Black Cat Theatre seeks actors for their upcoming staged reading+ production of untitled hamlet play by Rory O'Neill, performing April 14-15th, 2026 at The Edge Off Broadway.

SYNOPSIS:
As Casey tries to write their thesis play about Hamlet, they find themselves unable to find the right language to express themself -- it's a good thing their best friend Hadley has such a way with words. And a great personality. And such an interesting life. The deeper they get into Hadley's story, the more Casey adopts it as their own part to play, attempting to be the Great Person their classmates are hearing them be. And then Casey gets visited by a ghost of a certain paternal figure, and all Shakespearean hell breaks loose.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

CASEY: (any race, they/them, 20s) A gifted comedy writer in the final year of a playwriting program. They don't know how to get vulnerable. They can be very intense. Played by a transmasc/nonbinary actor.

HADLEY: (any race, she/they, 20s ) Casey's friend studying history. She's very sensitive and thoughtful, in a way that effortlessly captures the attention and the are of people around them. transmasc/nonbinary actor.

PROFESSOR WHIDMORE: (White, he/him, 40-60s) Casey's mentor, head of the MFA program. Between fatherly and grandfatherly. In constant pursuit of the Most Interesting Thing. Also plays WHIDMORE'S GHOST: Professor Whidmore, but, you know, a ghost.

MILA: (any race, she/her, early 30s) Casey's classmate. Active in critiques, in a way that means well but can sometimes feel overbearing. Writing a play that feels strangely familiar to Casey.

BECCA: (any race, she/her, 20s) Casey's ex-girlfriend. Sci fi lover. Broke Casey's heart and doesn't regret it (that much). A bit like Daria meets Alanis Morisette meets Stardew Valley enthusiast.

THOMAS: (any race, he/him, 20s) Student in the thesis class. Straight man in theatre. You'd think maybe he played football if you didn't know he was actually busy with rehearsals.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:
"Staged Reading +" for us means that like a typical staged reading, there is a condensed rehearsal process and actors are not memorized, but the + component means we add in some staging and lighting. It also means the play undergoes development with the playwright during the rehearsal process.

Rehearsals will be between March 30th - April 11th, 2026. There will be 8 rehearsals total - 4 virtual tablework rehearsals between March 30th-April 5th (exact days/times TBD, but in evenings), and 4 in-person rehearsals April 7, 9, and 11th from 6:30-10:30pm (at The Flight Deck, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660). The fourth rehearsal will be either April 6th OR April 8th from 6:30-10:30pm at the Flight Deck, to be confirmed.

Tech rehearsal 5:30-11:30pm Monday, April 13th at The Edge Off Broadway

Performances will be the evenings of Tuesday, April 14th and Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at The Edge Off Broadway.

Co-Directors: Jared Sheldon and Alex Hultman; Lighting Designer: Kelly Jacqueline, Dramaturg: Cori Lang; Producers: Cee Scallen and Jared Sheldon

Pay is $100.