and then read scripts (without the authorship being known) throughout the winter and spring. During that time, they meet periodically in discussion groups to debate the merits of the hundreds of plays submitted to ANPF each year.

About the process

You’ll join a group of about seven or eight other readers who will meet several times in person or over Zoom (as pandemic concerns and personal preference allow) to discuss the plays you’re reading.

To start, in December, there will be a large group training and an initial small group meeting where you'll get to know your fellow group members and your group leader.

The group leader hosts the meetings, answers questions, and can help guide the session so it's an engaging and fun discussion about the plays for all.

From January through the end of May, there will be two rounds of reading (with a break in between) where each reader will read and score between 50 and 60 plays, which is an average of 2 to 3 scripts a week. If you have a reading partner, the number of plays read by each person is half of this.

We offer the option to partner you with someone to split a script load in order to enable those with time constraints to take part. You can request this option in the application below, in your response to question six.

By June our readers will arrive at no more than 12 finalists, and our artistic director selects the four winning plays.

Who are the readers

The Reading Committee is the largest volunteer group within ANPF. Readers with a variety of backgrounds join or are recruited from the community at large and beyond. Some of our readers are former or current actors, playwrights, and directors. Others join out of general interest or because of their passion for new plays.

The thread that links us is a deep love of theatre and of discovering new stories.

Please note: Playwrights who submit work to the Festival cannot be a reader during the year their work is being read.

Final thoughts

Becoming a Reader is certainly a commitment – many hours will be spent reading and evaluating plays. But being a reader is also a great deal of fun! In fact, more than 75% of our readers return to the process year after year.

It's more than simply reading. It's bonding with other readers, falling in love with new stories, and seeing the creative process through to the Fall Festival, where four of the plays are presented in a series of compelling readings and we get to meet the playwrights.

If you’d like to join in this exciting venture, click the button below to fill out and submit the Reading Committee Questionnaire. For your responses, we prefer for you to elaborate at length rather than give abbreviated answers. This is our chance to get to know you!

The deadline for submitting reader applications has been extended to 11/19/23.

Have any questions? Email us at info@ashlandnewplays.org.

Event Volunteers

Event volunteers make our festival and other performances not only possible but successful, as our community of supporters recognize year after year. We love these passionate individuals who give their time and talents to support ANPF and its events.

Event volunteers include assistance with:

  • Food service
  • Acknowledgements
  • Lodging procurement
  • Transportation for visiting playwrights and actors
  • Box office helpers
  • Set up/clean up

If you would like to become an event volunteer or if you have other skills you would like to share with ANPF, e-mail info@ashlandnewplays.org with the subject “Volunteering” to let us know about your interest in supporting ANPF at our events.

Our volunteer coordinators look forward to connecting with you!

Volunteers And Staff 10

Actors

ANPF operates under Equity’s SPT contract; both union and nonunion actors are welcome. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourage performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to audition.

Join our newsletter follow us on InstagramFacebook or Twitter for information and announcements about local and regional in-person auditions as they become available.

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Digital Submissions

When: We accept digital submissions at any time.

How: Click the button below and use the form to submit the requested materials, including:

  • Resume (PDF)
  • Headshot (JPG or PNG)
  • Link to either: (1) a self-taped contemporary monologue or a reel on an outside platform such as Vimeo or YouTube (please include the password if your video is not public) OR (2) a website that includes your reel.

Questions? Email casting@ashlandnewplays.org

Note: We also hold local auditions through ReadyCasting. (You can follow Southern Oregon Theatre Auditions on Facebook for audition date announcements.)