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New Harmony Theatre's 1998 "Death of a Salesman", with AEA actors Gil Rodgers and Larry Gleason, and StrawHat alumni Steven Fales.

Welcome To StrawHat

"Of all the auditions you can do this spring -- put StrawHat at the top of your list! The caliber of the theatres represented, the caring staff, and the overall quality of the audition experience from initial song and monologue to dance call to call backs truly makes StrawHat a class act. ... I ended up doing the kind of theatre I dreamed of while in grad school. StrawHat opened doors that validated me not just as a musical theatre performer, but as an actor, making all the training worth it! (Not to mention I got my equity card!)"

Steven Fales received his MFA in May of '98 and was offered his Equity card to play Happy in Death of a Salesman at the New Harmony Theatre.

StrawHat is an organization that supports the careers of non-equity actors and technical artists looking to start and continue their professional careers in the theatre. Its main activity is to produce the StrawHat Auditions, which are held in New York every spring. Over three days, over 750 actors and "techies" and staff from over forty theatres attend. Actors audition for available positions in the theaters' summer seasons while technical people have their resumes posted online for phone or onsite interviews.

StrawHat's website has become an important addition to the auditions. Last year over 1,000,000 visitors came to www.strawhat-auditions.com to learn more about summer stock theatres, review the thousands of actor and technical resumes on our site and to take advantage of casting and information services.

The theatres who attend the auditions produce everything from melodrama to plays, history fairs to musicals. Most are summer stock theatres, but some are regionals that run almost year round. They are looking for dancers, leading players, chorus. All types, all sizes, all genders, all colors. All skills.

StrawHat is run by people who have worked on Broadway and/or in many of the major theatres in the US. We believe the best way to start a career in the theatre is to work in the theatre. Learning your craft. Putting in the hours. Meeting and working with people who do this for a living. And having the time of your life.

StrawHat is a nationally recognized summer stock "phenomenon". The auditions have been written up in The New York Times, LIVE magazine, and featured on CBS Sunday Morning. Major TV shows such as "Star Search", casting agencies (Dave Clemmons, Bernard Telsey) and major entertainment companies (Disney, Royal Carribean) have used the auditions as an important part of their casting efforts.

The 2008 StrawHat Auditions will take place Thursday, March 20 through Saturday, March 22 in New York City.Check the links above for applications and information.