Auditions (Edmonton): Youth Summer Ensemble – Theatre Prospero, Theater News

Theatre Prospero welcomes Edmonton-area youth performers eligible for Canada Summer Jobs to audition on May 2, 2026 for its summer interactive mythic theatre ensemble. 20-minute audition slots are available 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Alberta Avenue Community Centre (9210 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5G 0N2). These will be led by our Artistic Director Mark Henderson.

Theatre Prospero is assembling an ensemble of up to four (4) non-Equity youth performers for a Canada Summer Jobs contract running June 8, 2026 through July 31. The ensemble will rehearse and perform new mythic work including Amanda Samuelson’s highly interactive THE DOOMED PRINCE, and other mythic material to be created and workshopped with the ensemble this summer, likely including a highly interactive piece centered on the Hindu epic poem Ramayana.

In THE DOOMED PRINCE, ensemble members will take audience members through a short workshop, to prepare these audience members to play all of the parts in the play. During the 25 minute performance, ensemble members will narrate, guide the audience actors, and prompt them line by line. This has been tested on Grades 2 to PhD in schools, at conferences, in playgrounds, and at a festival, and succeeded in every instance.

Performances will be outdoors at the Thousand Faces Festival, and at Edmonton playgrounds in the summer, including some that will be a part of the Edmonton Arts Council’s Green Shack Series. Playfulness and flexibility will be crucial attributes, as is an ensemble spirit.

Normal working hours will be Monday to Friday between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM, with some exceptions. Additional weekend availability is required on June 20 & 21. Specific weekend time requirements will be communicated with at least two-weeks notice to ensemble members. Most weeks will be approximately 35 hours of work.

Some ensemble positions are funded in part by the Canada Summer Jobs program. Eligible candidates must therefore be 15-30 years old as of June 8, 2026, and either Canadian Citizens, permanent residents, or refugees. Emerging artists who do not meet the Canada Summer Jobs requirements are still welcome to audition.

For over 20 years, Theatre Prospero has produced classical and original theatre in Edmonton and across Alberta. In the past 10 years, we have focussed on creating new classical theatre responding to the myths and stories at the root of diverse cultures represented in our home town. We are committed to ensuring that our team reflects the diversity of Treaty 6 and Canada. We therefore heartily welcome submissions from performers of all backgrounds.

YOUR PREPARATION
We want to get to know you as a performer and/or creator. Please prepare a 4-5 minute presentation that demonstrates your current artistic practice, as well as your aspirations for it. Any combination of monologue, poem, song, dance, or other kind of storytelling is very welcome. If you want to interact with us during your presentation, that is welcome, but in no way required.

We will ask you to read on your feet and/or prompt one of us in sections of a script we will provide you with, as successful candidates will prompt audience members’ performances artfully.

We will send you the script up to five days before the audition. We do not expect you to get off book.

SUBMISSION PROCESS
Please submit your headshot and resume to [email protected] with the subject line “Theatre Prospero Audition” by April 30, 2026. Candidates will be contacted on or after April 30 to arrange their audition time. If you are unable to attend auditions on May 2, please email us directly to be considered for an alternate audition date.

Theatre Prospero projects are funded with support from the Canadian Government; Canada Council for the Arts; the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women; Alberta Foundation for the Arts; City of Edmonton; Edmonton Arts Council; and Edmonton Community Foundation.