Auditions coming up for ‘Dolly,’ new spin on Austen
Ava Arnold
Updated on March 15, 2026
The Black Box Theatre and Playcrafters in Moline will both hold auditions for upcoming shows this weekend, and Music Guild in Moline will have its second weekend of auditions for its summer shows.
The Black Box, 1623 5th Ave., Moline, is holding auditions for its next two shows on Saturday, Feb. 25 from noon to 3 p.m. Actors will be asked to read from the script and actor/singers should prepare a classic Broadway tune and you will read from the script. These are open auditions and everyone is welcome.
The straight play to be auditioned is The Mystery of Irma Vep, a farce by Charles Ludlam. The synopsis: Mandacrest Estate is the home of Lord Edgar, an Egyptologist, and Lady Enid. Lady Enid is Lord Edgar’s second wife, though he has yet to recover entirely from the passing of his first wife, Irma Vep. There are vampires, werewolves and mummies as well.
The cast is comprised of two men capable of different British accents. The two play all of the characters. Rehearsals will begin March 6, and the show runs April 13 to 22
The musical auditions are for Jerry Herman’s energetic classic Hello, Dolly! – a show filled with charisma and heart, the Black Box release said. Matchmaker Dolly Levi is a widow, a matchmaker, and also a professional meddler — but everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is to find someone for herself.
Set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, Hello Dolly! is boisterous and charming from start to finish, according to a BBT release. The show features such memorable songs as “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” and – of course – the title number, “Hello, Dolly!”
Rehearsals begin April 24, and the musical will run June 1 to 10. For auditions, bring a photo and resume and all of your conflicts in the rehearsal period.
Making more sense of Austen
Playcrafters Barn Theatre is presenting a new version of “Sense and Sensibility” by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen, and will be holding auditions Saturday (Feb. 25) 1 to 3 p.m., and Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Barn, 4950 35th Ave., Moline. It will be performed in May.
The 1811 beloved novel was adapted into a stage play by Hamill, which premiered in 2014. Done in October 2022 at University of Virginia, the school noted that the playwright (who’s also adapted Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and most recently, Emma) “once again manages to put her own spin on the author’s work, providing modern context and humor without changing a plot that is known and loved by so many.”
One way she accomplishes that is through the addition of “The Gossips,” characters played at different times by every member of the cast. Jennifer Kingry is returning to Playcrafters as director of “Sense and Sensibility.”
She saw an online version of Hamill’s play by an off-Broadway theater company called Bedlam. “It was amazing, I was hooked, and I’ve been looking for a chance to do the show ever since,” she said in a Playcrafters Q & A.
This will be Kingry’s ninth play at Playcrafters, the first being “Amadeus” in 2003. Since 1998, she’s directed directed eight shows for Playcrafters (including a musical), 15 for Richmond Hill Players (also including a musical), and another five or six for various other groups.
“Many people know me more as a lighting designer, something I really only came to in this latter stage of my theater life,” Kingry said. “Since ’98, I’ve lit approximately 90 shows for RHP, 33 for Playcrafters, and a dozen or so for other groups.”
For more information, visit the Playcrafters website HERE. Music Guild (1584 34th Ave., Moline) this weekend continues to audition for “The Wizard of Oz,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Pippin.”
For more information on Guild auditions, click HERE.
