AUDITIONS
Seeking local actors for all roles in Hank Williams: Lost Highway directed by Abby Apple-Boes and music directed by Jason Tyler Vaughn, performing on the Aurora Fox Mainstage from Dec. 4 to Dec. 27, 2026!
Auditions will be at the Aurora Fox (9900 E. Colfax Ave.) on Aug. 9 and 10 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in five-minute time slots by appointment only. Please check in for your audition at the Fox Box Office approximately 10 minutes before your audition.
The spectacular musical biography of the legendary singer-songwriter frequently mentioned alongside Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Duke Ellington, Elvis and Bob Dylan as one of the great innovators of American popular music. The play follows Williams’ rise from his beginnings on the Louisiana Hayride to his triumphs on the Grand Ole Opry to his eventual self-destruction at twenty-nine. Along the way, we are treated to indelible songs like “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Move It on Over” and “Hey, Good Lookin’,” which are given fresh and profound resonance set in the context of Williams’ life.
Email Olivia at okirkpat@auroragov.org if you wish to read a perusal script.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Rehearsals begin on or around Nov. 2, 2026. Anticipated rehearsal schedule will be Sundays through Thursdays, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the Fox (no rehearsal on Thanksgiving Day).
Technical rehearsals will begin on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026.
REHEARSALS:
Hank Williams: Lost Highway will perform Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Dec. 4 to Dec. 27, 2026. Additionally, there will be an preview night on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., an industry night performance on Monday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and a weekday matinee on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. The Saturday performance on Dec. 19 will be at 2 p.m.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Auditions will take place in five-minute time slots in-person and by appointment only on Aug. 9 and 10.
Callbacks will take place in-person at the Fox on Aug. 24 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
To sign up, please scroll to the bottom of the page and use the scheduler.
AEA contracts are available. Equity members, please be prepared to show your card when you check in to audition.
As a courtesy to other actors and the production team, if you sign up to audition and cannot attend, please cancel your appointment.
If you have specific questions about the audition dates or process, please email Olivia okirkpat@auroragov.org for more information.
ABOUT THE AUDITION:
Please bring your best southern accent and prepare a one-minute contemporary monologue, along with one period-appropriate country tune of your choice (ex. Woody Guthrie, Ernest Tubbs, Kitty Wells, Lefty Frizzell). Please do not exceed four minutes for the song and monologue package. If you are able, we encourage you to accompany yourself. The Fox will provide one acoustic guitar and one electric bass for auditions, as well as a keyboard accompanist for those who may choose to only sing.
Pedal Steel Guitar Players interested in the role of Shag - please send a headshot, resume and playing video to Olivia Kong at okirkpat@auroragov.org.
PREPARATION:
HANK WILLIAMS - 20s to 30s, white male-presenting, Alabama Hillbilly, singer, songwriter and rhythm guitar player. Hank suffered from Spina Bifida, which contributed to his lifelong substance abuse and ultimately his death at age 29. He is widely known as one of the most influential artists in country music. He is a complex character. His iconic status was amplified by his reputation for hard living, heart-on-the-sleeve vulnerability, and charm. A strong country singer with a “yodel”, a strong actor, and good rhythm guitar skills. Southern dialect.
TEE-TOT - any age, Black male-presenting, Alabama blues, singer, songwriter and slide guitar player. A street musician. He is famously Hank’s mentor and showed Hank how to play blues guitar when he was a young boy. A strong blues singer, with guitar skills as a plus. Southern dialect.
THE WAITRESS - 20s to 30s, female-presenting, a great storyteller, very little singing required. The keeper of an all-night diner in the south. She is down-to-earth, funny and cheerful... But lonely. Some singing skills required. Southern dialect.
MAMA LILLY - 45 to 65, white female-presenting, Hank’s mother and early manager. She is strong, brash and overbearing, but always has Hank’s best interests at heart. Some singing skills required. Small solo with Hank in one song. Southern dialect.
HOSS - 20s to 30s, male-presenting, a member of Hank’s band the Drifting Cowboys. Boyish, fun, and shares an old vaudevillian Hee-Haw country-style song/comedy routine with Jimmy. Strong singer and musician; plays the upright bass. Southern dialect.
JIMMY (BURRHEAD) - 20s to 30s, male-presenting, a member of Hank’s band the Drifting Cowboys. Great storyteller, from Oklahoma. He got the name “Burrhead” due to his short military-style haircut. Always looking out for Hank, but not afraid to put him in his place if he needs to. Strong singer; plays electric lead guitar. Southern dialect.
LEON (LOUDMOUTH) - 30s to 40s, male-presenting, a member of Hank’s band the Drifting Cowboys. Pleasant and taciturn. Strong singer and versatile musician who primarily plays the fiddle. Ability to play mandolin and/or harmonica is a plus. Southern dialect.
FRED ROSE (PAP) - 45 to 60, white male-presenting, a Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter and music publishing executive who co-founded Acuff-Rose Music Publishing in Nashville. A Midwesterner from Chicago. He fostered Hank’s career and produced his records. Very little singing is required. Midwest/Chicago dialect.
AUDREY WILLIAMS - 20s to 30s, white female-presenting. Hank’s first wife and mother of Hank Williams Jr. An exuberant and confident Alabama girl with ambition and sass but not much talent as a singer. She needs to be able to carry a tune but not have the most pleasant quality to her voice. She sings a couple of songs in the show. Southern dialect.
Audrey Williams Singing “Style”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kcAvosGA-0
SHAG - any age, male-presenting. Pedal steel guitar player. Strong musician, no acting or singing required.
*Please note that the above character descriptions are written to reflect the historic figures and environment of the story being told.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
The Aurora Fox operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. Equity members are encouraged to audition and will be considered for any role. Rates under our 2026 contract are $450 per week, plus health and pension. Non-equity rates are $450 per week. We use a 22 hour a week rehearsal schedule all weeks except for tech.
The Aurora Fox is committed to casting choices that represent and celebrate all of our incredibly talented and diverse communities. Unless otherwise required by the script, and therefore reflected in the casting notice, individuals of any and all ages, ethnic identities, gender identities or expressions, sizes, spiritual identities, disability statuses, and sexual orientations are strongly encouraged to audition.
CASTING PRACTICES:
If no times appear in the scheduler below, we are fully booked. We will maintain a wait list and fill cancellations in order of request. We do expect to be able to see everyone who wants an appointment.
We will attempt, within reason, to make alternate arrangements for local actors who are unable to attend during the available time slots. We are not accepting video submissions at this time.