Casting Call: New Musical X

Casting calls list

Musical

New Musical X

Details

Union:

Union

Area of media:

Musical

Network:

Paid?:

Yes

Rates:

House Category/Rates:B

Deadline:

May 8, 2026

Cities for response:

Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa

Comments

DIRECTOR’S NOTES
A gleeful, high-energy pastiche of 1950s sci-fi B-movies, blending camp, satire, and self-aware theatricality with a contemporary comedic voice. It leans into heightened archetypes; the paranoid scientist, the menacing blockheaded sheriff, the plucky ingénue; while undercutting them with irony, wordplay, and subversive character twists. The score drives the storytelling with an ebullient score that both parodies and celebrates rockabilly mid-century Americana. The show embraces theatrical playfulness and balances genuine stakes (identity, belonging, xenophobia, fungibility of truth) with unapologetic silliness.
ACCESSIBILITY OF AUDITION SPACE
Montreal (Segal Centre): Our audition place is fully accessible for people with reduced mobility via our 5550 Westbury Avenue door and Annex elevator. Washrooms are accessible via the elevator.
Toronto (Young People's Theatre): Our second-floor audition space is fully accessible via the elevator with accessible bathrooms on the same floor.
INCLUSIVE CASTING POLICY:
As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome and encourage submissions from individuals of all gender identities, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities. However, there are times when the breakdown of a casting call indicates the need for a culturally-specific role, or someone with specified lived experience in order to uphold the integrity of the artistic work. If you choose, you may provide us with the pronouns you would like us to use in your submission, or any other self-identification you wish to provide. If you are a person with a disability and require assistance during the application and/or hiring process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Storyline

New Musical X follows John Putnam, a disgraced scientist hiding out in the small desert town of Sand Rock after a past “alien scare” ruined his reputation. When he spots what he believes is an incoming extraterrestrial threat, the town dismisses him as a crank, until a meteor crash reveals something far more dangerous: aliens who can assume human form and quietly infiltrate the community. As paranoia spreads and townspeople begin to be replaced, John races to prove the truth and save the town, while navigating a budding romance with Ellen, whose trust in him wavers as his credibility collapses. By the end of Act One, the aliens have gained the upper hand, blending in seamlessly as the line between human and invader becomes dangerously unclear.

Roles

Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	John Putnam	Male 20 - 39 Years old
Description Male presenting. Pop-rock baritenor A disgraced former scientist hiding out in a small desert town in Arizona, after a past “alien scare” ruined his reputation. On the surface, John presents as the quintessential 1950s leading man: archly earnest, articulate, principled, with a square-jawed sense of moral duty and a belief that truth will ultimately prevail. But beneath that staunch Rod Serling exterior is a man running on fumes; haunted by failure, plagued by self-doubt, and gripping tightly to the one idea that could redeem him. His conviction about extraterrestrial life isn’t just scientific curiosity anymore; it’s survival. His energy is a volatile mix of intellect and panic. He lives in a near-constant state of urgency, struggling to connect, often talking at people rather than to them, until he meets Ellen, a gentle, thoughtful English teacher whose openness and belief in him cut through the noise. With her, John glimpses the possibility of being seen not as a joke or a danger, but as a man worth trusting. Seeking a highly charismatic, highwire comedic actor with classic leading man appeal who can play both the confident hero and the unraveling outsider - often at the same time. Strong physical and vocal agility required to navigate rapid tonal shifts between sincerity, paranoia, and absurdity. Must be able to ground heightened comedy in real emotional stakes.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Ellen Fields	Female 20 - 39 Years old
Description Female presenting. The lovely, bookish and comically naïve English teacher, Ellen has been through a series of disappointing relationships and takes refuge in great books. Doris Day beautiful, she’s a cliché of the all-American mid-century cinematic heroine who trusts to a fault but ultimately finds the strength and confidence to think critically, stand up to the angry mob in town and defend both John and the actual aliens, who turn out to be harmless. Seeking highly comedic smart actor who can capture the comic archness of a cliché 1950s science fiction heroine (think Audrey in Little Shop or Rosemary in How To Succeed) – a breathy high pitched sounding board for male heroism – a vulnerable yet professional “damsel in distress” who ultimately rescues him instead of the reverse - with bold inventive comic instincts.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Sheriff Zeke Warren	Male 30 - 40 Years old
Description Male presenting. Tough as nails and hilariously menacing in a classic Clint Eastwood make my day way; he will do anything to win back Ellen, his ex-girlfriend. A narcissistic, ultra-masculine, and charismatic villain who devolves from a boorish braggart into a truly sadistic, murderous menace – his Achilles heel is that he freezes up and can hardly speak when he is feeling vulnerable – which is every time he tries to broach the “L” word to Ellen. When faced with an alien invasion, he summons the town to apprehend and murder them all, not taking time to understand that they are harmless. Seeking highly comedic actor who captures the shades of a comic antagonist, a la Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) or Orin Scrivello (Little Shop) and bold inventive comic instincts.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Frank	Male 20 - 59 Years old
Description Male presenting. The grizzled lead guitarist in the local band Frank Asteroid and the Belts, Frank is Sand Rock’s de facto emcee; part narrator, part lounge philosopher, part guy who’s seen just enough to know better but not enough to leave. He’s been in Sand Rock his whole life, inheriting the band (and the gig) from his father, Frank, Sr. who played the same setlist, in the same bar, to the same people. Frank tells himself he likes it that way, but beneath the easy charm is a creeping suspicion that his life has been on a loop. The arrival of John, and then the aliens, cracks that certainty wide open. Also plays an alien. Seeking highly transformational fearless comedic actor with a great sense of 1950 cinematic tropes. GUITAR SKILLS REQUIRED.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Coral	Female 40 - 69 Years old
Description Female presenting. A grizzled bartender and occasional pianist at the local saloon, she has seen it all – or pretends that she has. Sand Rock’s unofficial truth-teller, her own personal truths are usually buried under a few layers of gin and a well-timed wisecrack. Once upon a time, she had bigger ambitions, but she never managed to leave town and risk failing. She had a shot to play a gig with Buddy Holly in Phoenix, but she chickened out. She still wonders what her life would look like if she had gone. Also plays an alien and several other comic cameos. Seeking highly transformational fearless comedic actor with a great sense of 1950 cinematic tropes. PIANO SKILLS AN ASSET.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Maizie	Female 30 - 60 Years old
Description Female presenting. A relentless gossip with a smile as sticky as her infamous peanut brittle (which she insists is “world-famous,” despite overwhelming local resistance). A widow who never quite found her footing after her husband’s death, she has built her identity around being indispensable to the town. Underneath the chirpy intrusiveness is a real fear of being left behind, of irrelevance, of invisibility, of a world that’s changing faster than she can control. Maizie doesn’t just resist change, she polices it. And yet there’s something oddly touching about her desperation to belong, even as she pushes people away. Also plays an alien, allowing for a delicious contrast between Maizie’s tightly wound, hyper-social human façade and the uncanny, predatory stillness of her extraterrestrial counterpart. Seeking highly transformational fearless comedic actor with a great sense of 1950 cinematic tropes.
Role type	Role	Gender & Age range
Lead	Hal	Male 20 - 40 Years old
Description Male presenting. Zeke’s younger brother and unofficial deputy (emphasis on unofficial), Hal has spent his entire life in someone else’s shadow, eager to serve, desperate to impress, and chronically overlooked. Hal’s ineptitude is both comic and deeply human. He tries so hard to get things right, only to fumble at the finish line. Whether he’s bungling an investigation, misreading a social cue, or proudly announcing information everyone already knows, his confidence and competence are perpetually out of sync. And yet, beneath the bluster is a genuine sweetness and a quiet ache to be recognized, not just as Zeke’s brother, but as someone with his own identity, his own purpose, his own title. Seeking a highly skilled comedic actor with impeccable timing and strong physical comedy, capable of channeling a classic Don Knotts-style nervous earnestness while grounding the character’s need for validation in something real. Lovable, exasperating, and just self-aware enough to make it hurt a little. Also plays an alien. Vocal range: pop rock tenor.

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