Auditions - MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company

Pocket Full of Posies Auditions

Monday, September 14, 2026 from 6-8:30 PM

AUDITION for our production of the new horror musical by John Rea, Pocket Full of Posies,

Monday, September 14, 2026 from 6-8:30pm at MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company (2030 Sansom St. Philadelphia, PA). Choreography by Rebekah Rickards. Directed by John Rea.

Everyone between the ages 11 and 18 is welcome to participate in this production. Please fill out the Audition Form starting August 1. We rehearse Monday - Thursday from 6-8pm or 6-8:30pm depending on the night. Most actors can expect 2-3 rehearsals per week. If you can't commit to a larger role please consider playing a cameo with just a few rehearsals.

Rehearsals begin Tuesday, September 22.

Tech Rehearsals are November 30 - December 3 from 6-9 PM

Performances are December 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, & 13, 2026

There will be a vocal audition followed by a dance audition lead by our choreographer, Rebekah Rickards. There may also be some cold readings from the script. We hand out copies for you.

Audition Songs and Scenes:

Pages 1-17 of the script (which contain most of the lyrics), demo recordings and lyric sheets can be found by clicking the button above that says "Audition Materials"

All actors for all parts (except the Entity) should sing 'Higher'. Lyrics are found on page 4 of the script. Sing from the beginning to end of the chorus just before Ruby sings.

For Cassie, Nina and Phoebe, actors should prepare Cassie's monologue on page 3 of the script.

For Phoebe, besides the above monologue, actors should prepare 'Wishes'. There is a lyric sheet for it. Sing from the beginning to 'live and learn'.

For Sophie, actors should prepare 'How Come she Gets to Live' on page 10 of the script, from the beginning to 'none of it's fair'. There will also be a cold reading from the 1st 17 pages of the script.

For Molly, actors should prepare 'if I Could Go Back' on pages 14-15, from the beginning to ' a zombie who's unforgivable'.

For AI Guy, actors should prepare 'When Leia Whispers in My Ear' from the beginning until 'Leia, tell me about education in America.' There's a lyrics sheet in the folder. Leia is his AI companion. Also the scene from pages 7-9.

For the Entity, a non-speaking role, all physical, actors will be asked to do some creature choreography taught at the audition. It is recommended that actors dress all in black.

For Eddie and the members Star Light - please memorize and perform the Pocket Full of Posies - side in the folder. Play Eddie or Ruby.

Cast of Characters

Sophie Thorn, 16, our hero, younger sister of Dina, stunned, hurt and angry by the sudden accidental death of Dina (her world is collapsing), bright, sheltered, a budding performer with aspirations to go pro

Phoebe Strong, 15, part of Sophie's friend group, fellow singer, has ADHD, impulsive, unfiltered, a bit dangerous in her choices

Cassie McAllistair, 16 part of Sophie's friend group, Phoebe's person who keeps her balanced, fellow singer, likes to dare new things which can get her into trouble

Nina Crosby, 16, part of Sophie's friend group, fellow singer, an instigator, a party girl, not afraid of the dark until she comes face to face with it

Molly Hatch, 16, accidentally killed Sophie’s sister with her car, nemesis, she’s a rule following good girl, devastated by her mistake, an over-performer to the extreme, she gets straight A’s and is the class president, she’s at the top of their school, since she began high school her goal has been to get into a prestigious college, used to be great friends with Sophie, Phoebe, Cassie, and Nina before her schooling obsession

AI Guy, 15, lives next door to Sophie, a recluse, lives in their basement and is obsessed with all things AI, has created an AI talking head he's named, Leia, after Princess Leia in Star Wars, loves anything sci-fi, wicked smart, socially awkward

Entity, ageless, powerful, wears a chaotic mask and has claws with four terrifying fingers, it is all black with a feathered head, it has been attached by an ancient spell to the sheet music to 'Ring Around the Rosie', it has an unquenchable desire for more power and it steals power from humans by breathing into them and sucking out their souls leaving them more and more in a zombie state until they are essentially brain dead, speaks in a series of vocal clucks and clicks

Eddie Pullover, 16, stoner, lovable comic relief, the only boy in choir, loves female companionship

Supporting Cast of Middle Schoolers, who are part of Star Light, the school show choir, they are ambitious and tight friends, they would say that they're a clique, fun people who like a bit of mischief, who think the suburbs can get a bit boring:

Ruby/Dina
Ginny
Barbra
Suzie
Greta
Sarah
Bonnie
Grace
Rachel
Gabby

Attire for the audition: Actors should come all in black for the audition.

Complete the online Audition Sheet before your audition.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to John Rea with any questions in advance of the auditions - jrea@macguffintf.com

Auditions for
The Singin' Bohemians Cabaret Troupe*
Directed by John Rea, Choreography by Liz Fredette
When: Tuesday, September 15, 2025 from 6-7 PM
Parents should join us at 7pm for a informational meeting about the commitment

Where: 2030 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor (purple door)
Please check out the information about The Singin' Bohemians here and fill out the Audition Sheet in advance of the auditions.

Performers between the ages of 12 and 18 should prepare a Broadway song that shows off their range and talents. Please bring sheet music. There will also be a dance audition led by choreographer, Liz Fredette. Rehearsals are on Saturdays from 2:30-4 PM.

Auditions for
This Side Up Comedy Improv Troupe*
Directed by Jen Jaynes
When: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 from 6-7 PM
Where: 2030 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor (purple door)

Please check out the information about This Side UP Comedy Improv Troupe here and fill out the Audition Sheet in advance of the auditions.

Actors between the ages of 12 and 18 will perform comedy improvisations with the current members of This Side Up. We recommend watching the tv show 'Whose Line is it Anyway' to get the feel for the kind of improvisations you'll perform. Rehearsals are on Saturdays from 3-4:30 PM.

Auditions for
The Mechanicals Acting Troupe*
Directed by Liz Fredette
When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 from 7-8:30 pm
Parents should join us at 7pm for an information meeting about the commitment.

Where: 2030 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor (purple door)
Please check out the information about The Mechanicals' Acting Troupe here and fill out the Audition Sheet in advance of the auditions.

Actors between the ages of 12 and 18 are welcome to audition. Please prepare a 1-2 minute monologue.

The Mechanicals Acting Troupe is comprised of some of the best actors and leaders at MacGuffin. They are advocates for MacGuffin and seek to entertain audiences while growing their own skills. For the first part of the season, they put their acting talents to use in a short play to be performed for elementary and middle school students. We also take the show out to local libraries, synagogues, churches, and community centers. There will be several times during the season when actors in the Mechanicals must be available to perform on weekday mornings at local schools. During the latter half of the season the Mechanicals sharpen their skills on monologue and scene work. Rehearsals are on Saturdays from 10:30 AM-12 PM

Auditions for The Travelling Fabulists (our NEW troupe)
When: Wednesday, September 16 from 7-8 PM
Where: 2030 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor (purple door)

This troupe will specialize in performance for all audiences in out door public spaces and amongst tables at dinners. Actors should be able to be loud, fun, and dramatic. There will be scripts but some improvisation may be involved as audiences members will be involved in our short plays and routines. For the audition each actor will play all three characters in the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The routine is called 'Leaving the Room'. Memorize up to "You just stay in here and make sure 'e doesn't leave." (about halfway down the page). Click the link to download the script. Actors can perform it with or without a British accent. Actors should also be familiar with the story of Cinderella as there will be an improvisation involving the story. Rehearsals are on Saturdays from 1-2:30 PM.

Please fill out the AUDITION SHEET before you arrive to the audition

* All of our troupes are both elite training programs and performance troupes. In addition to rehearsing and performing in and outside of our community, troupe members function as ambassadors for MacGuffin and leaders within our program.

Tuition for the Troupes is $295 each for the fall and winter sessions and $245 for the spring session.

For more information, please check out our Troupes page or contact John Rea at jrea@macguffintf.com

Auditions for The MacGuffin Experience Podcast

When: Thursday, September 10 from 6-7:30 PM
Where: 2030 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor (purple door)

The MacGuffin Experience is a video podcast featuring interviews with MacGuffin and Philadelphia actors and directors. It also features an opening segment where the host and co-host talk about their week. There is a segment called 'One Cool Thing' where the host and co-host talk about one cool show, book, app, event that they discovered that week. The podcast closes with a MacGuffin Troupe performance. Episodes shoot on Mondays from 5-6 PM and one other time at everyone's availability. Actors can host several episodes or just one depending on availability. Episodes will be directed by Lily Cohen and produced by John Rea.

We're looking for actor hosts and co-hosts, between the ages of 11 and 17, who are good interviewers and comfortable on camera. For the audition actors will be given a series of questions and they will interview other auditionees. The questions are general prompts. Actors are asked to put the questions into their own words.