Bring Stories to Life
Wheelock Family Theatre welcomes Equity and non-Equity performers, stage managers, musicians, and student performers to audition throughout the season. We are committed to creating inclusive rehearsal rooms and encourage artists of all backgrounds and lived experiences to audition.
Current Opportunities
The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen | Equity Principal Auditions
About the Show
Set in a lively Harlem neighborhood filled with rhythm, color, and community, The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen follows ten-year-old Kameeka as she prepares for a neighborhood hula-hooping contest and dreams of becoming the best on her block. With determination, imagination, and a little friendly competition, she sets her sights on the prize. But as the day unfolds, Kameeka begins to discover that growing up isn’t just about winning, it’s about showing up for others, learning from the people around you, and understanding what truly matters. Surrounded by a vibrant community of friends, neighbors, and mentors, she starts to see herself in a new way.
Artistic Personnel
Directed by Jaronzie Harris
Casting Supervisor: Carolyn Saxon
Executive Director: Nick Vargas
Important Dates*
First Rehearsal: March 23, 2027
Tech Starts: April 9, 2027
Previews: April 15 – 17, 2027 at 10:30am
Opening: Feb 15, 2027 at 2:00pm
Closing: May 15, 2027 at 2:00pm
Click here for the current rehearsal/performance calendar.
*Dates & times subject to change*
Equity Principal Auditions
These auditions are specifically for the roles of Miz Adeline, Mama & Miss Eveyln.
When: Sunday, October 4 from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Where: 180 Riverway | Wheelock Family Theatre
What to Prepare: A monologue of your choosing OR one side from the production. A reader will be provided.
Note: Non-Union adult performers will be seen throughout the day as time permits. Sign-up for standby appointments begins at 12:00pm.
NON-UNION Student Performers, ages 9 – 15, Auditions
When: Monday, December 7 from 4:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: 180 Riverway | Wheelock Family Theatre
Additional information and sign-ups for auditions will be made available in late November.
Casting Breakdown
Kameeka Sankofa Hayes | 10 years old. Black/African American. Kameeka is a spirited, determined girl who dreams of becoming the Hula-Hoopin’ Queen of 139th Street. She frequently speaks directly to the audience and is a highly skilled hula-hooper. (Student Performer)
Mama (Mrs. Caroline Hayes) | 30s. Black/African American. Kameeka’s loving, practical mother, Mama is raising a bright and strong-willed daughter while balancing work, household responsibilities, and their deep connection to the surrounding community. Though initially reluctant to join the hooping, Mama has a playful side, and some surprising skills of her own.
Miz Adeline | 80 years old. Black/African American. Kameeka’s beloved neighbor and a cherished elder in the community, Miz Adeline is vibrant, stylish, affectionate, and remarkably active. She shares an easy warmth with Kameeka and a spirited lifelong friendship with Miss Evelyn built around their own love of hula-hooping.
Anita “Jamara” Washington | 10 years old. Black/African American. Kameeka’s friend, neighbor, and chief hula-hooping rival, Jamara is bold, charismatic, and enormously confident in her abilities. She is a highly skilled hula-hooper. (Student Performer)
Portia Maria Johnson | 10 years old. Black/African American. Kameeka and Jamara’s thoughtful, levelheaded friend, Portia often serves as the peacemaker between the two competitors. A flautist, or proficient player of another easily carried instrument, Portia is also a strong hula-hooper. The ability to play an instrument is preferred but not required. (Student Performer)
Miss Evelyn | Late 70s. Black/African American. Miz Adeline’s lively best friend, Miss Evelyn is funny, outspoken, and always ready with an observation about the neighborhood’s latest excitement. She also maintains a love of hula-hooping. Also voices Jamara’s mother.
Neighborhood Kids | 9 to 15 years old. Any Ethnicity. A joyful and energetic group of young people who bring the spirit of 139th Street to life. Appearing throughout the production as members of Kameeka’s Harlem community, the ensemble participates in movement, rhythmic storytelling, and hula-hooping sequences. (Student Performers)
All roles will be understudied. There will be no double casting of student performer roles for this production. Understudies will be cast during the principal audition process.
Please note:
- Student Performer roles are unpaid, with the focus of the experience on the student performer’s growth and development while rehearsing and performing in a professional production. Student performers, in consultation with the creative team, will create personal learning objectives they wish to work on over the course of the process. The creative team, along with other members of the production and the Wheelock Family Theatre staff, will find opportunities within the production experience to mentor the student performer in the outlined learning objectives.
About Casting at Wheelock
Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, recognizes the need for expanding the participation of artists who have been historically underrepresented on stage due to race, ethnicity, disability, gender expression, and sexual orientation. We endeavor to cast these individuals in roles where race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or the presence or absence of a disability is not germane and in which their identities align with those of a character.
Most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns. However limiting the descriptions are, our casting seeks to be inclusive as possible and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with.
We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities.
Wheelock Family Theatre pledges to produce and celebrate theater that is representative of, and centers characters as well as actors who share the diverse and intersectional identities as those that exist within our audiences.
Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.
Questions?
We’re always excited to talk with performers about upcoming audition opportunities.
